Greenville, S.C. – Kelton Talford led Winthrop with 19 points in an 82-67 loss at Furman, Saturday afternoon.
WINTHROP (5-6, 0-0 Big South)
STAT LEADERS
FURMAN (7-3, 0-0 SoCON)
STAT LEADERS
- Jalen Slawson (25 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals)
- J.P. Pegues (15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists)
- Mike Bothwell (16 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals)
FIRST HALF
- Furman scored the first points of the game as Jalen Slawson knocked down a little hook in the lane
- Eagles answered right back as Kelton Talford hit Chase Claxton cutting to the basket, who then slammed it home for the early 2-2 tie
- A left wing contested three by Sin'Cere McMahon gave the Eagles a 5-4 lead only to have J.P Pegues hit a three from the wing to put Furman up 7-5
- The game was tied 9-9 after a stick back by Talford, but then Pegues hit another from downtown to put the Paladins back on top
- Pegues hit another three for a 15-11 advantage, but the Eagles caught the Paladins sleeping defensively after the basket as McMahon whipped a pass ahead to Talford who finished and was fouled
- Talford completed the three-point play and then on the next possession scored inside to get Winthrop back in front, 16-15
- It remained a one possession game as the teams traded leads over the next eight minutes until a three from Ben Vanderwal gave Furman a 34-30 lead with 4:55 to play in the half
- That three triggered a 10-0 run by Furman which was capped off by a Winthrop turnover that led to a dunk and one by Tyrese Hughey as he completed the three-point play with 2:25 left
- Following the three point play by Hughey the Eagles answered back with a 9-0 run to close out the half
- It started with Harrison going 1-of-2 at the foul line and then a three from Cory Hightower from the left wing
- After a defensive stop Claxton scored inside and then drew an offensive foul to give the Eagles a chance to take the last shot of the half
- Out of a timeout, Kasen Harrison drove the ball to the basket and then kicked it to the corner to Hightower who drilled the three as time expired to pull within 41-39 at the half
- Both teams shot 54 percent from the floor in the first half
SECOND HALF
- Furman opened the second half scoring with a Slawson three to lead 44-39
- After Slawson drove and finished with a dunk for a 46-41 lead with 17:33 left, Claxton buried a three from the left wing to cut the deficit back to two points
- Another three by Pegues put Furman back up by five points and a Slawson bucket extended it to seven
- The lead grew to as much as nine points with 13:01 remaining after a free throw by Hughey made it 59-50
- On the ensuing possession, Hightower slipped a pass to Talford down the middle of the lane for the slam
- Then Harrison made it a five point deficit with 11:57 to play as he scored off a feed from Michael Moore
- After two free throws from Harrison had the Eagles within 62-56, Furman scored the next four points to regain a double-digit advantage with nine minutes remaining
- Harrison scored off the drive and was fouled as he completed a three-point play to pull within 66-59
- A Talford dunk had the Eagles within six points with 6:20 left but Furman went on a 9-0 run to open up a double-digit lead again with its largest lead at 78-63 with 3:30 remaining
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Eagles shot 44 percent in the second half and finished the game at 49 percent
- Furman shot 55 percent in the second half and was 54 percent for the game
- The battled on the boards favored Furman 34-23 as it finished with a 12-2 advantage in second chance points
- The Paladins also had a 16-3 advantage in fast break points
- Eagles finished 14-for-16 at the foul line as Harrison was 11-of-12 himself
NOTABLES
- This was just the second win for Furman in the last nine meetings with the Eagles
- Harrison's 17 points was a season-high and his fourth time in double-figures in eight games played this season
- Talford has been in double-figures in all 10 games he has played
UP NEXT
Winthrop will get a six day break from games until its back in action on Saturday, Dec. 17 when it travels to Baton Rouge, La. to take on LSU at 7 p.m.
STAY CONNECTED
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).
