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Madison Ruff
Bryce Lester/Winthrop Athletics
68
UNCW UNCW 3-5,0-0 CAA
78
Winner Winthrop Win 7-4,0-0 Big South
UNCW UNCW
3-5,0-0 CAA
68
Final
78
Winthrop Win
7-4,0-0 Big South
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
UNCW UNCW 10 19 22 17 68
Winthrop Win 17 20 19 22 78

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Ruff, Pierfax, Porter Lead Eagles Past UNCW for Best Start Since 2013

ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Using the trio of Madison Ruff, Mya Pierfax, and Amourie Porter, the Winthrop University women's basketball team used a balanced attack through a tight first half and into a 78-68 win over UNCW.  

With the win, the Eagles now have their best start to a season since 2013, when they last made an NCAA tournament appearance. 
FIRST QUARTER 
  • UNCW struck first on a layup from Kylah Silver at the 8:41 mark, but Winthrop responded with an 11-2 burst to seize control. 
  • Amourie Porter put the Eagles on the board with a right-wing three, giving Winthrop its first lead at 6:47. 
  • Back-to-back threes from Mya Pierfax stretched the margin as Winthrop moved in front 11-6 midway through the frame. 
  • Johnson impacted the game early on the defensive end, blocking a Silver layup at 6:27 and cleaning the glass to help limit UNCW to one shot. 
  • Madison Ruff finished the quarter with a transition jumper at 0:50 as the Eagles closed the period on a 6-0 run to lead 17-10. 
SECOND QUARTER 
  • Johnson scored the first points of the quarter on a layup at 8:47 to push the lead to 19-10, but UNCW steadily chipped away at the margin. 
  • The Seahawks used repeated trips to the free-throw line and a three from Paige Smith at 5:48 to stay within striking distance. 
  • A pair of free throws from Mary Ferrito at 2:52 pulled UNCW even at 27-27, the first tie since early in the game. 
  • Winthrop answered immediately as Jada Ryce buried a jumper with 2:36 left, followed by a Cori Lard three at 2:14 to restore a two-possession lead at 32-27. 
  • Porter knocked down her second three of the half with 1:03 remaining, and the Eagles carried a 37-29 advantage into the locker room after Silver's late free throw for UNCW. 
THIRD QUARTER 
  • Pierfax opened the second half scoring for Winthrop with a pull-up jumper at 9:41 to push the lead back to double digits. 
  • After UNCW trimmed the margin, Johnson strung together a sequence of offensive rebounds and finally finished at the rim at 8:08, making it 42-33 and reasserting Winthrop's control of the paint. 
  • Porter added a mid-range jumper at 7:45 to keep the Eagles in front 44-33, their largest lead to that point. 
  • UNCW responded with a series of drives and a three from Rori Cox, slicing the deficit to 49-46 with just over three minutes remaining in the quarter. 
  • Ryce drilled a key three at the 1:50 mark to push the margin back to six, and after UNCW inched within five, Lard's jumper in the final minute sent Winthrop to the fourth up 56-49. 
FOURTH QUARTER 
  • The Seahawks made one last charge, using free throws and a Silver layup at 7:05 to pull within one at 57-56. 
  • Pierfax answered with a deep three off a kick-out from Porter at 6:26, stretching the lead back to 60-56 and swinging momentum back to the Eagles. 
  • Johnson then delivered the defining stretch of the game, grabbing multiple offensive rebounds before finishing a putback at 5:08 to make it 63-56 and cap a crucial second-chance possession. 
  • Ruff took over late, converting two layups, including a fast-break finish at 2:10, and four free throws in the final three minutes as Winthrop rebuilt the margin to double digits. 
  • Porter and Pierfax combined to go 6-for-6 at the line in the last minute, and Pierfax's final two free throws with five seconds left closed out the 78-68 victory. 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 
  • Johnson finished with 9 points, 14 rebounds (five offensive), 3 blocks and 2 steals in 22 minutes before fouling out, controlling the glass and the interior on both ends. 
  • Ruff, Pierfax and Porter shared game-high scoring honors for Winthrop, each tallying 17 points; Ruff added 4 steals, Pierfax hit three threes, and Porter went 7-for-8 at the stripe. 
  • Lard chipped in 7 points and a team-high 5 assists while Ryce added 7 points off the bench, including two timely jumpers and a third-quarter three. 
  • Winthrop held a 39–38 edge on the glass and turned 16 UNCW turnovers into 18 points, while also piling up 18 second-chance points on 16 offensive rebounds. 
  • The Eagles improved to 7-4 with the win, shooting 27-for-65 from the field (7-for-19 from three) and 17-for-25 at the line, while UNCW finished 22-for-58 from the floor and 3-for-16 from beyond the arc. 
NEXT UP
The Eagles get a week off before hitting the road to take on Tennessee on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2:00 p.m.

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