High Point, N.C. – Winthrop's comeback attempt fell short Wednesday night as it fell 71-66 at High Point.
WINTHROP (8-12, 3-4 Big South)
STAT LEADERS
HIGH POINT (10-9, 2-5 Big South)
STAT LEADERS
- Zach Austin (19 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 6 blocks)
- Bryson Childress (13 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal)
- Bryant Randleman (12 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals)
FIRST HALF
- High Point made its first four shots of the game and jumped out to a 9-0 advantage, forcing a timeout by the Eagles
- Out of the timeout, Chase Claxton drilled a three to get the Eagles on the board
- Back-to-back threes by Cory Hightower and Toneari Lane had the Eagles within four points at 13-9 with 14:21 on the clock
- Winthrop made it a one possession game with 12:08 left after Hightower found Sin'Cere McMahon for three
- The Panthers answered right back with a three from Bryson Childress, which was followed a few minutes later with a three from Zach Austin to push the lead to 23-14
- A dunk from Austin put the Panthers up by double-digits at 27-16 at the 7:49 mark and held the double-digit lead for five minutes until a three by Hightower had the Eagles within nine points
- The Panthers ended the half with threes from Childress and Justin Taylor to lead 41-25 at the break
- Winthrop shot just 27 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes while High Point connected on 59 percent from the field
SECOND HALF
- Eagles trailed 43-27 at the 18:44 mark when Kelton Talford converted two free throws to start an 8-0 run capped off by back-to-back buckets at the rim by Talford and Kasen Harrison to cut the deficit to eight points
- A offensive board and dunk by Austin stopped the run by McMahon knocked down a three as the Eagles continued to chip away
- Following the McMahon three and a defensive stop, McMahon found Talford down low for the layup, forcing a High Point timeout with 15:50 left
- The McMahon three ignited a 10-0 run that tied the game at 45-45 after a three from Harrison
- A Jaden House free throw put the Panthers up one but a Talford dunk off a feed from Hightower pushed the Eagles into the lead at 47-46
- Winthrop extended the lead to 49-46 after a Harrison layup, but High Point used a an 11-0 run for a 57-49 lead with just over nine minutes remaining
- A bucket inside by Talford stopped the run to make it a two possession game with 8:30 to play
- It was a two possession game again with 2:04 remaining after McMahon hit two free throws
- The Panthers finished the final 2:04 going 6-for-6 at the foul line to hold off the Eagles
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Winthrop was just 36 percent from the field while the Panthers shot 53 percent
- The Eagles forced 21 turnovers that led to 20 points while committing 14 turnovers that High Point turned into nine points
- Both teams combined for 44 fast break points, with each finished with 22
- Panthers won the battle on the glass with a 41-26 advantage, but both teams each had 11 second chance points
- Eagles finished 9-for-31 behind the arc and 15-of-19 at the foul line
NOTABLES
- Eagles fall to 26-6 in the month of January over the last four seasons
- Talford led the Eagles with 18 points and has scored in double-figures in all 19 games he's played
- Talford's eight rebounds pulls him within seven rebounds of 400 in his career (393)
- Hightower hit three triples in the game and now has 150 in his career and also inched closer to 1,600 career points (1,585)
- Chase Claxton recorded a block in the game, which put him at 24 on the season which sets a new career-high (set previous high 23 last season)
UP NEXT
Eagles return home on Saturday, Jan. 21 to take on Gardner-Webb at 2 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).
