Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop used a 25-0 second half run to pull away for a 95-76 victory over USC Upstate, Thursday evening in the Big South Conference opener for both teams.
WINTHROP (11-5, 1-0 Big South)
USC Upstate (4-12, 0-1 Big South)
- Mister Dean (17 points, rebound, 3 steals)
- Carmelo Adkins (14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists)
- Isaiah Skinner (11 points, 2 rebounds, assist, steal)
FIRST HALF
- Eagles opened the scoring as K.J. Doucet found Kasen Harrison on the right wing for three near the end of the shot clock
- Eagles led by seven points at the 16:44 mark after Kelton Talford converted two free throws
- Isaiah Skinner answered for Upstate with a left wing three before the Eagles pushed the lead to eight points after a second chance effort by Talford and then Doucet went right down the middle of the lane for a bucket in transition
- Karmani Gregory hit a step back three to get a 7-0 run start for Upstate to make it a one point game with just over 13 seconds left
- Talford halted the run with a dunk off a feed from Harrison to lead 17-14, but Upstate made another run to take its first lead of the game
- The 11-0 run started with a score and drive off glass by Gregory
- Then the Spartans buried three straight triples to lead 25-17 at the 10:58 mark
- Winthrop cut the Upstate lead in half as Talford scored inside and then off a turnover Paul Jones III took the ball to the rim and scored to trail 30-26
- Winthrop pulled within a point as Nick Johnson scored attacking the rim on three straight possessions
- Eagles ended up making it 11 straight points to regain the lead and then force an Upstate timeout after a Johnson right wing three for a 39-35 lead with 2:25 remaining
- Nic Book's tip-in as time expired for the half made it a one possession at the break as Winthrop led 41-39
SECOND HALF
- Mister Dean's two free throws to start the half tied the game at 41-41, but it was short lived as Doucet drilled a left wing three
- Eagles led by four points after Jones II hit a three, but the Spartans chipped away and took the lead at 50-49 at the 17:05 mark after two free throws from Carmelo Adkins
- Doucet put the Eagles back in front as he drove the left side of the lane and scored, but a three by Skinner had Upstate back on top 53-51 with 16:29 to play
- The teams continued to trade baskets over the next three and a half minutes and Winthrop led by four after two free throws by Isaiah Wilson
- A three-point play by Adkins started a 8-2 run by the Spartans to regain the lead as Adkins buried a corner three to lead 63-61
- The game was tied again with 11:35 remaining as Talford boarded a missed free throw and slammed it home to make it 63-63
- Upstate led 67-66 when Johnson knocked down two free throws for a 68-66 lead, which ignited a 25-0 run
- Following the Johnson free throws, Doucet scored on a layup off a feed from Harrison and then Harrison scored at the rim on the next possession
- Doucet scored nine points during the run which put the Eagles on top 91-67 with 3:21 left in the game
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Eagles shot 60 percent or better in each half and finished at 60 percent for the game while holding Upstate to 40 percent
- Winthrop had 12 turnovers that led to 22 points for the Spartans and the Eagles converted 14 Upstate turnovers into 20 points
- The edge on the boards went to the Eagles 38-32
- Winthrop dominated the paint, outscoring the Spartans 56-32 and finished 21-for-31 at the foul line
- All five starters for the Eagles were in double-figures led by Kelton Talford's 25 points while Doucet had 22, Johnson added 16, Harrison finished with 14 points and Jones III had 12
- Talford and Doucet each posted double-doubles as Talford had 12 rebounds and Doucet hauled in 11
- Mister Dean led the Spartans with 17 points while Carmelo Adkins had 14 points
NOTABLES
- Eagles won their second straight Big South opener and have now won 11 of the last 12
- This was the eighth straight home win at the Winthrop Coliseum
- Talford posted his 5th double-double of the season and 19th of his career
- Doucet notched his 4th double-double of the season
- As an NCAA D1 member the Eagles are now 80-2 all-time when scoring 90 or more points at home
UP NEXT
Winthrop is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 4 as it travels to Radford, Va. to take on Radford at 4:30 p.m.
STAY CONNECTED
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