Rock Hill, S.C. -- Fourth-seeded Winthrop will take on fifth-seeded Longwood in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Hercules Tires Big South Conference Championship Friday afternoon.
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WINTHROP (17-14, 8-8 Big South)
| WINTHROP PROBABLE STARTERS |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
Noteworthy |
| G |
10 |
Nick Johnson |
6-4 |
Sr. |
10.5 |
3.5 |
1.7 |
1.3 |
Has two 20-point games during league play / Double-figures 11 out of 16 league games / Dished out career-high 5 assists at Little Rock / First Eagle with 40 or more steals in a single-season since Chandler Vaudrin (45) in 2019-20 |
| G |
11 |
Kasen Harrison |
6-2 |
Sr.. |
11.6 |
2.9 |
3.7 |
1.3 |
Career-high 27 points at High Point / Dished out 5 or more assists in 13 games / Scored 11 points at USC Upstate to reach 1,000 career points / Last 5 games averaging 14.6 ppg / 23-24 Big South Preseason All-Conference / Reached 350 career assists (374) at Asheville |
| G/F |
3 |
Micheal Anumba |
6-4 |
Gr. |
8.8 |
3.8 |
1.2 |
0.9 |
In double-figures last 4 games, 5 of last 6 / 15 points away from 1,000 / Multiple assists in eight games / Over his career the Eagles are 32-12 when he grabs 5 or more rebounds / Missed the first 16 games of the season recovering from injury |
| F |
12 |
K.J. Doucet |
6-7 |
Jr. |
12.6 |
4.4 |
1.4 |
0.6 |
Scored 25 points at Radford / Posted season-high 28 points at Charleston Southern (11-of-12 shooting) / Has five 20-point games on the season (5-0 in those games) / Reached 1,000 career points in the game at Coastal, 1,100 vs. Toccoa Falls and surpassed 1,200 on Feb. 7 |
| F |
4 |
Kelton Talford |
6-7 |
Sr. |
14.3 |
5.6 |
1.1 |
0.5 |
All-Big South First Team For 2nd straight season / 8 or more rebounds in 5 straight games / Posted 2nd double-double of the season with 15 points, 10 rebounds vs. PC / 20 or more points in four league games / Season-high 27 points in 3OT win over Radford / Named Big South Player of the Week (Jan. 15) / Became 27th Eagle to score 1,000 career points / Reached 600 career rebounds, 11th Eagle to reach the milestone |
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SERIES HISTORY VERSUS LONGWOOD
- This marks the third meeting this season and 26th all-time
- The last meeting came on Feb. 10 in Farmville, Va. as the Eagles fell 84-74
- In the first meeting the Eagles won 68-60 in overtime at home
- The teams last faced each other in the conference tournament at the 2022 title game
- Winthrop is 2-1 all-time against the Lancers in the conference tournament
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WINTHROP IN THE BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT
- Seeded 4th for the 3rd time in program history and hold a 4-1 mark at that seed
- Have advanced to the championship game three of the last four years
- Eagles are 55-25 all-time in tournament play
- The 55 wins are more than any other program in Big South history
- Have won the opening game of the tournament the last three seasons and nine of the last 10
- Winthrop holds the Big South record for championships (13) the most tournament wins (55)
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WINTHROP IN THE BIG SOUTH
- Finished 8-8 in the league and fourth place in the standings
- Eagles were 4-4 at home and 4-4 on the road
- Started 4-0 for the second time in three seasons and the 8th time in program history
- Played three overtime games over the first four conference contests and have played four total league games in overtime
- It is the first time in program history they've gone to overtime in four league games in the same season
- Hold an all-time record of 350-238 in league play and the 350 wins are the most all-time in Big South history
- With the win over Charleston Southern, the Eagles captured the program's 200th home victory for Big South regular season games
- Only team ranked in the Top 3 of scoring offense (3rd) and scoring defense (2nd)
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WINTHROPÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â
- Looking to end a two-game skid as it enters the conference tournament
- Have attempted 249 more free throws than opponents and have made 596 which is a few short of what opponents have attempted (600)
- Winthrop leads the nation in free throw attempts per game (27.4)
- No Winthrop team has ever averaged more than 24.87 in a single-season
- The 596 free throws made are the second-most by any team in the nation (D1) and the second-most by any Winthrop team at the NCAA D1 level
- The 596 free throws are also second-most in program history for a single-season
- Kelton Talford leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 14.3 ppg and 5.6 rpg
- Talford was voted to the Big South All-Conference First Team for a second straight season
- K.J Doucet is second in scoring at 12.6 followed by Kasen Harrison (11.6) and Nick Johnson (10.5)
- Harrison recently scored a career-high 27 points in the overtime loss at High Point
- It was his fourth 20-point game as an Eagle and 8th in his career
- Doucet posted his 5th 20-point game of the season as he dropped 25 on the Highlanders (Feb. 15)
- Harrison has dished out five or more assists in 13 games this season and is 4th in the league at 3.7 per game
- Johnson had back-to-back games with 20 points vs. Radford and UNC Asheville, one shy of his career-best
- He leads the team with 40 steals and ranks 5th in the league at 1.4 per game and is the first Eagle with 40 or more steals in a single-season since Chandler Vaudrin had 45 in 2019-20
- The win over PC was the 50th for Mark Prosser as head coach of the Eagles and it was his 200th game coaching overall
- 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
- 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 1,409th game in program history and hold an all-time record of 797-611
- Winthrop has more wins than any other Big South school (241) since the 2012-13 season and the closest is Gardner-Webb (208)
- Mark Prosser starts his third season as head coach of the Eagles (7th head coach in program history) and holds a 55-40 record over the first three seasons
- Prosser is coaching in his 214th career game and 185th 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
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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
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REGULAR 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 line
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- 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
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CAREER MILESTONES
- Micheal Anumba
- Reached 500 career rebounds in the game at UNC Asheville
- Has 127 career starts, 2nd all-time in program history (three behind all-time leader Chris Gaynor)
- His 137 games played are the 2nd most in program history
- Recently surpassed 950 career points and is just 31 points away from 1,000 (969)
- Chase Claxton
- Played in his 100th of his career last season and has 147 total
- The 147 games are the most played by an Eagle in program history (passing George Valentine and Michael Jenkins)
- His 147 games rank as the 2nd 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 118 blocks rank 5th all-time (trailing 4th place by seven)
- Reached 100 career steals (109)
- Is just the second player in program history with 100 career blocks and 100 career steals (other is Xavier Cooks)
- Kasen Harrison
- Reached 1,000 career points in the win at USC Upstate (11 points in the game) and surpassed 1,100 points at Longwood (1,179)
- Against Queens he reached 300 career assists and reached 350 at UNC Asheville
- In the final game of the 2022-23 season Harrison hit his 200th career free throw
- This will mark the 100th game of his career (86th start)
- Kelton Talford
- Surpassed 500 career rebounds vs. Drexel and reached 600 in the win at Charleston Southern
- 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
- He is the 65th player in league history to reach 600 rebounds and the 11th all-time in program history
- Became the 48th player in Big South history with 1,000 points and 600 rebounds
- Ranks 8th all-time in scoring at Winthrop (1,323) and 9th in total rebounds (658)
- Has 13 career double-doubles after his 15 points, 10 rebounds against PC on Feb. 21
- Has 515 career free throw attempts, ranking him 6th all-time in program history
- Sin'Cere McMahon
- Knocked down his 150th career three vs. Queens
- Now has 187 in his career, with 165 of those have come as an Eagle
- His 165 threes rank tie him with Keon Moore for 10th on Winthrop's all-time list (30 behind 9th place)
- Became the 27th player in program history with 100 or more threes in a single-season
- Approaching 950 career points (948)
- Scored career-high 35 points at UNC Asheville (2023), the 4th most by an Eagle in a conference road game
- Nick Johnson
- Reached 1,000 career points in the win at Radford
- Reached 400 career rebounds vs. UNC Asheville
- Dished out his 100th career assist vs. Queens and has surpassed 100 steals
- Dished out a career-high five assists at Little Rock
- Alex Timmerman
- Reached the 500 career rebound mark on Feb. 10 at Longwood
- 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 and reached 1,200 in the win over Charleston Southern Feb. 7
- Reached 400 career rebounds (436) in the home win over Charleston Southern
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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 as a Team of Distinction on Jan. 12, 2024.
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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.
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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.
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UP NEXT
The winner of this game will advance to Saturday's Big South Conference semifinal match at 12 p.m. and take on the winner of top-seeded High Point and USC Upstate/Radford.
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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).
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