Box Score Rock Hill, S.C. – Noah Van Bibber led all scorers with a career-high 22 points to lead Winthrop to an 89-51 over Holy Cross in the opening game of the Rock Hill Classic at the Rock Hill Sports & Events Center, Friday evening.
WINTHROP (2-2, 0-0 Big South)
HOLY CROSS (1-3, 0-0 Patriot)
- Caleb Kenney (11 points, 3 rebounds)
- Deand Williams (6 points, rebounds, 5 assists, block, steal)
FIRST HALF
- Eagles raced out to a 6-0 lead in less than two minutes, prompting an early timeout by Holy Cross
- The spurt began with back-to-back buckets inside by Kalton Talford and then K.J. Doucet scored on a stick back
- The lead extended to 10-1 as Alex Timmerman had a three-point play and Nick Johnson hit 1-of-2 at the line
- The Eagles led 11-3 with 14:05 left when Deandre Williams scored inside and then a steal lede to a three from Will Batchelder
- Then off another Winthrop turnover, Williams came away with the steal and finished on the other end to make it a one point game
- Eagles responded on the ensuing possession as Noah Van Bibber drilled a three for a 14-10 advantage
- Johnson gave the Eagles a nine point lead at 21-12 with 9:47 to play with a wing three, but Holy Cross came right back as Bo Montgomery knocked down a three from the corner
- It was a three point game with 8:22 left when Kasen Harrison scored off the drive to start a 13-0 run
- The run was highlighted by back-to-back threes from Van Bibber at the end that put the Eagles on top 33-18 with 5:13 on the clock
- After Caleb Kenney ended the run with a basket inside the Eagles came right back with threes from Doucet and Van Bibber to lead 39-20 with 4:11 remaining
- The teams went cold over the next three minutes until Doucet pushed the lead to 22 with 54 seconds left at 42-20
- Eagles entered halftime with a 42-22 lead thanks to 59 percent shooting, 20 points from the bench and 14 points off turnovers
SECOND HALF
- Kenney scored inside 38 seconds into the second half to cut the deficit under 20 points but a Johnson triple put the Eagles up 22
- Winthrop continued to keep hold of a 23-27 point lead over the first eight minutes of the half
- A three-point play by Chase Claxton with 10:59 remaining pushed the lead to 30 points
- Winthrop did eventually get the lead to 41 points with 1:14 to play in the game after a dunk from Michael Moore
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Winthrop tied its season-high for threes in a game in the first half with 7 (7-for-13) and finished the game with 14 (14-for-26)
- Eagles finished the game shooting 54 percent and held Holy Cross to 33 percent
- Both teams finished over 70 percent at the foul line as Holy Cross was 13-of-18 (72%) and the Eagles were 17-for-23 (74%)
- Winthrop finished with a 30-26 edge for points in the paint and held a 38-26 advantage on the glass
- Winthrop had 22 points off turnovers while Holy Cross finished with eight
- Noah Van Bibber led the bench with a career-high 22 points as the bench outscored Holy Cross 49-24
- Eagles had four players in double-figures as K.J. Doucet (15), Nick Johnson (14) and Sin'Cere McMahon (12) joined Van Bibber
NOTABLES
- The 14 threes by the Eagles were the most in a game since Feb. 24, 2022 vs. USC Upstate (16)
- It is the most in a non-conference game since dropping 16 in the loss at Washington State on Nov. 22, 2021
- Doucet has moved within 51 points of 1,000 in his collegiate career
- Eagles had nine players play at least 16 minutes and seven play 18 or more (22 was the most by anyone)
- This was the first ever meeting between Winthrop and Holy Cross
UP NEXT
Eagles are back on the court Saturday, Nov. 18 for day two of the Rock Hill Classic as they'll take on IUPUI at 5 p.m. at the Rock Hill Sports & Events Center.
STAY CONNECTED
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