Conway, S.C. – D.J. Burns Jr. scored a team-high 18 points but Winthrop fell 74-64 at Coastal Carolina, Saturday afternoon in non-conference action.
WINTHROP (4-4)
SCORING LEADERS
- D.J. Burns (18 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 steal)
- Patrick Good (15 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist)
- Chase Claxton (8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 steals)
COASTAL CAROLINA (4-2)
SCORING LEADERS
- Rudi Williams (30 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal)
- Ebrima Dibba (15 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 3 steals)
- Garrick Green (10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal)
FIRST HALF
- Eagles got off to a 4-0 lead thanks to back-to-back buckets by D.J. Burns Jr.
- Coastal scored five straight to take a 5-4 lead but two free throws from Micheal Anumba and a Chase Claxton layup had the Eagles back on top 8-5
- Vince Cole's three tied the game at 8-8 which sparked a 7-0 run for a 12-8 lead with 14:14 to play in the half
- Another Burns Jr. basket put the Eagles on top 18-17 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the half but an Ebrima Dibba layup put the Chanticleers back in front, a lead they held the remainder of the half
- The Dibba layup started a 14-0 run in which the Eagles were 0-for-8 from the field with two turnovers during that span
- Patrick Good ended the scoring drought with a three and the Eagles outscored the Chanticleers down the stretch to trail 36-28 at the break
SECOND HALF
- Eagles trailed 46-32 with 16:24 left in the game when they went on a 7-0 run over the next three minutes
- The majority of the run came at the line as the Eagles were 5-of-6 in addition to a layup by Kelton Talford
- Coastal pushed its lead back to double-digits with 9:10 left at 56-44 when the Eagles reeled off six straight points
- That was as close as the Eagles got as they continued to try and chip away at the deficit but the Chanticleers continued to hold them off
- The Eagles were just 2-of-13 behind the arc in the final 20 minutes after going 3-for-11 in the first half
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Winthrop finished the game shooting a season-low 39 percent while Coastal finished at 46 percent
- The Eagles also shot a season-low behind the arc at 19 percent but did get to the foul line 24 times, going 17-of-24 (71%)
- The Chanticleers dominated the glass 43-28 and finished with a 17-6 advantage in second chance points (13 offensive boards)
- Winthrop tied a season-high with nine steals as it forced 15 turnovers and outscored the Chanticleers 15-10 in points off turnovers
NOTABLES
- Hightower had just four points in the loss, but moved past 1,100 career points (1,101 currently)
- The loss was the Eagles third straight on the road in the series with Coastal Carolina
- This was the first game the Eagles had just one player hit a three as they've had at least three different players hit a three in the first seven games
- This was the fifth road game over the last six contests for the Eagles
- The loss ends a winning streak at 10 straight during the month of December dating back to 2019
- With his five threes in the contest, Patrick Good now has 232 career triples
UP NEXT
Winthrop is back in action in three days when it hosts Furman on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.
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).
