CHARLOTTE – We’ve all heard the phrase, “to the
victor go the spoils.” What about the cookies, though?
More on that in a bit.
Given the 23 miles and 30 minutes – okay, in Charlotte
traffic, maybe more like an hour – between Winthrop Coliseum and Queens’ Curry
Arena, it makes sense for the Eagles and Royals to play on a regular basis. The
sides did so for the second time since Queens’ ascent to Division I on a frigid
Tuesday night in Charlotte.
In a fun, back-and-forth contest that featured lots of
offense, Winthrop fended off numerous Queens charges in the second half and
shot greater than 59 percent in the final 20 minutes to get past the Royals,
86-78.
“(Queens) is a hard place to play,” Winthrop coach Mark
Prosser said after the game. “They’re very well-coached, they play really hard,
and they’re talented. They have wonderful kids, too. We knew it was going to be
a one-or-two-possession game. That’s how it always is.”
Queens (3-5) took the lead early in the contest, leading by
as many as four after a Chris Ashby triple during the opening segment. Winthrop
(7-3) quickly grabbed a lead it would not relinquish, however, using a 14-3 run
to take a 21-12 lead on a Paul Jones three. Winthrop grew that lead as high as
11 – only for Queens to charge back on the strength of a 12-4 run that sliced
the Eagle advantage to just three with 1:24 remaining in the first half. The
visitors took a 40-35 margin to the interval, with both sides nearly even from
the floor in the opening stanza.
“I felt like that was probably one of our best offensive games on the season,” Queens guard Bryce Cash said. “We got the shots we wanted. We got in the paint. We got kickouts. That made it easier for us to score.”
As for the defense, well…
“I’d say that was probably our worst defensive performance,”
Cash said. “We’ve got practice tomorrow and practice the rest of the week to
get better. That’s our main focus for now.”
After the Eagles ran their lead back to eight early in the
second half, Queens again answered. Another Ashby three, paired with two Asjon
Anderson free throws, quickly knifed the Eagle lead to three. The run was again
short-lived, as Winthrop countered with a 9-2 run that again extended the
margin to 10.
From there, a pattern formed.
Queens rallied. The Royals cut the lead to three. The Eagles
answered. The Royals rallied. The Eagles responded.
“I thought we had the chance to break them late in the
second half,” Queens coach Grant Leonard said after the game. “We just didn’t
finish a couple shots. Overall, I was happy offensively. I didn’t think that
was why we lost the game. We let them shoot 59 percent in the second half. That
was really the difference in the game.”
To Leonard’s point, the Eagles missed just 11 shots in the
second half. Five of those came from distance. Also to Leonard’s point, the
Royals shot 50 percent in the final 20. Queens also dropped 45.5 percent
(5-for-11) from beyond the arc in the second half. It also bears mention that
Winthrop went to the line 23 times in the second half – hitting a mere 13 – to Queens’
nine trips in the period.
“That should be enough,” Leonard said of his team’s
second-half performance. “A couple loose balls and a couple free-throw box-outs
that we just didn’t get were key in the game.”
Leonard also referenced the free throw situation.
“Both teams being in the bonus at the under-13 mark (of the
second half) paralyzed the pace of the game.” Leonard said. “The players were
not sure of what to do. I always appreciate the effort the officials put in,
but I’m not sure they were talking to each other and on the same page in this
game.”
Winthrop shot 34 free throws in the game, the second-most by
a Division I opponent in Curry Arena despite being just the fourth-most the
Eagles have tried in a contest. The 21 makes by the visitors were also the
fourth-most in an Eagle outing this year.
The visitors shot 49.2 percent (30-for-61) in the game,
including the sizzling second-half effort. Four Eagles scored in double
figures, including 20 from guard Nick Johnson. Johnson hit 7-of-12 from the deck
(2-for-5 from three) and 4-of-7 from the line. Point guard Kasen Harrison
booked 15 on 5-for-8 from the field and 5-for-6 from the line. Forward K.J. Doucet
added 13, while guard Ryan Jolly tallied 11 in reserve duty. All-Big South forward
Kelton Talford battled foul trouble and was limited to 22 minutes and seven
points. Forward/center Tai Hamilton played 17 minutes off the bench spelling
Talford, scoring nine points on 4-for-5 from the field.
“He was fantastic,” Prosser said. “We have a depth of
talent, and at different times, it presents itself. (Tai) felt that way today.
It was awesome to see. We’ve seen it in practice. Today, hopefully, is a
building block for him. He works extremely hard. He’s a great kid. He fits what
we do really well. When hard work meets great kids with great work ethic, it’s
a lot of fun for us to enjoy.”
Queens connected on 45.9 percent (28-for-61) from the field,
including 35 percent (9-of-26) from deep. The Royals hit just 13-of-24 from the
line. Ashby paced the home side with 20 on 7-of-14 from the field and 5-of-12
from the field. Forward Leo Colimerio turned in 14 on 5-for-8 shooting, with
Cash contributing 13 on 5-for-6. Jaxon Pollard was the fourth Royal in double
figures, with 11 in 25 minutes off the bench.
“I was finding my open looks and keeping the ball moving,”
Ashby said of his performance. “I tried to make the defense break down.”
Listening to the coaches after the game, it was clear that
while they like playing this game, they may not like playing the game.
Coaches always assess their opponents, but it was clear Prosser and Leonard
knew the value of the game despite knowing the battle they both faced.
“It’s really important (to play games like these),” Leonard
said. “I appreciate that Winthrop is willing to play us here at home every
other year, and having that series and regional opponent matters. We have a
long-term contract with them. Hopefully we can get more teams on that train.”
“There are a lot of things about this game that make sense,”
Prosser said. “This is a league game – basically – for us. Hopefully it’s a
league game – basically – for them. To go on the road in a hostile environment,
to be in a place where they’re extremely talented and making plays and it’s
back-and-forth, that helps both teams. It’s going to be a great game for us. It’s
two storied programs with great tradition playing against each other.”
Prosser may have summed it up the most succinctly, though.
“We’re fortunate to be able to get out of here with a win. I’m
fortunate that I don’t have to worry about them for another year.”
Oh – about those cookies?
Winthrop has a tradition of what it calls “snack time” after
road victories. What is the Eagles’ leader’s go-to snack?
“I’ve been going with Nutter Butters for the last couple,” Prosser said. “As an entire program, we’re all fired up for snack time. I’m going to stay with the Nutter Butters. I think they’ve been good for me.”
𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐖 = 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 🍫🍪
— Winthrop Basketball (@Winthrop_MBB) December 4, 2024
Pulled up to @QuikTrip for a little grub after the win! #ROCKtheHILL pic.twitter.com/R61rA1k20G
WINTHROP 86, QUEENS 78
WINTHROP (7-3)
Jones 2-6 1-2 7, Talford 3-10 1-4 7, Johnson 7-12 4-7 20,
Harrison 5-8 5-6 15, Doucet 4-8 5-7 13, Wilson 1-2 0-0 2, Jolly 3-6 4-5 11,
Diallo 0-0 0-0 0, Kamarad 0-0 0-0 0, Hamilton 4-5 1-3 9, Baker 1-4 0-0 2.
Totals 30-61 21-34 86.
QUEENS (3-5)
Mathews 1-3 0-0 2, Cash 5-6 3-4 13, Ashby 7-14 1-1 20,
Colimerio 5-8 3-5 14, Wilson 0-3 1-7 1, Mann 2-2 1-1 7, Jabriel 0-1 0-0, Nevill
0-0 0-0 0, Anderson 1-8 2-2 4, Pollard 5-11 1-2 11, Berman 2-5 1-2 6. Totals 28-61
13-24 78.
Halftime: Winthrop 40-35. 3-Point
goals: Queens 9-26 (Ashby 5-12, Colimerio 1-3, Mann 2-2, Jabriel
0-1, Anderson 0-5, Pollard 0-2, Berman 1-1), Winthrop 5-18 (Jones 2-4, Johnson
2-5, Doucet 0-3, Wilson 0-1, Jolly 1-3, Baker 0-2). Fouled out: Wilson
(QUC) Rebounds: Winthrop 43 (Talford 9), Queens 36
(Pollard 8). Total fouls: Queens 28, Winthrop 22. Technicals: NA.
Points off turnovers: Winthrop 17, Queens 15. Points
in the paint: Winthrop 50, Queens 36. Second-chance
points: Winthrop 14, Queens 7. Fast-break
points: Winthrop 9, Queens 7. Bench points: Queens
28, Winthrop 24.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.