Audio Highlights (Winthrop Sports Network)
Charlotte, N.C. – Cory Hightower scored a team-high 20 points and
D.J. Burns Jr. scored all 14 of his points in the second half to lift Winthrop to a 76-67 victory over third-seeded Gardner-Webb to advance to the 2022 Hercules Tires Big South Conference Championship game on Sunday.
WINTHROP (23-8, 14-2 Big South)
STAT LEADERS
GARDNER-WEBB (18-13, 11-5 Big South)
STAT LEADERS
- D'maurian Williams (22 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal)
- Jordan Sears (16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals)
- Lance Terry (11 points, 5 rebounds)
FIRST HALF
- Gardner-Webb scored the first five points of the game as Lance Terry followed his own miss with a put back and then buried a three
- Drew Buggs got the Eagles on the board as he dribbled into the paint, then picked up his dribble looking to make a pass and when he couldn't find an open teammate calmly dropped in a short jumper
- Zion Williamson then hit a three from the wing for an 8-2 advantage at the 17:57 mark
- Gardner-Webb had it back to a six point lead at 12-6 but Cory Hightower hit a three to make it a one possession game with 15:49 left
- The three started a 7-0 run for a four point lead
- The remainder of the first half was a one possession game to either team except for 24 seconds
- Kelton Talford's free throws with 29 seconds left gave the Eagles 31-30 lead at the break
- Eagles shot 37 percent from the floor while Gardner-Webb was 42 percent
- Winthrop was 13-of-15 at the foul line and Gardner-Webb was 4-of-5
SECOND HALF
- Hightower scored the first four points of the half as the Eagles opened on a 6-0 run for a seven point advantage
- Gardner-Webb chipped away at the Winthrop lead for the next seven and a half minutes when Terry Lance finished off a steal by D'maurian Williams with a dunk in transition to tie the game at 43-43 with 10:22 to play
- Over the next four minutes the Eagles outscored Gardner-Webb 13-2 to build a double-digit lead at 56-45 with 6:38 on the clock
- After the teams traded three-point baskets Winthrop was on top by 11 at 59-48 with just under six remaining
- Gardner-Webb fought back beginning with back-to-back possessions with three-point plays from Williams and Jordan Sears to pull within five
- Williams capped off the 8-0 run with two free throws with 4:41 left
- Patrick Good responded by dropping in a three from the wing
- Gardner-Webb had its third three-point play within a three minute span when Ludovic Dufeal scored at the rim and made the foul shot to make it a three point game at 62-59
- On the ensuing possession Hightower knocked down a corner three only to be matched by Williams on the other end as it remained a one possession game with 2:32 to play
- Winthrop led 67-64 with the ball with under two minutes remaining as D.J. Burns Jr. missed a short hook in the lane but Chase Claxton was there for the follow dunk for a 69-64 lead
- After hitting two free throws with 36 seconds left Good then stole the ball on the defensive end and went the distance for the lay-in and a 74-66 lead with 25 seconds to play
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Eagles shot 48 percent in the second half and finished the game at 43 percent
- Gardner-Webb was held to 38 percent in the second half and 40 percent for the game
- Winthrop got to the foul line 34 times, making 29 for 85 percent which included 5-of-6 over the final minute
- Gardner-Webb finished the game 17-of-21 from the foul line
- Turnovers were even as each team committed 11 as were points off turnovers at 17-17
- Winthrop outrebounded the Runnin' Bulldogs 36-28 as both teams finished with eight offensive boards
- Hightower hit three triples and led the Eagles with 20 points
- D.J. Burns Jr. scored all 14 of his points in the second half as Good and Talford came off the bench with 10 and 9 respectively
- Talford just missed a double-double hauling in a career-high 12 boards
NOTABLES
- Winthrop captured its 10th win in a row on the season and it was the seventh straight Big South Conference Tournament win
- The Eagles advance to their 3rd straight Big South Championship game and 18th overall
- Winthrop is now 18-6 all-time in Big South semifinal appearances
- It was the sixth straight win over Gardner-Webb as the Eagles improve to 5-0 in the conference tournament against the Runnin' Bulldogs
UP NEXT
Winthrop plays in the Big South Championship game on Sunday, Mar. 6 at noon against top-seeded Longwood. The game will air live on ESPN2 from the Bojangles Coliseum.
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).
