Rock Hill, S.C. – Paul Jones III scored 22 of his game-high 24 points to lead Winthrop to a 95-76 victory over Longwood, Saturday afternoon inside the Winthrop Coliseum.
WINTHROP (12-7, 2-2 Big South)
LONGWOOD (13-6, 2-2 Big South)
- Kyrell Luc (18 points, rebound, 3 assists, 3 steals)
- Colby Garland (15 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists)
- Angelo Brizzi (13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals)
FIRST HALF
- Paul Jones III got the Eagles on the board first as he pulled up and buried a right wing three
- After a Kyrell Luc reverse layup for Longwood, Eagles answered with a 4-0 spurt to lead 7-2
- Kelton Talford scored at the rim and then Kasen Harrison drove down the middle of the lane and finished off glass
- Leading 11-8, Harrison received a pass underneath the rim and then kicked it to the corner for Ryan Jolly who knocked down a three
- Longwood answered right back with a Colby Garland three to make it a one possession game
- Harrison's floater in traffic with 11:57 left in the half put the Eagles up five and then Jones III hit a three from the right corner for the largest lead to that point at 21-13
- The eight point lead was short lived as K.J. McClurg answered with a three to cut the Winthrop lead to 21-16
- From that moment the Eagles had their own response with a 9-2 run that included seven straight points capped off by a Jones III triple to lead 30-18 with 8:32 left, forcing a Longwood timeout
- Longwood made it a single-digit deficit at the 7:17 mark after two free throws from Luc, but the lead went back to double-digits at 33-21 after Nick Johnson hit 1-of-2 free throws and Logan Duncomb made two
- A Jones III triple with 5:49 to play put the Eagles up 15 at 36-21, but Longwood answered with a three of its own by McClurg
- Jones III continued to light it up from downtown as he drilled a three at the 3:27 mark to lead by 16 and then a step back three put the Eagles up 17 points at 45-28 with just under three minutes left in the half
- Angelo Brizzi scored at the rim off an inbound play, but the Eagles kept pouring it on and scored the final eight points of the half starting with five straight points by Bryce Baker and then Johnson buried a three with 43 seconds left to lead 53-30 at the break
SECOND HALF
- Eagles opened their scoring in the second half the same way they began the game as Jolly connected on a three for a 26-point advantage
- Lancers went on an 8-0 run behind two threes from Luc and a contested pull up jumper in the paint by Garland
- Isaiah Wilson ended the run as she scored off the drive while getting fouled, but missed the free throw to complete the And-1
- Lancers then scored five straight as D.J. Jefferson hit a three followed by a jumper from Garland off a drive to make it a 15-point Winthrop lead at the 15:47 mark
- Out of a timeout called by the Eagles, Harrison found K.J. Doucet on the left wing and he knocked down the three to lead 65-47
- The lead was back to 20 after Harrison connected with Talford down the middle of the lane in transition and finished with an emphatic one-handed dunk
- Jones III sliced through the lane to give the Eagles as 22-point advantage, but Longwood responded with six straight points
- Eagles answered right back with six consecutive points with Harrison scoring four of the six
- A 7-0 run by the Eagles behind threes from Doucet and Johnson pushed the lead to 82-58 with 7:40 remaining
- Game played out relatively equal the remainder of the way as the Eagles held on for the 19-point win
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Eagles shot 57 percent from the floor and were 14-for-29 behind the arc while Longwood finished at 41 percent (9-of-21 from three)
- The teams combined for 44 free throws as Longwood was 19-for-24 and the Eagles were 13-for-20
- Winthrop turned 13 Longwood turnovers into 16 points while the Lancers had 11 points off turnovers (14 by the Eagles)
- Eagles had a 38-29 advantage on the boards and turned 10 offensive rebounds into 16 points
- Not only were the Eagles knocking it down for long range, but they outscored the Lancers 40-28 in the paint
- Paul Jones III led four Eagles in double-figures with 24 points, one point shy of his career-high
- Talford had 17 points, Johnson chipped in with 16 points and Harrison added 14
- Harrison finished with a career-high nine assists and had just one turnover in 32 minutes
NOTABLES
- Eagles have now won seven straight home games against the Lancers
- Winthrop has now won nine straight home games at the Winthrop Coliseum and improve to 8-0 on the year
- The 95 points tied the most points the Eagles have ever scored against Longwood
- Jones III had 22 first half points and is the first Eagle with 20 or more in a first half since Hunter Hale had 21 on Jan. 2, 2020 vs. Longwood
- The 14 threes were a season-high and the fifth time the Eagles have hit 10 or more in a game this season
- This was the 400th consecutive game in which the Eagles have hit at least one three
- Eagles have now scored 90 or more points in a game seven times on the season (twice in league play)
UP NEXT
Winthrop remains at home for a second straight contest as it hosts Charleston Southern on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 6:30 p.m.
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)
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