Conway, S.C. – K.J. Doucet and
Alex Timmerman combined for 43 points to lead Winthrop to a 90-87 victory at Coastal Carolina, Saturday evening at the HTC Center.
WINTHROP (6-3, 0-0 Big South)
COASTAL CAROLINA (2-5, 0-0 Sun Belt)
- Kylan Blackmon (20 points, 6 rebounds, assist, 2 steals)
- Kevin Easley (15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, block, assist)
- Ginika Ojiako (14 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocks, 2 steals)
FIRST HALF
- The first four field goals of the game came from behind the arc as Kevin Easley started things off on Coastal's first possession
- That was followed by a K.J. Doucet three, then Coastal's Kylan Blackmon drained one only to be answered by Doucet again
- Winthrop grabbed an 8-6 lead on a second-chance bucket from Kelton Talford, but the Chanticleers responded with a 5-0 spurt to regain the lead at 11-8
- Neither team had more than a one possession lead until the 8:45 mark when the Chanticleers went on top 24-20 after a free throw from Ginika Ojiako
- The lead grew to seven points as Ojiako scored at the rim with an and-1, converting the three-point play
- On the ensuing possession Doucet boarded a miss by Alex Timmerman and scored to end a 7-0 run by Coastal
- Following a defensive stop the Eagles made it a one possession game again with 7:45 to play as Sin'Cere McMahon drained a three from the right wing
- Winthrop tied the game at 27-27 as Timmerman backed his way into the lane and dropped in a hook shot with 6:15 left
- Trailing 31-30, Timmerman scored inside and followed that up with a three-point play with 3:24 left for a 35-31 lead
- The lead was extended to six points as the Eagles pushed the ball in transition and Doucet drove to the hole and scored forcing a timeout by Coastal
- The Chanticleers pulled within two points after a hook shot by Ojiako and a score off the drive by Jacob Meyer
- The Eagles finished the final 1:23 on a 10-1 run highlighted by a straight away three from Timmerman and a three at the buzzer by Kasen Harrison from the left wing to lead 47-36 at the break
SECOND HALF
- Ojiako opened the scoring in the second half with a basket inside as the Chanticleers started on a 6-0 run
- The Eagles missed their first nine shots of the half but after an offensive rebound by Timmerman, McMahon dropped in a left win three to lead 50-42 with 16:32 to play
- Coastal was within five points at the 16:11 mark but despite a 2-for-15 start from the floor the Eagles worked their way back to an eight point lead with 14:28 remaining after a jumper from Timmerman
- The lead was pushed to 13 points after a dunk by Talford off the inbound pass from Harrison and a three from McMahon with 12:36 left
- Jimmy Nichols Jr. answered the McMahon three with one of his own, but Harrison pushed the lead back to 13 points with a three-point play after rebounding his initial miss
- Coastal went on to outscore the Eagles 20-5 over a five minute span to take the lead at the 7:11 mark on a corner three from Kylan Blackmon
- The Eagles called a timeout trailing by two points with 6:21 remaining and out of the break Doucet followed up a missed three from Harrison with a second-chance layup
- Blackmon went 1-of-2 at the foul line with just over six minutes left to lead by one and then Talford scored inside to regain the lead for the Eagles at 70-69 with 5:39 left
- After Talford drew a charge on the ensuing possession, Doucet drilled a three for a 73-69 lead
- Henry Abraham knocked down a jumper to make a one possession game only to have Doucet drill another three to push the lead to 76-71 with 4:36 to play
- Harrison drained a three in front of the Winthrop bench to lead 79-71, but Coastal fought back to make it a two point game with 59.8 seconds to play after a three from Abraham
- That three was matched by Nick Johnson with a triple as the shot clock expired and 28.2 seconds to play
- Jacob Meyer's three-point play made it a three point game and then off a turnover by the Eagles he scored and was fouled
- Meyer stepped up to the free throw line with a chance to tie the game with 13.2 seconds left
- Meyer missed the free throw and the ball bounce around as Timmerman tried to corral the rebound but a jump ball was called giving Coastal the possession and a chance to win the game with 8.9 left
- Off the inbound play, Timmerman jumped in front of the pass and stole the ball
- Timmerman was fouled and knocked down both free throws to lead by three with 5.8 remaining
- Eagles fouled Coastal after the free throws as Meyer went to the foul line with 4.1 left for a one-and-one
- Meyer missed the shot, Coastal boarded the miss and Abraham put up a three at the buzzer that was off the mark
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Eagles had 28 offensive rebounds and dominated the glass 51-36
- Winthrop finished with 25 second chance points while Coastal had 17
- Eagles shot 41 percent from the floor while Coastal Carolina finished at 52 percent
- Behind the arc the Eagles finished with 13 made threes and had a season-high 37 attempts
- Both teams had nine turnovers each while the Chanticleers had a 17-14 advantage in points off turnovers
- Winthrop connected on seven of its final nine shots of the first half to build a double figure lead at the half
- K.J. Doucet just missed a double-double as he led the way with 22 points and hauled in nine rebounds
- Alex Timmerman scored 21 points off the bench and grabbed 10 rebounds to record a double-double
NOTABLES
- Doucet reached 1,000 career points with a score at the rim midway through the first half
- The 28 offensive rebounds are the most by an Eagle team since grabbing 26 on Jan. 28, 2021 vs. UNC Asheville at the Winthrop Coliseum
- Eagles have now won five of the last six games as the victory ended a three-game skid against Coastal
- Harrison dished out six assists and has now recorded five or more in six straight games
- Harrison is now just one assist shy of 300 in his career
- The game saw six ties and 13 lead changes
UP NEXT
Winthrop is back at the Winthrop Coliseum on Tuesday, Dec. 5 when it hosts Queens at 6:30 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)
