Asheville, N.C. –Winthrop kicked off 2023 and their conference opener with a tough loss to UNC Asheville on the road by a score of 54-48 Monday afternoon following a two-week Christmas break and having their first two Big South contests postponed due to COVID-19.
Winthrop (2-10, 0-1 Big South) | UNC Asheville (5-8, 1-1 Big South)
Jan. 2, 2023 | Kimmel Arena
Winthrop 48, UNC Asheville 54
How it Happened
First Quarter | Winthrop trailed 2-0 to start the game until
Jada Ryce nailed a three-pointer to get the Eagles on the board at the 8:53 mark. UNCA responded with a basket but Winthrop went on a 9-0 run to take a 12-4 lead with two minutes left in the frame, holding the Bulldogs scoreless for nearly six minutes.
Tori Hall led the way during the run with two layups. Her second came in transition after she stole a UNCA pass. The Bulldogs then got four points to end the quarter with Winthrop leading 12-8.
Second Quarter | The two teams each made one free throw for the first four minutes of the second quarter until two straight layups by
Shamyjha Price and another by Ryce gave Winthrop a 19-9 lead at the 3:28 mark. Winthrop would then be held scoreless for the rest of the frame as the Bulldogs scored the final four points leaving the Eagles up 19-13 entering the locker room.
Third Quarter | UNCA picked up right where the left off to start the second half with four quick points before consecutive jumpers by Price and Hall gave Winthrop a 23-17 lead with 6:50 left. The Eagles continued to maintain a margin of around six points for the next four minutes, their last being 27-21 with 2:50 left after a jumper by Hall but UNCA went on a 7-0 run to take a 28-27 lead with 47 seconds remaining, their first lead since it was 4-3 in the first quarter.
Aaishah Barry stopped the run with a jumper with 25 seconds to go only to have the Bulldogs score themselves just before the buzzer sounded at the end of the quarter, leaving Winthrop down 30-29 entering the final frame.
Fourth Quarter | UNCA started the quarter with a layup only to have
Paige Powell do the same on the next play. After a Bulldog free throw, Hall tied the game at 33 on a layup with nearly eight minutes left. A few plays later Price scored on the fastbreak off a Ryce steal, was fouled and converted the free throw to give Winthrop a 36-33 lead at the 7:08 mark. UNCA hit a triple on the next play but Ryce answered with a three of her own to put the Eagles back in the lead with less than six minutes left. Unfortunately this would be Winthrop's final lead of the contest as the Bulldogs went on an 18-7 run to end the game dropping the Eagles to 2-10 on the season and 0-1 in Big South play with a 54-48 victory.
Statistical Standouts (Team)
- Winthrop scored 15 points off turnovers
- Winthrop outscored UNCA 10-4 in second chance points
- There were a combined 16 lead changes and six ties in the game
- Winthrop held UNCA to 0-11 shooting from three-point range in the first half
- Hall set season-highs in points, FG made and FG attempts
- Ryce set season-highs in 3FG made and 3FG attempts, set career-highs in minutes, points, FG attempts and steals and tied a career-high in rebounds
- Frances Brown set season and career-highs in minutes, assists and blocks
Statistical Standouts (Individual)
Jada Ryce (36 min, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 8 pts)
Shamyjha Price (34 min, 7-13 FG, 7 rebounds, 17 pts)
Tori Hall (29 min, 5-10 FG, 5 rebounds, 11 pts)
Up Next
Winthrop will stay on the road, visiting Presbyterian on Wed., Jan. 4 for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off.
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