Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop remained undefeated in Big South Conference play at 4-0 after a 92-88 triple overtime thriller over Radford, Saturday afternoon in the Winthrop Coliseum.
WINTHROP (13-6, 4-0 Big South)
RADFORD (11-7 1-2 Big South)
- Chandler Turner (33 points, 12 rebounds, assist, steal)
- Kenyon Giles (20 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, block, steal)
- Daquan Smith (18 points, 6 rebounds, assist)
FIRST HALF
- Radford raced out to a 9-0 advantage three and a half minutes into the game
- The run started with back-to-back buckets from Kenyon Giles
- Kelton Talford scored inside to end the run, but Radford extended its lead to 13-2 at the 15:27 mark
- Sin'Cere McMahon drained a three from the wing to get the deficit back to single-digits at 13-5
- Highlanders lead was 24-11 at the 6:54 mark when Winthrop started to chip away
- It started with two free throws from Kasen Harrison and then Nick Johnson knocked down a three
- Johnson the hit another three with 3:56 left to make it a five point game
- Winthrop made it a one possession game with 2:59 on two made free throws from Talford
- Eagles came all the way back to tie the game at 28-28 with 1:01 left after Harrison drained a three
- Giles answered with a three and the Eagles scored the final bucket on a Johnson drive and finish as Radford led 31-30 at the break
SECOND HALF
- Radford led by five at the 17:22 mark after a Chandler Turner basket inside
- A Chase Claxton follow and a McMahon three tied the game at 37-37
- The McMahon three came after Micheal Anumba boarded a miss, dribbled the length of the floor and then kicked the ball out to McMahon the right wing
- Winthrop grabbed its first lead of the game on a Talford free throw and then a basket at the rim by Harrison put the Eagles on top 40-37
- From that point on in regulation there were 12 lead changes and the game was tied eight times
- Anumba's stick back with 1:40 to play had the Eagles up five points
- Two free throws from Daquan Smith made it a one possession game with 1:22
- Following a missed 1-and-1 free throw attempt by Johnson, Radford pushed the ball up the court and Chandler Turner knocked down a transition three to tie the game
- Winthrop had the final possession but Harrison's three-point attempt as time expired was off the mark
OVERTIME
- Anumba opened the overtime period with a three from the left wing
- Smith's drive and score at the 3:34 mark made it a one point lead for the Eagles at 70-69
- Radford grabbed a 72-71 lead with 2:41 left after Giles drained a deep contested three from the left wing
- Eagles regained the lead 73-23 when Anumba boarded a Talford miss and scored at the rim
- Smith gave Radford the lead again after two free throws for a 74-73 lead with 1:49 left
- Highlanders led 75-73 when Harrison was fouled on the drive and made both free throws to tie the game with 47.7 seconds left
- Both teams had looks to take the lead, but were unable to connect as the game headed to a second overtime
SECOND OVERTIME
- Giles opened the second overtime with a step back jumper near the elbow
- After a couple of misses from the Eagles, Turner scored at the rim for a four point advantage with 3:21 remaining
- Talford muscled his way inside to score at the 2:52 mark to make it a one possession game
- The Eagles forced a shot clock violation to get the ball back with a chance to tie or take the lead
- Talford was fouled in the post and converted both free throws to tie the game at 79-79 with 1:42 to play
- After Giles gave Radford the lead with 40 seconds to play, Talford dropped in a hook shot with 27.7 seconds left to tie the game at 81-81
THIRD OVERTIME
- The game was tied at 84-84 in the third overtime when Giles knocked down a jumper only to be matched by Talford inside with the strong finish
- Eagles outscored the Highlanders 6-2 to the rest of the way to earn the victory
- Talford led the Eagles with six points in the final period
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Eagles shot 46 percent for the game while Radford finished at 44 percent
- For the second straight game the Eagles connected on 10 threes, finished 10-for-29
- Highlanders finished 8-for-29 behind the arc
- Winthrop was 24-for-38 (63%) from the foul line and Radford finished 12-for-15
- The battle on the glass favored Radford 42-40 while both teams grabbed 13 offensive boards
- Talford led the Eagles with 27 points while Nick Johnson added 20 points
- Chandler Turner led all scorers to pace Radford with 33 points
- There were a total of 19 lead changes and the game was tied 17 times
NOTABLES
- This was just the third triple overtime game in program history and the first since Jan. 11, 2020 when the Eagles pulled off a 99-95 victory over Gardner-Webb
- The victory is the fifth straight for the Eagles and the eighth straight win at home
- The Eagles have now played their third overtime game in the last four games
- Talford's 27 points were a career-high in Big South Conference action and one point shy of his career-best of 28
- Chase Claxton had three steals in the game and surpassed 100 for his career
- The Eagles trailed by 15 points and rallied from a 15-point deficit for the first time since Dec. 31, 2022 in a 62-60 win over UNC Asheville
UP NEXT
Eagles remain at home as they'll host UNC Asheville on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. and the game will be aired live on ESPNU.
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)
