Rock Hill, S.C. – In a game that saw 24 lead changes, Winthrop men's basketball came on top with an 85-80 victory over Furman, Tuesday evening in non-conference action.
WINTHROP (5-4)
SCORING LEADERS
FURMAN (6-3)
SCORING LEADERS
- Alex Hunter (24 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal)
- Jalen Slawson (15 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks)
- Mike Bothwell (10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist)
FIRST HALF
- Eagles jumped out to an early 4-0 lead behind a layups from D.J. Burns Jr. and Drew Buggs
- Furman responded with an 8-0 run highlighted by Alex Hunter and Conley Garrison
- Eagles came back to tie the game at 8-8 with 14:57 left in the half
- Over the next three and a half minutes the game went back-and-forth but back-to-back threes by Furman's Bothwell and Hunter had the Paladins ahead 23-18 midway through the half
- Six straight points by Kelton Talford put the Eagles back on top 24-23
- Winthrop led 32-37 with 3:13 left in the half when Micheal Anumba completed a three-point play, but Furman chipped away down the stretch to make it a one point game at the break
- Winthrop led 43-42 at the half thanks to 52 percent shooting from the floor
SECOND HALF
- Jalen Slawson opened the second half scoring with a jumper in the lane for a 44-43 lead
- The teams traded baskets as there were six lead changes in the first 2:45 of the second half
- With the game tied at 53-53, Drew Buggs drove the lane and kicked the ball to Anumba for an open three as he buried it
- Winthrop pushed the lead to five points on a Cory Hightower jumper only to have Furman regain the lead at 61-60 with 11:51 left after threes from J.P. Pegues and Joe Anderson
- The game was tied 78-78 with 3:32 to play after Hightower knocked down two free throws
- After forcing a turnover on the defensive end, the Eagles ended with their own turnover that led to basket for the Paladins as Slawson flipped the ball to Hunter breaking toward the basket for the layup
- After a missed jumper by Burns Jr. at the elbow, Winthrop boarded the miss as Hightower chased it down and then driving near the baseline kicked the ball to Anumba in the corner for another three for the lead, 81-80, with 1:47 to play
- With 36 seconds to play Buggs drove the lane and scored for a three-point advantage at 83-80
- Winthrop got the defensive stop it needed as Burns Jr. boarded the miss and handed it off to Patrick Good who was fouled
- Good made the two free throws with 11 seconds left to seal the victory
- The Eagles ended the game on a 7-0 run
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Winthrop finished the game shooting 52 percent as it was 9-of-17 behind the arc
- Furman finished the game shooting 47 percent and connected on 15 threes, finishing at 42 percent behind the arc
- There were a total of 24 lead changes and the game was tied on 10 different occasions
- Winthrop dominated the paint, outscoring the Paladins 44-24
- The Eagles forced 12 turnovers and had an 18-7 advantage in points off turnovers
- Anumba, Hightower and Buggs were joined in double-figures by Burns Jr. with 12 points and Kelton Talford added 10 points off the bench
NOTABLES
- Anumba fell one point shy of his career-high and tied his career-best with three triples
- Anumba was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and 5-for-5 at the foul line
- This was the seventh win in the last eight meetings against Furman
- This marks the seventh straight win at home
- Furman entered the game ranked 17th in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll (Dec. 6)
UP NEXT
Eagles remain in Rock Hill for their next contest as they'll compete against Carver College on Saturday, Dec. 11 in the No Room For Racism Classic. The game will take place at the Rock Hill Spots & Event Center with tip-off set for 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).
