ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Defense fueled Winthrop University's 74–42 win over Presbyterian College on Wednesday, as the Eagles forced 23 turnovers and converted them into 26 points at Winthrop Coliseum.
Amourie Porter scored a team-high 18 points, while Kayla Haddock led the way for the Blue Hose with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
FIRST QUARTER
- Presbyterian began the scoring with a steal from Amani Williams off a bad pass turnover from Winthrop's Madison Ruff, with Ja'Cia Cunningham making a layup
- Mya Pierfax battled back at 9:07 with a 3PT jumper to put Winthrop in the lead
- A driving layup from Madison Ruff and pull-up jumper from Pierfax pushed Winthrop further into the lead, 7-2
- A layup from Ryiah Wilson in the paint at 5:02 continued the Eagles' lead to 12-4
- Presbyterian cut into the Eagles' lead off of offensive rebounds from Krystal Haddock and Samantha Mullock, cutting the lead to 16-13
- A driving layup from Ruff maintained the Eagles' lead into the end of the first quarter, 18-15.
SECOND QUARTER
- Presbyterian struck first at 8:02 in the second quarter with a second chance layup by Haddock, shortening the Eagles' lead to one
- Winthrop battled back with a jumper by Cori Lard on the fast break at 7:10, keeping the Eagles' lead 20-17
- Two back-to-back layups from Amourie Porter brought the lead up 24-17
- Porter increased the lead at the line with a singular free throw to double digits off a shooting foul from Cunningham, 31-17
- The Eagles only allowed Presbyterian to score eight points in the second quarter
- A free throw from Tocarra Johnson continued the double-point lead at the break, with Winthrop leading 38-23
THIRD QUARTER
- Winthrop opened up the half with a second chance layup from Tocarra Johnson in the paint off a Presbyterian turnover to extend the lead 40-23
- Winthrop's defense stayed disruptive, getting defensive rebounds that prevented Presbyterian from stringing together a run
- Pullup jumpers from Madison Ruff and Amourie Porter pushed the Eagles' lead to 46-23
- A three-point jumper from Daniella Velez put Presbyterian on the board in the third at 5:16, cutting the Eagles' lead to only 20 points, 46-26
- Two back-to-back layups from Naomi Wilson off opponent turnovers continued to push Winthrop ahead, 52-26
- Cori Lard closed out the quarter with a three-point jumper and took the Eagles into the fourth with a 57-33 lead.
FOURTH QUARTER
- Winthrop opened up the final period with a layup in the paint by Amourie Porter, making it 59-33
- Presbyterian quickly responded with Velez's second three-point jumper of the game at 9:07, cutting the lead to 59-36
- Pierfax made back-to-back plays, a three-point jumper and driving layup, to increase Winthrop's lead 64-36
- Presbyterian began chipping away at the Eagles' lead at the line, with free throws from Haddock and Williams, making it 64-39
- A layup by Porter on the fast break and two successful free throws from Lard helped Winthrop regain momentum, increasing the lead 68-41
- The Eagles ended the game with a fast break layup from Jada Ryce, with Winthrop winning 74-42
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Winthrop finished the game shooting 52% from the floor, while Presbyterian shot 25%
- The Eagles forced 23 turnovers, converting them into 26 points, compared to 11 turnovers by Presbyterian
- Winthrop held Presbyterian to single-digit scoring in the second and fourth quarters
- Presbyterian was led by Kayla Haddock, with 16 points and 12 rebounds, accounting for nearly 40% of their scoring
- Porter led Winthrop with 18 points, while Mya Pierfax added 14
NEXT UP
The Eagles get their bye this weekend, hitting the court again in a week against Presbyterian.
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