Rock Hill, S.C. – D.J. Burns Jr. led three Eagles in double-figures with 20 points to help lead Winthrop to a 78-40 victory over Converse, Friday afternoon in the Winthrop Coliseum.
WINTHROP (7-6)
SCORING LEADERS
CONVERSE (4-8)
SCORING LEADERS
- Jimmie Sanders III (9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist)
- Jay Mitchell (7 points, 3 assists, 1 steal)
- Elijah Pitts (4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals)
FIRST HALF
- Both teams got off to a slow start shooting the ball as Converse started 1-for-10 and the Eagles began 2-for-11 over the first six minutes
- Eagles trailed 3-2 at the 16:37 mark when they went on an 8-0 spurt that began with a corner three by Josh Corbin
- Russell Jones Jr. then buried a straight away three for a 9-3 lead and a Chase Claxton free throw put the Eagles on top 10-3
- After a dunk in transition by Converse's Nate Gordon, the Eagles hit back-to-back threes courtesy of Jones Jr. and Patrick Good as the Winthrop lead extended into double-digits
- Eagles outscored Converse 11-1 over the final six minutes to lead 38-16 at the break
- Winthrop held Valkyries to 19 percent shooting and the Eagles shot 33 percent
SECOND HALF
- Eagles opened up the second half shooting better and pushed the lead to 50-19 with just under 15 to play in the game
- Eagles scored seven straight in the first five minutes to push the lead to 30 points as the Eagles forced three straight turnovers and converted on all three
- It started with D.J. Burns Jr. layup off a dish from Drew Buggs followed by a steal and finish by Patrick Good
- The third turnover was a steal by Chase Claxton that led to a three-pointer from Jones Jr. in transition
- Eagles eventually pushed the lead to 42 points with 4:14 left after a three from Sin'Cere McMahon
- Eagles shot 62 percent from the floor in the second half while holding Converse to 32 percent
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Winthrop finished the game shooting 44 percent and holding the Valkyries to 25 percent shooting
- Eagles dominated the boards 52-30, including 15 offensive rebounds
- Jones Jr. career-high five triples led the Eagles as they were 10-of-29 behind the arc
- Cory Hightower finished with a game-high 11 rebounds and tied for a team-high with four assists
- Claxton's 10 boards were a career-high while Burns Jr. was one shy of his career-high with eight
- Eagles finished with a 26-11 advantage in points off turnovers and dominated the paint 40-16
- Eagles finished with a season-high 13 steals as Patrick Good had four and Jones Jr. had three
NOTABLES
- This was the eighth straight home win for the Eagles, who have won 19 of the last 20 at home
- Winthrop has now won 57 straight over Non-D1 opponents
- Burns Jr. posted his third consecutive game with 20 or more points
- This marked the 749th victory in program history
UP NEXT
Winthrop is back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. when they open Big South Conference action on the road at High Point.
To keep up with the latest news on the Winthrop men's basketball program, follow the Eagles on Twitter (@Winthrop_MBB), Instagram (@Winthrop_MBB) and Facebook (/WinthropEagles).
