Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop men's basketball fell 65-64 to Gardner-Webb Saturday afternoon as Lucas Stieber hit the game-winning three with 2.7 seconds remaining.
WINTHROP (17-14, 8-8 Big South)
GARDNER-WEBB (16-15, 10-5 Big South)
- Julie Soumaoro (13 points, rebound, 3 assists)
- Caleb Robinson (11 points, 7 rebounds)
- Isaiah Richards (11 points, 5 rebounds, block, steal)
FIRST HALF
- Alex Timmerman opened the scoring as he boarded a miss and finished with a layup
- Leading 2-1, Kelton Talford finished with an And-1 and completed the three-point play for a 5-1 lead
- That play started a 7-0 run that finished with Timmerman finishing at the rim off a pass from K.J. Doucet
- Leading 13-8 at the 14:13 mark, Talford found Nick Johnson on the left wing who buried a three
- On the next possession Kasen Harrison drove and kicked out to Johnson up top and he buried another triple to lead 19-8, forcing a Gardner-Webb timeout
- The Runnin' Bulldogs chipped away at the double-figure deficit and with 4:35 to play an Isaiah Richards second chance opportunity ignited an 13-0 run that put Gardner-Webb on top 36-29 with 1:28 remaining
- Two free throws from Micheal Anumba with 48.6 seconds left in the half put an end to the run
- Gardner-Webb led 36-31 at the break as it shot 41 percent from the floor and the Eagles shot 38 percent
SECOND HALF
- Chase Claxton opened the half by drilling a three from the wing to make it a one possession game at 36-34
- That was followed by a left wing three from Anumba to regain the lead at 37-36 just shy of two minutes into the half
- The early going of the half was back and forth as Anumba's three was answered with one from Lucas Stieber and then Talford scored at the rim in traffic to tie the game at 39-39
- Gardner-Webb regained the lead at 41-39 on a Ademide Badmus stick back only to have Winthrop retake the lead on a left wing three from Harrison
- There were five lead changes over the first four minutes of the half, all coming within a two minute span
- Midway through the half each team went through a three minute scoring drought until Julie Soumaoro dropped in a short jumper in the paint with 8:33 left and a 53-50 lead
- The game was tied 55-55 with 5:27 to play after Talford knocked down two free throws
- Cheickna Sissoko broke the tie as he boarded his own miss and scored on a put back
- After Caleb Robinson went 1-of-2 at the line, he dropped in a short jumper while being fouled but missed the free throw to complete the play and Gardner-Webb led 60-55 with 4:21 remaining
- Talford's three-point play with 3:41 to play made it a one possession game again
- After a defensive stand, Harrison was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws to make it a one point game
- Gardner-Webb turned the ball over on the miss, giving the Eagles a chance to take the lead and Talford delivered with a basket at the rim and a 61-60 lead
- Anumba put the Eagles on top 64-62 with 54.6 seconds left after converting two free throws
- After the Eagles missed a three attempt by Nick Johnson as the shot clock was expiring, Soumaoro pushed the ball up the court and drove to the basket but the shot was short
- The ball tipped high in the air among a crowd in the lane and then was batted out to the top of the key as Stieber grabbed it and buried a three with 2.7 seconds left for a 65-64 lead
- Eagles called a timeout as they moved the ball to midcourt and had 1.9 seconds left to get a look for the win
- The ball was thrown in to Anumba as he put up a shot from the right wing that was just off the mark
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Both teams finished the game shooting 40 percent from the floor
- Eagles were 8-for-22 behind the arc and the Runnin' Bulldogs were 7-for-23
- Winthrop finished 14-of-21 from the free throw line while Gardner-Webb was 10-of-19
- Gardner-Webb won the battle on the boards with a 41-36 edge and had a 19-8 advantage in second chance points
NOTABLES
- This was the third straight meeting in the Winthrop Coliseum between the Eagles and Runnin' Bulldogs that was decided by two or fewer points
- Talford had eight rebounds in the game to bring his career total to 658 and moving him into 8th on the program's all-time list
- Anumba posted a team-high 16 points and is now 15 points away from 1,000 in his career
- It is his fourth straight game in double-figures and sixth in the last eight games
- This was Harrison's 100th career game as he finished with 10 points, three rebounds, and two assists
UP NEXT
Winthrop will be in action on Friday, Mar. 8 at 2 p.m. and will face an opponent to be determined in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Hercules Tires Big South Basketball Championship at the Qubein Center in High Point, N.C.
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)
