Winthrop turns in dominant defensive effort in convincing victory over LIU

 

Winthrop forward Kelton Talford scored 18 and pulled down 13 boards in the Eagles' Monday win.  (Photo:  Tim Cowie/Winthrop Athletics)

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ROCK HILL, S.C. – Winthrop star forward Kelton Talford knows a thing or two about winning basketball.

Talford played at Great Falls High School in Chester County – Winthrop public address announcer Brian Rushing refers to him as “The Great Four from The Falls” in pre-game introductions – a half-hour or so south of Winthrop Coliseum. The Red Devils are steeped in basketball tradition, and Talford’s family has played a significant role in that tradition. Now, though his family has relocated nearer to Kelton in his final collegiate season, Great Falls basketball and the lessons he learned in that historic high school gym off Sunset Avenue stay with him.

One of those lessons helped Talford and his teammates get a much-needed win Monday night over a tough opponent.

Talford was one of three Eagles in double figures, scoring 18 points and procuring 13 boards, in a dominant, 87-65 victory over LIU in Winthrop Coliseum.

“Where I’m from, you’re taught that defense wins championships,” Talford said. “I think that’s the key focus. When you get stops, you get points.”

The need for those stops came into even clearer focus about 48 hours before the game tipped. The visiting Sharks took down Charlotte of the American Athletic Conference, 79-76, Saturday afternoon just up the road at Halton Arena. LIU guard Malachi Davis had a monster game in conquering the 49ers, scoring 31 points and hoisting 18 shots in the contest. Davis would never get the chance to dominate that way Monday night.

LIU (3-4) raced out to a rapid 7-2 lead in the game’s first two-plus minutes, with a dunk and three from Blake Lander precluding a Jalen Fuller dunk to get the Sharks started early. As quickly as that lead opened, though, it evaporated. Winthrop wrested the control it would never yield by virtue of an 8-0 burst of its own, with a Talford bucket keying the run.

The visitors briefly recaptured the lead on back-to-back buckets from Davis and Terell Strickland, but a 9-2 Eagle charge staggered LIU. Winthrop (5-3) got two more Talford buckets in the stretch.

“I think we needed it, because I think it got us going a little bit offensively. I think we created some offense from our defense,” Winthrop coach Mark Prosser said. “They did a really good job. They have really good guards. To play those guys and accept that challenge, I thought everybody had to do it with the way that we switch. I’m really pleased with our defensive effort.”

That defensive effort helped key the run that knocked out the visiting Sharks. Winthrop tore off a 9-0 burst late in the first that stretched a tense, one-bucket advantage into an 11-point Eagle lead. The home side enjoyed a 13-point margin at the interval, buoyed by an effort that held LIU to just 38.2 percent from the deck in the opening stanza and spun nine Shark turnovers into 13 points.

When the Eagles were not fiercely contesting shots on the defensive end, they were playing with two feet in the paint on the offensive end. Winthrop scored well over half its points in the lane, working its way downhill as part of its trademark offensive strategy.

“We played hard defensively and I think that helped our offense,” Prosser said.

The Eagles distributed the ball well, assisting 16 times on 31 buckets while committing just 10 miscues. Winthrop compelled 17 Shark turnovers against just nine assists on 26 baskets.

“That was a testament to how hard our kids played defensively. That was them,” Prosser said. “They did a good job. They deflected. We had a lot of hard plays on the ball.”

Limiting the production offered by Davis was a clear focus. Following that 31-point effort at Charlotte, the Eagles locked down the Toronto native and held him to just eight points on 4-for-9 shooting.

“They’ve got a good coach (former NBA guard Rod Strickland),” Talford said. “We just focused on their two – (Davis) gets a lot of shots up, so we just tried to contain him the best we could and crowded the floor.”

Davis and Strickland contributed just 14 points two days after combining for 44 two days prior. The Sharks got double-figure efforts from just two scorers. Forward Jalen Fuller finished a board shy of his own double-double, pouring in 13 and snaring nine caroms. Tre’shawn Sheppard also neared a double-double in reserve duty, booking 10 and grabbing eight misses. The Sharks hit 40.6 percent (26-for-64) of their tries but managed just 20 percent (3-for-15) from distance. LIU struggled from the line, hitting just 10-of-21 (47.6 percent).

Talford led the Eagles and all scorers with his 18. The fifth-year senior played just 27 minutes, but grabbed six offensive misses, blocked two shots, and notched a steal.

“We knew coming in that they might switch one through four or one through five,” Talford said. “My teammates being able to generate those open looks that I got, those switches, and their finding me (in the paint) – I give all the thanks to them and Coach Prosser for the gameplan that we had.”

Forward K.J. Doucet added 17, hitting 6-of-10 from the floor. Guard Nick Johnson contributed 11 on a 5-for-8 effort. The Eagles shot 50.8 percent (31-for-61) from the field, blocked 10 shots, and pilfered 12 Shark passes. Winthrop continued its struggles from beyond the arc, hitting just 6-of-20 from deep. The season-long troubles Winthrop has experienced from the line also continued, as just 59.4 percent (19-for-32) of the Eagle tries from the stripe fell.

LIU now travels to Easton, Pa., to compete in an MTE at Lafayette. The Sharks take on the host Leopards on Friday afternoon in the Kirby Sports Center. Game time is set for 4:30 (Eastern). Winthrop welcomes Division III Averett University of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) for a Wednesday night contest. Game time is set for 6:30 (Eastern) in the Winthrop Coliseum. The game will feature streaming coverage over ESPN+.

WINTHROP 87, LIU 65

LIU (3-4)

Davis 4-9 0-2 8, Lander 2-8 1-2 6, Strickland 2-4 2-3 6, Lasu 2-4 2-5 6, Fuller 4-10 5-8 13, Sheppard 5-8 0-1 10, Steele 0-4 0-0 0, Lee 4-12 0-0 9, Pendergast 0-0 0-0 0, Li 3-5 0-0 7. Totals 26-64 10-21 65.

WINTHROP (5-3)

Jones 1-5 0-0 2, Talford 7-10 4-6 18, Johnson 5-8 1-3 11, K. Harrison 2-6 2-6 6, Doucet 6-10 4-4 17, Wilson 0-0 5-6 5, Jolly 2-2 1-2 6, Diallo 1-2 0-0 2, Christy 0-1 0-0 0, Van Bibber 1-4 0-0 3, Kamarad 2-4 2-5 7, Hamilton 1-1 0-0 2, H. Harrison 0-0 0-0, Baker 3-8 0-0 8. Totals 26-54 19-26 77.

Halftime:  Winthrop 44-31. 3-Point goals:  Winthrop 6-20 (Jones 0-3, Johnson 0-2, K. Harrison 0-1, Doucet 1-2, Jolly 1-1, Van Bibber 1-3, Kamarad 1-3, Baker 2-5), LIU 3-15 (Davis 0-2, Lander 1-4, Lasu 0-1, Fuller 0-1, Sheppard 0-2, Lee 1-4, Li 1-1). Fouled out:  Steele (LIU)  Rebounds:  LIU 42 (Fuller 9), Winthrop 40 (Talford 13). Total fouls:  LIU 27, Winthrop 20. Technicals:  Davis (LIU), Steele (LIU).

Points off turnovers:  Winthrop 23, LIU 9.  Points in the paint:  Winthrop 50, LIU 40.  Second-chance points:  LIU 20, Winthrop 15.  Fast-break points:  Winthrop 16, LIU 6.  Bench points:  Winthrop 33, LIU 26.