Rock Hill, S.C, -- Winthrop men's basketball puts its five-game winning streak on the line Thursday night when it hosts UNC Asheville in a nationally-televised game on ESPNU.
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WINTHROP (13-6, 4-0 Big South)
| WINTHROP PROBABLE STARTERS (stats from 2022-23) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
Noteworthy |
| G |
10 |
Nick Johnson |
6-4 |
Sr. |
11.0 |
3.7 |
1.9 |
1.5 |
Season-high 20 points in triple OT win over Radford / Dished out career-high 5 assists at Little Rock / Ranks 4th in the Big South in steals per game (1.5) / 1st on team in steals and 2nd in free throw attempts |
| G |
11 |
Kasen Harrison |
6-2 |
Sr.. |
11.6 |
3.3 |
3.8 |
1.4 |
Tied season-high 19 points in win at PC / Averaging 15.8 ppg through four conference games / Scored 11 points at USC Upstate to reach 1,000 career points / Missed game vs. Toccoa Falls / 23-24 Big South Preseason All-Conference / Passed 300 career assists (329) |
| F |
12 |
K.J. Doucet |
6-7 |
Jr. |
12.5 |
4.0 |
1.5 |
0.6 |
Averaged 15.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg in the month of December (7 games) / Ranks 16th in the Big South in scoring average / Reached 1,000 career points in the game at Coastal and 1,100 vs. Toccoa Falls |
| F |
33 |
Chase Claxton |
6-7 |
Sr. |
3.1 |
4.2 |
0.8 |
0.8 |
Has 3 steals in each of the last 2 games / Season-high 12 points at PC / Reached 500 career rebounds after six boards at FSU / Program leader in career games played (135) / Led team with 33 steals and 36 blocks in '22-23 |
| F |
4 |
Kelton Talford |
6-7 |
Sr. |
13.6 |
4.9 |
0.9 |
0.6 |
Coming off season-high 27 points in 3OT win over Radford / Named Big South Player of the Week (Jan. 15) / In double-figures last six games / Became 27th Eagle to score 1,000 career points, 20th to reach 1,000 / '23-24 Big South Preseason All-Conference / '22-23 Big South All-Conference First Team / led team in scoring and rebounding in '22-23 |
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS UNC ASHEVILLE
- The Eagles and Bulldogs meet for the 87th time
- The 86 meetings are the most for Winthrop versus any opponent in the history of the program
- Asheville won the last meeting 86-79, but the Eagles lead the all-time series 48-38
- Winthrop has won three of the last four meetings and seven of the last nine
- This will be the 7th time Asheville and Winthrop have squared off in the Big South ESPNU Wild Card Matchup
- Winthrop has won four of the six meetings, all coming at the Winthrop Coliseum
WINTHROP IN THE BIG SOUTH
- Off to a 4-0 start for the second time in three seasons and the 8th time in program history
- Have played three overtime games over the first four conference contests
- Looking for a 9th straight regular season conference victory and a 5th straight regular season home game
- Hold an all-time record of 346-232 in league play and the 346 wins are the most all-time in Big South history
- A win against Asheville would give the Eagles their 200th home win in Big South regular season games
WINTHROPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â
- Have now won five straight after a triple overtime win against Radford at home on Jan. 13
- Currently riding an eight-game home win streak after the win
- The win over PC was the 50th for Mark Prosser as head coach of the Eagles and it was his 200th game coaching overall
- Winthrop (4-0) and High Point (3-0) are the only remaining undefeated teams in league play (High Point plays Wednesday night at Presbyterian)
- Eagles capped off 2023 with a 113-62 victory over Toccoa Falls
- The 113th points are the 8th most the Eagles have scored in a single-game
- Finished December 4-3 making it the first time since the 2018-19 season the Eagles posted winning records in November and December
- Eagles are the only team in the Big South ranked in the Top 3 of scoring offense (3rd) and scoring defense (2nd)
- Have attempted 201 more free throws than opponents and have made (379) more than opponents have attempted (333)
- Winthrop (tied with Tulane) leads the nation in free throw attempts per game (28.1), while no Winthrop team has ever averaged more than 24.56 in a single-season
- Eagles are just 1-of-2 teams nationally that have 500 or more free throw attempts and lead the nation with 534 attempts (next closest is Chicago State at 508 – 24 games)
- Kelton Talford scored a season-high 27 points in the win over Radford and leads the team in scoring average (13.6 ppg)
- K.J. Doucet is second on the team in scoring at 12.5 ppg and joined in double-figures by Kasen Harrison (11.6) and Nick Johnson (11.0)
- Johnson is coming off a season-high 20 points, one shy of his career-best
- Harrison has dished out five or more assists in nine of the last 14 games and is 3rd in the league at 3.8 per game
- In the win over Toccoa Falls the Eagles had 24 assists, which was the first time with 24 or more in a game since an 83-54 win over High Point in 2021 (24 assists)
- In the road win at Coastal Carolina the Eagles grabbed 28 offensive rebounds, the most since having 26 on Jan. 29, 2021 against UNC Asheville
- Entering the 2023-24 season the Eagles had the 31st best home winning percentage among Division I programs over the last 10 seasons
- Voted to finish third in the Big South Conference preseason poll, two votes behind Radford
- This marks the 1,397th game in program history and hold an all-time record of 793-603
- Winthrop has more wins than any other Big South school (237) since the 2012-13 season and the closest is Radford at 200
- Mark Prosser starts his third season as head coach of the Eagles (7th head coach in program history) and holds a 51-32 record over the first three seasons
- Prosser is coaching in his 202nd career game and 173rd at the NCAA D1 level
- 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
LOOKING BACK AT 2022-23
- Talford led the team in scoring and rebounding in 2022-23 as he earned First Team All-Conference honors
- McMahon was third on the team in scoring at 13.4 ppg and was second in three-point field goals made (73)
- Harrison became the team's starting point guard after six games and finished the season averaging 11.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 3.8 apg while shooting 48 percent from the floor
- Chase Claxton, who started all 29 games he played last year, also returns after setting career-highs in assists, blocks and steals
- Winthrop returns four starters, a core of reserves and transfers to round out this year's roster
- Highlighting the returners are Talford, Sin'Cere McMahon and Harrison who were all three Big South All-Conference preseason selections
- The Eagles have a veteran lineup with a large amount of experience, starting with the return of Micheal Anumba from injury (missed 2022-23 season) and over four years he played in 120 games with 117 starts
SEASON HONORS/AWARDS
- Kelton Talford (Big South Conference Player of the Week – Jan. 15)
- Posted a season-high 27 points in the triple overtime win over Radford
- Averaged 20.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 3.5 apg to help the Eagles to a 2-0 week and remain undefeated in league play
- Shot 61.9 percent from the floor and was 14-of-20 at the foul lineÂ
- Noah Van Bibber (Big South Conference Freshman of the Week – Nov. 20)
- Came off the bench vs. Holy Cross and scored a career-high 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting
- Was 6-for-8 behind the arc and 4-for-4 at the foul line
- Finished the Rock Hill Classic averaging 12.7 ppg, 9-of-16 from three and a perfect 7-for-7 at the foul line
CAREER MILESTONES
- Micheal Anumba
- Is sitting 16 rebounds away from 500 in his career
- Scored 11 points vs. Radford and is now 18 points away from 900
- Chase Claxton
- Played in his 100th of his career last season and has 135 total
- The 135 games is the most played by an Eagle in program history (passing George Valentine and Michael Jenkins)
- His 135 games rank as the 3rd most by any player in Big South history (Tajon Jones with 149 leads the way)
- Became the 20th member of the 500 rebound club, hauling in his 500th in the game at FSU
- Surpassed 100 career blocks at FSU and reached 100 career steals vs. Radford
- His 108 blocks rank 5th all-time
- Now one steal away from 100 in career
- Kasen Harrison
- Reached 1,000 career points in the win at USC Upstate (11 points in the game) and now has 1,040
- Against Queens he reached 300 career assists (331)
- In the final game of the 2022-23 season Harrison hit his 200th career free throw
- Kelton Talford
- Surpassed 500 career rebounds vs. Drexel and closing in on 600 (580)
- He is the 104th player in Big South Conference history to reach 500 career rebounds
- Reached 1,000 career points vs. Bob Jones and is now the 67th player in league history to join the 1,000/500 club
- Ranks tied for 19th all-time in scoring at Winthrop (1,137) and 13th in total rebounds (580)
- Has 11 career double-doubles after his 20 points, 12 rebounds in the final game of 2022-23
- Sin'Cere McMahon
- Knocked down his 150th career three vs. Queens
- Now has 169 in his career, with 147 of those have come as an Eagle
- His 147 threes rank 12th on Winthrop's all-time list
- Became the 27th player in program history with 100 or more threes in a single-season
- Scored career-high 35 points at UNC Asheville, the 4th most by an Eagle in a conference road game
- Nick Johnson
- Sitting at 921 career points and is two rebounds away from 400
- Dished out his 100th career assist vs. Queens and one steal away from 100
- Dished out a career-high five assists at Little Rock
- Alex Timmerman
- Moved past the 400 career rebound mark after hauling in five vs. Drexel and now has 482
- Played in his 100th career game on 12/22/23 at FSU
- Surpassed 100 career assists with three vs. Toccoa Falls
- K.J. Doucet
- Surpassed 1,000 career points after 22 points at Coastal Carolina and reached 1,100 vs. Toccoa Falls
- Approaching 400 career rebounds (376)
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ARE ON SALE
Fans can purchase single-game tickets for all home contests for the 2023-24 season by visiting
www.winthropeagles.com/basketballtickets or call the ticket office at (803) 323-2345.
25th ANNIVERSARY
This year celebrates the 25
th anniversary of the 1998-99 team that captured the first ever Big South Conference regular season championship and made the program's first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Under the guidance of first-year head coach Gregg Marshall the Eagles posted an overall record of 21-8 and were 9-1 in the conference. Winthrop defeated second-seeded Radford 86-74 in the Big South title game and faced Auburn in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. This team was inducted into the Winthrop Hall of Fame on Jan. 12 as a the 16th Team of Distinction..
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
Eagles are back on the road this weekend as they have a short trip to Boiling Springs, N.C. to take on Gardner-Webb on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 1 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 (/WinthropMBB).
