Inside the Numbers: USC Upstate at Winthrop

Winthrop forward KJ Doucet poured in 20 points in the second half of the Eagles' 95-76, Big South opening victory over USC Upstate Thursday.  (Photo:  Winthrop Athletics/Professional Photography Group)

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ROCK HILL, S.C. – Big South play began for all but one team Thursday. Winthrop struggled to create separation from pesky USC Upstate – until one simple segment changed everything.

Now that I’ve told you the Eagles won, we need to dive into how they won, 95-76. Let’s go…Inside the Numbers!

• Let’s dissect the segment to which I referred. Andrew McConnell splashed a triple for Upstate to square the game at 66 with 10 minutes remaining. When Mister Dean made the next Upstate basket, Winthrop saw its lead shrink to 91-69. Dean would score the final six Spartan points, but none of them mattered.
• The Eagles tore off a blinding 25-0 run in the midst of the second half, with KJ Doucet making buckets to start and close the spurt. Winthrop made eight of nine tries during the segment, shoving away the visitors. Upstate dangled perilously close to danger for much of the second half, as it could never grow its lead past eight at any point in the game. The inability of Upstate to string stops – Winthrop collected 1.377 points per possession on 69 trips – doomed the Spartans.
• Winthrop again struggled from distance, hitting just six of 19 (31.6 percent) behind the arc. That, of course, didn’t really matter, given that the Eagles were an absolutely stupid 28-of-37 (75.7 percent) from two-point range. Winthrop also got to the line a lot – as usual – and didn’t shoot it great from there – again, as usual – in hitting 67.7 percent (21-for-31).
• Winthrop scored on 65.2 percent of its trips. I don’t have the numbers to confirm it, but that has to be their top output against a Division I team this season. If not, it’s close.
• Fouls were a significant storyline for the already-thin Spartans. Upstate had both Breylin Garcia and Mister Dean foul out after playing much of the second half with four apiece. Isaiah Skinner tallied four, while Nic Book and Brit Harris had three each. Any team that can somehow figure out how to both keep Winthrop from getting downhill and defend them without fouling stands a chance.  Otherwise, forget it.
• Doucet went off in the second 20. The Austell, Ga., native had just two points in the opening stanza, making just one of his three tries. He got more looks in the second, making almost every one of them. Doucet’s 7-of-8 performance in the period gave him 22 points on the night. Doucet also hauled in 11 caroms to record his second double-double in as many games, following a 14-point, 12-board effort at Indiana over the weekend.
• Dean and guard Carmelo Adkins were the key performers for the Spartans in the second period. The pair booked 20 of Upstate’s 37 second-half points, making 6-of-11 tries. The rest of the roster was just 6-for-19 (31.6 percent) in the half.
• Upstate struggled to get to the line but found success when it did. The Spartans were 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) from the stripe.
• Winthrop predicates its offense on creating paint touches. The Eagles did that all afternoon, outscoring the Spartans by a striking 56-32 margin in the garnet. This should ease the sting of Winthrop’s 13-12 offensive rebounds deficit in the contest.
• Five Eagles finished in doubles. Kelton Talford led everybody with yet another double-double, logging 25 points and 12 boards. Doucet’s double-double was close behind. Nick Johnson scored 16 on 5-of-8 from the deck, while Kasen Harrison poured in 14 on 6-of-10. Paul Jones was 5-of-8 (2-for-5 from deep) to finish with 12 for Winthrop, who shot 60.7 percent (34-of-56).
• Upstate placed four in double figures. Dean’s 17 paced the Spartan attack, with seven of his 12 attempts circling home. Adkins contributed 14 despite just a 4-for-12 shooting day, while McConnell and Skinner added 11 apiece. Upstate shot 40 percent from the field (26-of-65) and three (10-of-25).

UP NEXT:  Winthrop (11-5, 1-0 Big South) travels to the Dedmon Center in Radford, Va., to take on the Radford Highlanders. Tip time in the New River Valley is set for 4:30pm Saturday, with streaming coverage on ESPN+ and radio on WRAD (Radford) and 90s on 94.3 (Rock Hill). Upstate (4-12, 0-1) returns to action six days from today, hosting nearby rival Presbyterian. Tip time for the Spartans and Blue Hose is set for 7:00 on Wednesday, Jan. 8, inside the Hodge Center in Spartanburg.