Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop will play its third game in five days as it looks for a 6-0 start to Big South play when it travels to High Point, Monday Night.
WINTHROP (12-6, 5-0 Big South)
| WINTHROP PROBABLE STARTERS |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
Noteworthy |
| G |
11 |
Drew Buggs |
6-3 |
Gr. |
4.9 |
2.2 |
4.1 |
0.8 |
Hit game-winning jumper with 4 seconds left in win over Campbell / Came off bench for game-high 6 assists vs. Gardner-Webb / Surpassed 500 career assists at Vandy (560) / Career assist leader at Hawaii |
| G |
5 |
Patrick Good |
6-0 |
Gr. |
12.2 |
3.4 |
0.7 |
1.2 |
Had 31 points in road win at Presbyterian / Season-high 33 points at Washington State / Leads Big South in 3pt field goals per game, 3pt field goal percentage / 253 career threes |
| G/F |
3 |
Micheal Anumba |
6-4 |
Sr. |
7.7 |
4.1 |
1.3 |
0.4 |
In double-figures in 3-of-5 league games / Made 100th career start vs. Asheville and scored a team-high 18 points / Reached 400 career rebounds |
| F |
12 |
Cory Hightower |
6-7 |
R-Jr. |
10.6 |
6.4 |
1.9 |
1.2 |
Posted 2nd double-double this season with 13 points, 11 rebounds vs. Asheville / Surpassed 600 career rebounds (629) / Hit game-winning three vs. Mercer with 4.2 seconds left in OT |
| F |
30 |
D.J. Burns Jr. |
6-9 |
R-Jr. |
16.0 |
4.5 |
1.2 |
0.7 |
Career-high 4 assists vs. Gardner-Webb (7 assists last 2 games) / Leads Big South in field goal percentage (.623), 6th in NCAA D1 / 15 games in double-figures / 3rd in Big South in scoring / Preseason Big South Player of the Year |
THE SERIES
Series Record: 35-14
Series Streak: W8
Record at Qubein Center: first appearance
Streak at Quebein Center: n/a
Prosser vs. High Point: 0-1
SERIES HISTORY
- This marks the 50th meeting all-time between Winthrop and High Point
- Winthrop has won eight straight meetings, including the last one in the 2021 Big South Conference quarterfinals, 83-54
- In regular season meetings, the Eagles lead 27-14 and have won seven straight
- Eagles have the last five trips to High Point, but this will be the first time they face off in the Qubein Center
OVER THE LAST THREE GAMES
- Eagles are averaging 64.7 ppg while holding opponents to 61.7 ppg
- Patrick Good is the team's top scorer at 18.3 ppg as he's 18-of-26 from the field and 12-of-19 behind the arc
- Good is also second on the team in rebounding in that stretch at 5.3 while Cory Hightower leads the way with 6.7 per game
- D.J. Burns Jr. has also been in double-figures over the last three games at 14.0 ppg and averaging 2.7 apg
- As a team the Eagles are shooting 50 percent from the field and holding opponents to 37 percent
- Winthrop is 44-of-58 (76 percent) at the foul line and has 18 more attempts that opponents
AT A GLANCE
- Winthrop looks for a 15th straight win on the road in Big South play
- All five conference games for the Eagles have been 1 or 2 possession games, which is the first time in program history their first five games have all been decided by six or fewer points
- Winthrop leads the league in field goal percentage and second in three-point field goals per game (8.7)
- Winthrop ranks 3rd in the league in three-point field goal percentage while High Point is 4th
- This matchup includes three of the league's Top 10 scorers
- John-Micheal Wright for High Point leads the conference at 20.5 ppg and Zack Austin is ninth at 13.6 ppg
- Winthrop's D.J. Burns Jr. is third in the league at 16.0 ppg
- Austin leads the league in rebounding (8.1) while Winthrop's Cory Hightower is tied for 3rd with 6.4 per game
WINTHROP
- Looking to start league play 6-0 for the 3rd straight season and 6th time in program history
- Eagles have been in some competitive contests over the first four league games, combining for 38 ties and 38 lead changes
- Eagles playing their third game in five days and since 2012-13, the Eagles are 36-7 on just one days rest between games
- Burns Jr. leads the team in scoring and is 3rd in the conference at 16.0 ppg and has been in double-figures in 15-of-18 games
- Burns Jr. leads the Big South in field goal percentage (.623) and 6th nationally
- Patrick Good is second on the team at 12.2 ppg and passed 1,000 career points in the win over Gardner-Webb
- Good put up his second 30-point game of the season with 31 in the win at Presbyterian (Both 30-point games have come on the road)
- Good leads the conference in threes per game (2.8) and three-point field goal percentage (.468)
- Cory Hightower is third on the team in scoring at 10.6 ppg and leads in rebounding at 6.4 per game (3rd in league)
- The last two seasons the Eagles have finish second in the country in bench scoring and have averaged 42.0 bench points per game this season
- This year the team is averaging 28.3 ppg from the bench, which ranks T-33rd in the country (Cornell leads at 40.1 ppg through 16 games)
- Earned the program's first ever win over a PAC-12 opponent with the win at Washington (Nov. 27)
- The win against Campbell gave the Winthrop program 750 wins all-time and was the 450th all-time home victory
- Coming off back-to-back Big South Conference Championships
- Last season the Eagles posted the best winning percentage (.920) in the history of the program after opening the season 16-0
- Finished the season receiving votes in the Top 25 poll of the AP and USA Today Coaches Poll
- Winthrop has more wins than any other Big South school (197) since the 2012-13 season
- Mark Prosser starts his first season as head coach of the Eagles, the 7th head coach in program history
- Burns Jr., the 2021-22 Big South Conference Preseason Player of the Year, is the team's top returning scorer at 10.1 ppg
BIG SOUTH AWARDS
- D.J. Burns Jr. –Player of the Week (Dec. 27)
- Scored 20 points in the only game the Eagles played (vs. Mississippi State)
- Finished the game 9-of-11 from the field
- Posted back-to-back 20 point games for the first time in career
- It was his 4th game this season with 20 or more points
- Patrick Good – Co-Player of the Week (Nov. 29)
- Averaged 25.5 points, 6.5 rebounds in two games (at Washington State/at Washington)
- Poured in a season-high 33 points in the loss at Washington State
- Against the Cougars he tied his career-high of 11 threes (11-of-19)
- Finished the week 16-of-26 from the floor (62%)
- Scored 18 points (15 in the second half) to help the Eagles earn the win at Washington
400 WINS
On Dec. 1 against Hartford, the Eagles earned an 82-75 victory for the 400
th win all-time inside the Winthrop Coliseum. The Eagles are now 403-156 (.719 winning percentage) in 40 seasons playing in the Winthrop Coliseum. The Winthrop Coliseum opened its doors in 1982 and played the first game on Nov. 17 in a 61-60 loss to Lander. Eagles have won at least 11 or more games in each of the last nine seasons.
20TH ANNIVERSARY
It's been 20 years since the 2001-02 Winthrop men's basketball team overcame a 2-5 start to capture a fourth straight Big South Conference Championship. The Eagles struggled in their season opener with an overtime win against Lander, 60-58. The Eagles went on to lose seven of the next 10 games as they entered conference play with a 4-7 record and fell 69-48 at Radford to open league play. That game seemed to have awakened the Eagles as they went on to win 10 of the next 13 games to earn the top seed for the conference tournament. The entire tournament took place in the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, Va. as the Eagles opened with a 66-59 win over Liberty in the quarterfinals. Winthrop went on a defeat Elon in the semifinals and then left no doubt in the title game with a 70-48 victory over High Point. Greg Lewis was named the Big South Tournament MVP and Pierre Wooten also named to the All-Tournament Team. Eagles went on to the NCAA Tournament to face a loaded Duke squad, which was the number-one seed in the South Regional.
TUNE IN TO THE EAGLES ALL SEASON LONG
Fans can listen to the games all season long on OTS Media of Rock Hill (94.3 FM), which is the flagship station for Winthrop Athletics. In addition, most games will simulcast on 730 ESPN Charlotte and AM 1450 WGNC Gastonia.
All home games as well as all Big South games home or away are available to watch through the Big South Network on ESPN+. To watch live Big South games on ESPN+, you need a subscriber. For more information how to subscribe,
click here.
UP NEXT
Winthrop remains on the road as it travels to Spartanburg, S.C. to take on USC Upstate on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 6 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).
