ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Winthrop women's basketball program earned their first Big South Conference victory of the season with a dominant performance against UNC Asheville inside the Winthrop Coliseum.  
 
Winthrop (3-15, 1-6) | UNC Asheville (7-13, 2-7)
Jan. 29, 2022 | Winthrop Coliseum Winthrop 75, UNC Asheville 54

How it Happened
First Quarter | UNC Asheville began the game well as they scored the first four points of the contest. Myra Strickland then scored the first points of the game for the Eagles, which was quickly countered by the visiting Bulldogs. The teams traded baskets once again before a corner three pointer from Tori Hall gave the home team a lead they would never relinquish. Asheville rallied to tie the game at 11 and 13, but baskets from Sierra Hunter and Luka Malinka extended the lead to four. A J'Mani Ingram layup with less than 40 seconds to play in the period gave Winthrop a 19-15 lead heading into the second stanza.

Second Quarter | The Bulldogs scored early, but an 8-0 run by the Eagles led to the first double-digit lead of the afternoon for the home team. Asheville netted a three pointer to get within seven and stayed near that margin for the next few minutes. A Hunter layup and a jumper from Ingram extended the lead back to double digits before the Bulldogs made a layup just before the buzzer to stay within nine points as the teams headed into the locker room.
 
Third Quarter | Leonor Paisana got the half off to a good start for Winthrop as she made a layup to extend the Eagle lead back to 11. Asheville was within eight points a short time later, but a Caroline De Klauman layup and three pointer from Strickland pushed the lead to 13. Every time the Bulldogs countered, the Eagles had an answer. Asheville got within ten, but Winthrop countered with back-to-back-to back triples, ballooning the lead to 19 points in the process. The lead reached 23 on a De Klauman layup, although the Bulldogs scored the final five points of the quarter to cut the lead under 20.

Fourth Quarter | The teams see-sawed back and forth early in the final quarter as Asheville gave the Eagles all sorts of problems with a full-court press. The Bulldogs were within 13 as they hit a short jumper with just over six minutes left to play, but they were unable to close the gap. Consecutive buckets from Winthrop extended the lead to 66-49. Later, a layup from Paisana gave Winthrop an insurmountable 20-points lead and her three pointer with 54 seconds left provided the perfect close as the Eagles cruised to the 75-54 victory. Statistical Standouts

• J'Mani Ingram (19 points, 8-12 FG, seven rebounds, three assists, one block, one steal)
• Leonor Paisana (15 points, 6-9 FG, 3-5 3FG, one rebound, five assists, two steals)
• Myra Strickland (14 points, 5-7 FG, 2-3 3FG, six rebounds, five assists, one steal)
• Sierra Hunter (11 points, seven rebounds, one assist, career-high four steals)

Up Next
Winthrop continues conference play with a home contest against Presbyterian on Tuesday, Feb. 1. FOLLOW US!
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