Inside the Numbers: SC State at Winthrop

 

Winthrop's Kody Clouet led all scorers with 21 in Saturday's victory.  (Photo:  kody_clouet/Instagram)

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ROCK HILL, S.C. – South Carolina State ventured into the Winthrop Coliseum Saturday with an 0-7 record, having suffered six of those losses on the road. A shorter trip was in store for the Bulldogs on this day, but the second half proved to be all Winthrop.

The Eagles turned a nine-point halftime advantage into an absolutely dominant  victory in a post-Thanksgiving outing.

Now that you know what happened, let’s go…Inside the Numbers!

• That second half was one of Winthrop’s better halves of the still-young campaign. The Eagles got a bit sloppy at the end of the period but still hit 61.1 percent (22-for-36) of their tries in the stanza. Winthrop canned seven triples in the second 20, booking 1.556 points per possession in 36 trips. Tommy Kamarad paced the Eagles in the period, logging 12 of his 19 on the day. It wasn’t all perfect for Kamarad – he was rung up after a one-handed dunk on which he celebrated a bit – but his impact was clearly felt.

“He’s an experienced guy. He knows the system well,” Winthrop coach Mark Prosser said of Kamarad. “He had a confidence against the pressure today. He made shots. He made open shots. He was a very good version of himself today. We’re going to need that 100 percent from him, across the board.”

• Despite its struggles at times, the Bulldogs still notched four double-figure scorers. Noah Treadwell led SC State with 17 on 5-of-7 shooting, with Owen Bronston adding 14, Jayden Johnson 13, and Chris Parker 11. Johnson showed signs of being an incredibly helpful piece for the Bulldogs, though he added three of his own turnovers to the three steals he compelled.
  
  
• Winthrop again flexed its muscle on the boards. The Eagles outboarded the Bulldogs, 40-27, including a 15-10 advantage on the offensive glass. Logan Duncomb snagged nine of those misses, finishing one rebound shy of a double-double. Duncomb also committed just one foul in over 26 minutes of playing time, which was big for a Winthrop side that was already without Tai Hamilton and lost Ed Nnamoko to a thumb injury in the second half.
  
  
• That extra help on the boards turned into points for the Eagles. Winthrop logged 52 of its 101 points in the paint, with half that total coming on second-chance points. The Eagles outpaced the Bulldogs, 26-13, in that category.

“They’re well-coached. They have that identity of some of the West Virginia teams over the years,” Prosser said. “You better have a toughness to you. You better be able to answer the bell physically.”

• Graduate transfer Kody Clouet guided Winthrop with 21 points on the day, dropping 8-of-13 tries (5-of-9 from distance). Clouet and Duncomb combined for 25 of the Eagles’ 69 attempts, making 16 of those shots. The result was not Clouet’s career-high – that was 35 in a game while he was still at San Diego – but it was a Winthrop-best for the Californian.
  
  
• Guard Kareem Rozier was the other Eagle in doubles. After some initial struggles to start the season, the Duquesne transfer has paid dividends. Dozier scored 15 on 5-of-9 shooting, including a trio of triples on six tries. Rozier also grabbed three boards and dished out six assists. Rozier and guard Daylen Berry each helped on six buckets, with the Eagles totaling 23 assists on the day.
  
  
• SC State scored 54.4 percent of its points off the bench. Treadwell, Johnson, and Parker combined for 41 of those 43 reserve points. The Bulldogs had just 10 active players on the day, so Treadwell, Johnson, and Parker combining for over 76 minutes provided a boost to Erik Martin’s squad.
  
  
• Reserve wing Braylhan Thomas had a strong day in some extended run for Winthrop. Thomas hit 3-of-7 attempts (1-of-3 from deep) in just shy of 10 minutes, scoring seven points to go with a rebound.  The Eagle bench scored 25, with Josh Meo (six), Nnamoko (two), and Seif Hendawy (six) contributing 15 points of that total.
  
  
• Two of the bench points drew the loudest cheer of the day. Walk-on guard Cam Christy stuck back an Eagle miss at the bucket to put Winthrop over the century mark. Christy and fellow walk-on Henry Harrison are both fan favorites and their entries into a game always draw a strong reaction.
  
  
• SC State employed a variety of press looks on the Eagles, including going completely full-court at times. Winthrop struggled in its first couple possessions against the extended defense, but quickly adjusted and had its way in transition and with numbers advantages.

“It was really good for us,” Prosser said. “If we find ourselves in a game where we’re being pressed late, there’s a lot of really good things to put on film and to learn from, but I thought we handled it pretty well.”

Next up:  Winthrop travels to Brooklyn, N.Y., to take on LIU Tuesday night at 7:30. ESPN+ will carry the coverage. SC State visits Chicago State for a noon tip Monday.

Hustle Stats:

Points off turnovers:  Winthrop 14, SC State 13

Points in the paint:  Winthrop 52, SC State 30

Second-chance points:  Winthrop 26, SC State 13

Fast-break points:  Winthrop 18, SC State 15

Bench points:  SC State 43, Winthrop 25

Winthrop:  1.347 points per possession (75 trips), 58.7% scoring, 18.7% turnovers

SC State:  1.082 points per possession (73 trips), 47.9% scoring, 19.2% turnovers

WINTHROP 101, SC STATE 79

SC STATE (0-8)

Tindal 1-3 1-2 3, Tenebay 4-9 0-0 9, Bronston 5-14 2-2 14, Wright 3-6 0-0 6, Clark 2-4 0-0 4, Treadwell 5-7 3-4 17, Johnson 6-10 0-1 13, Parker 4-9 2-2 11, Okojie 1-1 0-1 2. Totals 31-63 8-12 79.

WINTHROP (4-4)

Kamarad 7-9 3-3 19, Duncomb 8-12 3-4 19, Wilson 0-1 2-2 2, Rozier 5-9 2-2 15, Clouet 8-13 0-0 21, Meo 3-4 0-1 8, Nnamoko 0-0 2-2 2, Hendawy 2-8 1-1 6, Boyogueno 0-1 0-0 0, Berry 1-2 0-0 2, Thomas 3-7 0-0 7, Christy 1-2 0-0 2, Harrison 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 38-69 13-15 101.

Halftime:  Winthrop 45-36. 3-Point goals:  Winthrop 12-32 (Kamarad 2-3, Wilson 0-1, Rozier 3-6, Clouet 5-9 , Meo 0-1, Hendawy 1-6, Boyogueno 0-1, Berry 0-1, Thomas 1-3, Harrison 0-1), SC State 9-21 (Tenebay 1-2, Bronston 2-7, Treadwell 4-6, Johnson 1-4, Parker 1-2). Fouled out:  NA.  Rebounds:  Winthrop 40 (Duncomb 9), SC State 27 (Parker 5). Total fouls:  SC State 19, Winthrop 19. Technicals:  Tenebay (SCSU), Kamarad (WU).