Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop looks to get back in the win column Saturday afternoon as is travels to Macon, Ga. to take on Mercer.
WINTHROP (2-2, 0-0 Big South)
| WINTHROP PROBABLE STARTERS |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
Noteworthy |
| G |
0 |
Sin'Cere McMahon |
6-1 |
Jr. |
11.0 |
1.8 |
2.5 |
0.3 |
Had 20 points in win over MTSU / 64 career threes / matched career-high 4 assists vs. Piedmont |
| G |
21 |
Isaiah Wilson |
6-1 |
Jr.. |
5.0 |
2.3 |
1.5 |
1.3 |
Started first four games / dished out career-high 4 assists vs. Piedmont |
| G/F |
12 |
Cory Hightower |
6-7 |
R-Sr. |
13.7 |
5.3 |
3.5 |
1.0 |
Preseason All-Big South 1st Team / 1,395 career points, 706 career rebounds / Had 17 against Mercer last season |
| F |
33 |
Chase Claxton |
6-7 |
Sr. |
2.5 |
3.5 |
1.8 |
1.5 |
Played in 91 career games / Tied career-best 3.8 rpg last season / Career-high 4 assists vs. Piedmont |
| F |
4 |
Kelton Talford |
6-7 |
Jr. |
17.8 |
9.5 |
0.5 |
1.0* |
Career-high 23 points vs. Piedmont / Posted double-doubles vs. Piedmont and at Auburn / career-high 14 rebounds at Auburn |
* (blocks per game)
SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: 2-1
Series Streak: W2
Record at Hawkins Arena: 0-0
Streak at Hawkins Arena: 0-0
Prosser vs. Mercer: 4-4
THE MATCHUP
- The Eagles and Bears both enter the matchup coming off a loss
- Winthrop is averaging 71.8 ppg while Mercer is scoring 92.0 ppg
- Eagles and Bears meet for the 4th time and second time in the last two seasons
- Winthrop and Mercer last met on Nov. 13, 2021 inside the Winthrop Coliseum as the Eagles prevailed with an 88-85 overtime win
- Winthrop overcame an 11-point halftime deficit as it erased a five point deficit with 28 seconds left and forced overtime on a Patrick Good three with 13.6 seconds left
- The teams first met in 1997 in Macon, Ga. as the Bears won 86-75 when Mercer was a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference
WHO'S HOT
- Kelton Talford
- Averaging 17.8 ppg over the first four games and is shooting a Big South best 75 percent from the floor
- Coming off a double-double of 16 points and a career-high 14 rebounds at #13 Auburn
WINTHROP
- Coming off a loss at 13th-ranked Auburn and are 2-2 for the 5th straight season and 21st time in program history
- Have three regulars averaging double-figures led by Talford's 17.8 ppg
- Toneari Lane is second on the team in scoring at 13.0 ppg and is coming off a career-high 18 points at Auburn
- Cory Hightower is third on the team in scoring at 12.5 ppg and leads in assists at 3.5 per game
- Hightower had his 9th career 20-point game in the win over Middle Tennessee and in the game surpassed 700 career rebounds
- Sin'Cere McMahon also had 20 points in the win over Middle Tennessee
- Coming off a 23-9 campaign that saw the team reach the Big South Title game for a third straight season before falling to Longwood
- Have won 23 or more games in three straight seasons
- Return five players that saw action in 2021-22, two that sat out and welcome eight newcomers
- Voted to finish second in the Big South Conference preseason poll
- Finished the 2021-22 season ranked 14th in bench scoring (28.6 ppg)
- Cory Hightower was voted to the preseason All-Big South First Team
- Hightower is the top returning scorer at 11.8 ppg and led the team with 5.5 rpg last season
- Kelton Talford is the second-leading scorer returning at 8.5 ppg and was second on the team in rebounding at 4.8
- In the last four seasons the Eagles are a combined 72-23 (.757)
- Winthrop has more wins than any other Big South school (207) since the 2012-13 season
- Mark Prosser starts his second season as head coach of the Eagles, the 7th head coach in program history
- Led the team to 23 wins, the most by a first-year head coach in program history
- Prosser tied Towson State's Terry Traux (1992-93) for the most conference wins by a first-year coach with 14
TUNE IN TO THE EAGLES
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
Eagles will head to Cancun, Mexico for the Cancun Challenge Nov. 22-23 as they open up against Southern Mississippi on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 3 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).
