Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop heads to the state of Pennsylvania for the second time this season as it will take on Duquesne, Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m.
WINTHROP (5-7, 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. |
14.7 |
2.3 |
2.8 |
0.8 |
Career-high 24 points at Mercer and has four 20-point games this season / Career-high 6 assists at LSU / 8th in the Big South in scoring / 87 career threes |
| G |
11 |
Kasen Harrison |
6-2 |
Jr.. |
8.8 |
2.6 |
2.9 |
1.4 |
Coming off 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists at LSU / Scored season-high 17 points at Furman / 2nd on team with 12 steals |
| G/F |
12 |
Cory Hightower |
6-7 |
R-Sr. |
14.0 |
5.1 |
3.0 |
0.6 |
Scored season-high 25 points at LSU / Knocked down career-high 7 triples at LSU / In double-figures 6 straight games / Preseason All-Big South 1st Team / 1,499 career points, 741 career rebounds |
| F |
33 |
Chase Claxton |
6-7 |
Sr. |
5.2 |
4.6 |
1.1 |
1.5 |
Missed the game at LSU / Played in 97 career games / Leads team with 15 steals and 17 blocks / Tied for 3rd in Big South with 1.7 bocks per game / 9.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.8 bpg over last 4 games |
| F |
4 |
Kelton Talford |
6-7 |
Jr. |
18.4 |
7.7 |
0.5 |
0.6* |
Scored 23 points in the loss at LSU / Career-high 28 points vs. S.C. State / Named to Cancun Challenge Mayan Division All-Tournament Team / Big South Player of the Week (Dec. 12) / career-high 14 rebounds at Auburn |
* (blocks per game)
SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: First meeting
Series Streak: First Meeting
Record at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse: First Meeting
Streak at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse: First Meeting
Prosser vs. Duquesne: First meeting
THE MATCHUP
- This is the first meeting between the two programs
- The first meeting was scheduled to take place in December of 2020 in Louisville, Ky. at the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic but the game was canceled
WHO'S HOT
- Kelton Talford
- Averaging 23.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 1.0 bpg while shooting 76 percent over the last three games
- Scored 23 points in the loss at LSU on Dec. 17
- Cory Hightower
- Is coming off a 25 point performance at LSU where he was 7-for-12 behind the arc
- The seven three points were a career-best and in the last three games he's 12-of-25 from three
- Averaging 16.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.3 apg over the last three games
WINTHROP
- This is the third game of a four-game road trip
- Eagles looking to end a two-game skid and a seven-game non-conference road losing streak
- It is the final game before breaking for Christmas as the team will return after the holiday and open Big South Conference play on Thursday, Dec. 29 at 5 p.m. at USC Upstate
- In the last five games the Eagles are averaging 81.8 ppg while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 75 percent from the foul line and outrebounding opponents 34.4 – 32.8
- Kelton Talford leads the team in scoring (18.4) and rebounding (7.7)
- Talford is 1-of-4 Eagles scoring in double-figures as Sin'Cere McMahon is second with 14.7 ppg, Cory Hightower is third at 14.0 ppg and Toneari Lane is the 4th at 10.7 ppg
- Talford is 3rd in the league in scoring, McMahon is 8th, Hightower 10th and Lane is 21st
- Talford leads the Big South in field goal percentage and 2nd in the nation (.757)
- He also ranks among the top rebounders in the league, ranking 2nd with 7.7 per game
- McMahon is 1st in the Big South in free throw percentage (.872), 4th in three-point field goal percentage (.419) and 4th in threes per game (2.6)
- Lane ranks second in the conference for three-point field goal percentage at .444 and 3rd in three-point field goals with 2.7 per game
- 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 75-26 (.742)
- Winthrop has more wins than any other Big South school (208) 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
BIG SOUTH WEEKLY HONORS
- Kelton Talford – Big South Player of the Week (Dec. 12)
- Averaged 23.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.0 apg and 1.0 spg in two games
- He posted a career-high 28 points in the win over S.C. State and then scored a team-high 19 points at Furman
- For the two games he shot 77 percent from the floor
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
Winthrop will head to Spartanburg, S.C. on Thursday, Dec. 29 for its Big South Conference opener against USC Upstate at 5 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).
