Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop looks for a second straight league win when Presbyterian College comes to the Winthrop Coliseum Wednesday night.
WINTHROP (6-9, 1-1 Big South)
| WINTHROP PROBABLE STARTERS |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
Noteworthy |
| G |
0 |
Sin'Cere McMahon |
6-1 |
Jr. |
12.9 |
2.1 |
2.3 |
0.8 |
Career-high 24 points at Mercer and has four 20-point games this season / Career-high 6 assists at LSU / 11th in the Big South in scoring / 90 career threes |
| G |
11 |
Kasen Harrison |
6-2 |
Jr.. |
9.7 |
2.8 |
2.9 |
1.4 |
Game-winning bucket with 7.3 seconds left vs. UNCA / Double-figures the last 6 games / Scored season-high 17 points at Furman |
| G/F |
12 |
Cory Hightower |
6-7 |
R-Sr. |
13.5 |
5.4 |
3.1 |
0.5 |
Scored season-high 25 points at LSU / Knocked down career-high 7 triples at LSU / Preseason All-Big South 1st Team / 1,534 career points, 760 career rebounds |
| F |
33 |
Chase Claxton |
6-7 |
Sr. |
5.8 |
4.5 |
1.0 |
1.5 |
Returned to lineup at Upstate / Played in 99 career games / Leads team with 16 steals and 18 blocks / Tied for 3rd in Big South with 1.6 blocks per game / 8 blocks in last five games |
| F |
4 |
Kelton Talford |
6-7 |
Jr. |
17.1 |
7.9 |
0.6 |
0.7* |
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: 30-13
Series Streak: W7
Record at Winthrop Coliseum: 17-5
Streak at Winthrop Coliseum: W9
Prosser vs. Presbyterian College: 2-0
THE MATCHUP
- Eagles and Blue Hose meet for the 44th time
- Winthrop has won seven straight meetings and holds a 30-13 lead in the all-time series
- Last season the Eagles swept the regular season series with PC, but both games were decided by a combined six points
- Eagles are looking for a second straight league win while PC is looking to bounce back from its first league loss
WINTHROP
- Ended a four-game losing streak and avoided an 0-2 start to league play with a victory over UNC Asheville
- Eagles rallied from 15 points down in the second half
- It was the biggest deficit in a win since trailing by 15 against Mercer on Nov. 13, 2021 in an overtime win over Mercer
- Eagles have won nine straight regular season league contests and have won 12 straight against Big South opponents on their home court (postseason included)
- In the last four years combined, the Eagles have won 31 of the last 33 home games
- Sitting 3rd in the Big South in free throw percentage (.743) and 4th in three-point field goals per game (8.2)
- Kelton Talford leads the team in scoring (17.1) and rebounding (7.9)
- Talford is 1-of-4 Eagles scoring in double-figures as Cory Hightower is second with 13.5 ppg, Sin'Cere McMahon is averaging 12.9 ppg and Toneari Lane is scoring 10.1 ppg
- Talford is 4th in the league in scoring, Hightower 9th, McMahon is 11th and Lane is tied for 24th
- Winthrop and High Point are the only Big South schools with three players in the Top 11 in scoring
- Talford leads the Big South in field goal percentage and 4th in the nation (.708)
- He also ranks among the top rebounders in the league, ranking 2nd with 7.9 per game
- McMahon is 2nd in the Big South in free throw percentage (.863) and 5th in threes per game (2.3)
- Toneari Lane ranks second in the conference for three-point field goal percentage at .408 and 4th in three-point field goals with 2.5 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 76-28 (.730)
- 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
CAREER MILESTONES
- Cory Hightower
- Has over 1,500 career points (1,534) and over 750 rebounds (760)
- In 108 career Big South games he has scored 1,271 points and has 643 rebounds
- As of Jan. 2 he's 55th on the active list for points and 35th in rebounds
- His 1,271 points rank 81st on the Big South All-Time scoring list
- He's 1-of-45 players in league history with 1,000 points and 600 rebounds
- If he reaches 700 career rebounds in the Big South he'll become the 34th player to do so in league history
- He is 20 three-point baskets away from becoming the 26th player in program history with 100 career threes (has 137 in his entire career)
- Just the second player in league history to score 500 or more points for two different league schools
- Chase Claxton
- His next game will be the 100th of his career
- Approaching 400 career rebounds (379)
- Kasen Harrison
- Is 14 assists away from 200 in his career and recently passed 600 points (615)
- Kelton Talford
- Sitting 46 rebounds shy of 400 in his career and is five points away from 650
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 heads to Farmville, Va. to take on Big South preseason favorite Longwood on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 4 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)
