Rock Hill, S.C. – Kasen Harrison scored 24 points to lead Winthrop as it fell 89-87 in a hard fought contest, Saturday evening on day two of the Rock Hill Classic.
WINTHROP (3-2, 0-0 Big South)
GEORGIA SOUTHERN (4-1, 0-0 Sun Belt)
- Adante Holiman (23 points assist)
- Nakavieo White (15 points, 6 rebounds, assist)
- Dontae Horne (11 points, 3 rebounds, steal)
FIRST HALF
- Kelton Talford knocked down two free throws to give the Eagles the first lead of the game and on the next possession K.J. Doucet found Bryce Baker in the corner for a three and a 5-0 lead
- Georgia Southern's first points came at the 14:52 mark as Avantae Parker tipped in his own miss at the rim
- Winthrop led 10-4 when Georgia Southern came back to take its first lead, 13-10 thanks to a 9-0 run that was highlighted by a right wing three from Adante Holiman
- After Winthrop turned the ball over, Bryce Baker came right back and intercepted a pass at midcourt leading to an easy lay-in to end the run
- Baker's bucket sparked a 6-0 spurt to regain the lead
- The run was capped off by an emphatic dunk by Talford down the middle of the lane, forcing a Georgia Southern timeout
- Game was tied 34-34 with 1:45 after a second-chance bucket from Nick Johnson, but Georgia Southern scored the final five points which included a three by Eren Banks with five seconds left
- The first half saw five ties and five lead changes
SECOND HALF
- Tyson Brown opened the second half scoring on a layup as Georgia Southern scored the first four points for a 43-34 lead
- Doucet's baseline drive and score had the deficit down to five points with 17:58 on the clock when Banks responded with a three and then a drive and score by Bradley Douglas put Georgia Southern up 10
- Georgia Southern increased its lead to 13 with just over 10 minutes to play when Talford scored at the rim while getting fouled
- Talford completed the free throw to cut the deficit to 10
- Talford followed up on the next play drawing a foul and knocked down both free throws to get the deficit to single-digits
- Holiman responded for Georgia Southern by burying a three to go back up double-digits
- Harrison came right back with a quick drive and score that started a 5-0 spurt to pull within six points with 8:07 remaining
- After Georgia Southern went back up eight on two Holiman free throws, Doucet answered with a three and it was a five point game with 7:39 to play
- Winthrop trailed 85-74 when Harrison hit two free throws to start a 5-0 spurt to make it a two possession game with 2:15 to play
- The spurt was capped off by a Harrison three-point play
- Two more free throws by Harrison had the Eagles within five points with 1:47 to play and then Yoro Diallo stole the inbound, took a dribble and slammed it home to make it a three point game
- The lead for Georgia Southern grew back to five points with 38.7 seconds left after a free throw by Nate Brafford
- Doucet hit two free throws to make it a one possession game again and then Talford stole the inbound on a long pass that eventually led to Harrison scored at the rim to make it a one point game with 12.7 seconds left
- After Holiman went 1-of-2 at the foul line with seven seconds left, the Eagles boarded the miss and Harrison drove the lane and looked for an open teammate but was whistled for touching the line with
- On the inbound the Eagles looked as if they forced a turnover as Doucet knocked the ball off a Georgia Southern player but the call was overturned after replay as Georgia Southern inbounded the ball and ran out the clock
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Both teams combined for 77 free throw attempts as the Eagles were 36-for-49 and Georgia Southern finished 20-of-28
- Winthrop shot 47 percent while Georgia Southern finished at 44 percent
- Winthrop outrebounded Georgia Southern 41-38
- Points in the paint were even at 42-42 and Winthrop had a 20-16 advantage in points off turnovers
- Kasen Harrison led three Eagles in double-figures with a season-high 24 points as he was 12-of-13 from the line
- K.J. Doucet and Kelton Talford added 18 points each while Doucet posted a double-double with a team-high 10 boards
NOTABLES
- Talford finished with 18 points and now has 1,399 in his career as he moves into 7th on the all-time list
- Talford moved into a tie for 4th all-time in total rebounds at 701 with Tyrone Walker
UP NEXT
Winthrop will complete its schedule for the Rock Hill Classic on Sunday when it faces North Carolina Central at 2:30 p.m. inside the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center.
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