Winthrop fends off rival Asheville on final possession of Saturday battle

Winthrop guard Kody Clouet led the Eagles with 21 points in Saturday's win at Asheville. (Photo:  Winthrop Athletics)

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ASHEVILLE, N.C. – There are certain things you can always count on whenever Winthrop and Asheville play each other. Fans who made the trip to Kimmel Arena saw a lot of the constants.

Fouls? Yep. Plenty of those. Emotion? That was there, too.

Drama? It wouldn’t be Asheville-Winthrop without that.

A constant struggle between two undermanned rivals came down to the final possession, as only it could. Asheville had a chance to stun its rival with a last-second knockout, but Kareem Rozier poked away the ball and preserved a 69-67 Winthrop win before an announced crowd of 1,496.

“I don’t remember a game that we’ve played against each other that’s been so low-scoring in a really long time,” Winthrop coach Mark Prosser said after the game. “They did a good job of making a very tight, crowded floor and being physical with (center) Logan (Duncomb). I thought that points were at a premium. I thought our defense was locked in. Our attention to detail was good.”

The battle ensued almost from the opening tip. Winthrop (13-8, 5-1 Big South) broke open a game knotted at seven apiece early, using an 11-4 burst to seize a seven-point lead halfway through the first period. Asheville (8-12, 2-4) countered with a 9-2 spurt keyed by a Julian Clarke triple to snip it to 20-18 before Winthrop scored 13 of the next 19 to take a nine-point lead. The Eagles took an eight-point advantage to the interval.

Both teams struggled considerably from the field in the first half. Winthrop hit 8-of-27 tries (29.6 percent) in the period, while Asheville knocked down just 8-of-31 (25.8 percent). Asheville coach Mike Morrell felt the Bulldogs settled for shots more than he would prefer in the period.

“We were poor today in the first half,” Morrell said. “(We settled) a ton. I think that’s going to be the story of the game. I’ve done a really poor job helping (preseason Player of the Year) Toyaz (Solomon) this year. I understand that. He’s (shooting) a career-low from inside the arc. That’s not his fault. That’s my fault. The floor has been way more packed because of the shooting that we lack at certain spots this year.”

Asheville snipped the deficit to three at 35-32 on a Kam Taylor three that capped an 8-2 run early in the second, then worked it to three again at 41-38 following a Solomon triple. Kody Clouet then bookended a 9-0 Winthrop surge with a pair of trifectas that bumped the Eagle advantage back to 12.  Winthrop stayed ahead by double figures following a Clouet bucket with 6:15 to play, before Asheville countered with another 9-2 burst that cut it to four with 3:37 remaining.

Duncomb pushed the lead back to six with a layup with 1:42 remaining. Asheville’s Justin Wright recorded a steal with the Bulldogs in a full-court press, then cut it to four with a layup with 1:18 to play. Wright converted again with 36 seconds remaining to cut it to 69-67.

Winthrop then attempted to run out the shot clock but was forced to have Josh Meo hoist a three with four seconds remaining that spun off. Daniel Thomas grabbed the rebound, then pushed up the floor for a game-winning attempt. Rozier forced the ball loose, however, and time expired before Asheville could recover and launch an attempt.

The Bulldogs had one timeout remaining but Morrell elected not to use it.

“If we call a timeout there, we’ve got four seconds against a set defense,” Morrell said. “We had five (seconds) when we got it. Justin kind of hesitated a little bit (on the dribble) for whatever reason. I’m not sure why, but I’ve never called a timeout in that situation.”

“I think we (had) a much better chance to score against a broken floor than trying to draw something up and potentially have to heave something. Hindsight is 20/20, but I was not going to call timeout.”

Prosser presented his perspective of the final sequence.

“On that last play, Kareem was in his gap and he gets the ball,” Prosser said. “That was a huge – obviously, those are game-winning plays, but it has to be as important in the first five seconds (of the game) as it is in the last five.”

“A million things are going through your head. Should we call timeout when it got late in the clock and we didn’t get what we wanted off the ball screen? We trust these guys to bring us home and to be great in the system, and in that moment, Kareem was great in the system.”

Morrell was happy to have had a chance to win on the final trip but offered a frank assessment of his team.

“We were just not good enough today to beat a good team,” Morrell said. “I thought we made Winthrop play ugly at times, which was our best chance to win this game. With some of the lineups we’re having to play right now, we really don’t have a choice.”

“It’s honestly not how I really love to play. That’s just who we are, with two guys done for the year that are in our top seven. Anytime you have to try to play that way, it probably affects everything. It affects my coaching. I thought that (was) what gave us the best chance to win today. We just didn’t do a good enough job of guarding them without fouling.”

Clouet paced the Eagles with 21, sinking five threes on a 7-of-11 day. The graduate student also hauled in six boards. Duncomb was the only other Eagle in double figures, finishing a board shy of a double-double to go with 17 points. Duncomb made the most of the 12 fouls he drew on the day, canning 11-of-14 from the line.

“We didn’t do well enough,” Morrell said in assessing how his team defended Duncomb. “I don’t know what his stat line was, but he put (freshman forward) Daniel Thomas on the bench (due to fouls), which was our best chance. Logan puts you in a bind with as well as he’s playing, because you don’t want to send him to the line. He’s still a hell of a weapon to have. He’s the Player of the Year in the league, right now.”

“He puts you in a bind because of his physicality. I can see why he’s having the year he is.”

Winthrop shot 34.6 percent from the field (18-for-52) on the afternoon, equaling that percentage in shooting 9-for-26 from three. The Eagles hit 24-of-30 (80 percent) from the line.

Taylor led all scorers for Asheville, booking 26. The sophomore needed 24 shots to reach that total, however, hitting nine. Just two of Taylor’s 10 tries from three found the net. Solomon added 20 points and boarded seven misses, while Wright tallied 14 on 5-of-11 from the field. The Bulldogs hit 72 percent (18-of-25) from the stripe.

Both teams return to play Wednesday night. Asheville heads down the mountain for the latest installment of the I-26 Rivalry against USC Upstate. Game time from the Hodge Center in Spartanburg, S.C., is set for 6:00, with coverage on ESPN+. Winthrop returns home to the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, S.C., to battle Radford. That game is set to tip at 6:30, with ESPN+ also handling that coverage.

WINTHROP 69, ASHEVILLE 67

WINTHROP (13-8, 5-1 BIG SOUTH)

Kamarad 0-3 0-0 0, Duncomb 3-11 11-14 17, Wilson 0-4 3-4 3, Rozier 3-7 0-0 7, Clouet 7-11 2-2 21, Meo 2-5 3-4 9, Nnamoko 2-5 2-2 6, Hendawy 1-4 3-4 6, Boyogueno 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 18-52 24-30 69.

ASHEVILLE (8-12, 2-4 BIG SOUTH)

Solomon 6-15 6-7 20, Thomas 0-0 2-2 2, Taylor 9-24 6-11 26, Patrick 0-7 0-0 0, Wright 5-11 4-5 14, Tolentino 1-1 0-0 2, Mayfield 0-3 0-0 0, Hermes 0-0 0-0 0, Clarke 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 22-62 18-25 67.

Halftime:  Winthrop 33-25. 3-Point goals:  Winthrop 9-26 (Kamarad 0-1, Wilson 0-2, Rozier 1-5, Clouet 5-8, Meo 2-4, Nnamoko 0-1, Hendawy 1-3, Boyogueno 0-2), Asheville 5-25 (Solomon 2-6, Taylor 2-10, Patrick 0-5, Wright 0-3, Clarke 1-1). Fouled out:  Wilson (WU), Hendawy (WU).  Rebounds:  Winthrop 42 (Duncomb 9), Asheville 38 (Solomon 7). Total fouls:  Asheville 26, Winthrop 24. Technicals:  NA.

 

 

Inside the Numbers: App State vs. Asheville

 

Asheville forward Toyaz Solomon had a huge day Sunday, logging 25 points in a gritty win over App State. (Photo:  Asheville Athletics)

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ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Former Manhattan and Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez used to have a phrase – I’m paraphrasing here, while blending with an old coach of my own – about some games not being oil paintings.

Sunday’s game between Asheville and App State won’t be the kind of story told in history books, but there was a lot to break down from what took place inside the Harrah’s Cherokee Center on a cold, dreary afternoon. Asheville claimed a 67-55 decision over App State in a game that could be lovingly described as a slugfest.

Now that you know what happened, let’s take no one’s favorite trip…Inside the Numbers!

• Asheville (3-4) raced – almost literally – out to a 19-2 lead in the game. The Bulldogs hit eight of their first 13 shots, booking three from distance. When Asheville weren’t making shots, they were rebounding – hauling in nine boards in the first eight minutes of the contest. App State, conversely, went just 1-for-8 in those first eight minutes, before a Michael Marcus triple led the game into its second media stoppage.

App State (4-5) punched back, quickly snipping the Asheville lead to 21-15 on the strength of five straight makes. Jalen Tot splashed a pair of triples during the run to provide a boost off the bench. The Mountaineers then cut it to two on a Kasen Jennings bucket with 5:09 left in the first half. Asheville countered with back-to-back buckets from David Hermes and Kam Taylor, however, and App State could never seize the lead.

• App State had another surge in the second half, slicing the Asheville advantage to 41-38 on an Alonzo Dodd jumper with 9:56 to play. Asheville quickly countered with an 8-0 run, though, swelling the lead back to 11. App State could never again draw closer than nine.
  
  
• Kam Taylor logged a 12-point, 10-board double-double for the Bulldogs, but possibly at a cost. Taylor was noticeably limping and had to be removed from the game late. Taylor was able to leave the floor under his own power, but the Bulldogs can ill afford to be without their sophomore standout for any period of time.
  
  
• Big South Preseason Player of the Year Toyaz Solomon also had a strong game, scoring 25 and snatching eight misses in 35 minutes of play. Solomon needed 16 shots to get those 25 points, along with 9-of-11 from the line.
  
  
• Justin Wright (13) and DJ Patrick (11) joined the Bulldog pair in doubles. Patrick battled foul trouble, finishing with four. There was also a bit of a discussion between Wright and Morrell after the game, after Wright was assessed a technical late in the game for a “conversation” he had with an App State player following a slight fracas. Morrell and Wright stayed on the floor after the game, with the Bulldogs’ head man appearing to remind Wright of the importance of keeping his composure before the two shared a hug near center court.
  
  
• App State got a tremendous effort from Marcus and Tot off the bench. Marcus scored 13 in 26 minutes of reserve duty, knocking down 5-of-8 from the field (3-of-5 from deep), while Tot added eight. Dodd also finished in doubles for the Mountaineers, hitting 5-of-9 from the deck and booking 11.
  
  
• The Mountaineers held Asheville to 33 percent from the floor in the second half, with the Bulldogs hitting just six of the 18 shots they tried in the period. Asheville was held without a three in the second half, going 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.
  
  
• Asheville coach Mike Morrell was his usual quotable self. In fact, let’s give you a Quotables section just on Mike.

QUOTABLES

On the win:  “I’m really proud of the guys and how they responded. (App State) is a good team. In my eight years, I’m not saying that’s the best win we’ve had, but that’s as tough as we’ve played – as physical as we’ve played.”

On the team:  “We’re just a mess right now, man. I mean, we’ve got guys falling all over the place. I give (forward) David Hermes a lot of credit. We told him a couple days ago he was going to play. He got himself ready and I thought he was the difference, just from a physicality standpoint, so he’s going to keep playing.”

“It’s not as easy as you think just to throw guys back in the lineup once you get playing and things of that nature, so we’re still trying to get healthy and see if we can find a way to get another one here in 48 hours.”

On Asheville’s defense:  “It’s not honestly how I love to play – the kind of grind it out, get in the gaps, and low-scoring, but I’m just – given the circumstances in which we find ourselves with our team right now, I’m not sure that’s not how we’re going to have to play for a little bit.”

On Solomon:  “He played like one of the better players in the league today, and he drew – the stat that’s the best is that he drew eight fouls. He’s not been getting to the free throw line. He’s got to make the game come a little bit easier for him, and getting to the free throw line has got to be a part of that. I show him clips of Drew (Pember) all the time. That’s how Drew was able to rest and play 36 minutes (a game).”

“Maybe one day, he’ll get us double-digit rebounds. That’s an inside joke between me and him.”

Next up:  Asheville continues its downtown run, hosting UNCG in the Harrah’s Cherokee Center Tuesday night. Game time is set for 7:00, with ESPN+ handling the coverage. App State returns home to the Holmes Center in Boone, N.C., to take on Virginia-Lynchburg Wednesday night. ESPN+ will air the 6:30 tip.

Hustle Stats:

Points off turnovers:  App State 11, Asheville 9

Points in the paint:  Asheville 28, App State 24

Second-chance points:  Asheville 13, App State 8

Fast-break points:  App State 8, Asheville 8

Bench points:  App State 26, Asheville 4

ASHEVILLE 67, APP STATE 55

APP STATE (4-5)

Dodd 5-9 1-1 11, Wilson 2-4 5-8 9, Jennings 3-10 0-0 6, Banks 1-6 0-2 3, Njock 0-0 0-0 0, Marcus 5-8 0-0 13, Tot 3-10 0-0 8, Moodie 2-2 1-4 5, Clarke 0-4 0-0 0, O’Kelley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-53 7-15 55.

ASHEVILLE (3-4)

Solomon 8-16 9-11 25, Wright 3-9 7-7 13, Taylor 4-10 3-5 12, Patrick 3-8 3-4 11, Mayfield 1-1 0-0 2, Hermes 1-2 0-0 2, Jones 1-3 0-0 2, Clarke 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas 0-1 0-0 0, Tolentino 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-50 22-27 67.

Halftime:  Asheville 33-26. 3-Point goals:  App State 6-25 (Dodd 0-1, Jennings 0-2, Banks 1-5, Marcus 3-5, Tot 2-9, Clarke 0-3), Asheville 3-18 (Solomon 0-2, Wright 0-4, Taylor 1-5, Patrick 2-5, Jones 0-2). Fouled out:  Jennings (ASU), Hermes (AVL).  Rebounds:  Asheville 36 (Taylor 10), App State 25 (Jennings/Marcus 4). Total fouls:  App State 23, Asheville 22. Technicals:  Dodd (APP), Wright (AVL).

 

 

Inside the Numbers: #7 Charleston Southern vs. #2 Asheville, Big South Quarterfinals

 

Asheville forward Kam Taylor is captured in the middle of a windmill dunk in Friday's quarterfinal victory. (Photo:  Big South Conference)

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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Charleston Southern coach Saah Nimley – himself a legend as a Buc player and now their coach – walked onto the podium after Friday’s quarterfinal against Asheville, looked at the table, and spoke volumes in three words.

“That was tough.”

Asheville reversed course Friday night. Its prior largest win in conference play was nine points – until the Big South quarterfinals. The Bulldogs turned a once-close contest into a 20-point blowout on the strength of ball security, great shooting, and suffocating defense.

You now know that Asheville claimed an 80-60 victory – now, let’s find out how they did so as we go…Inside the Numbers!

• To call Asheville’s big victory uncharacteristic would be quite the understatement. The Bulldogs led by just six at the interval as Charleston Southern shot 48.3 percent in the opening 20. After Daylen Berry snipped the CSU deficit to four with a bucket to start the second half, Asheville went on a nearly immediate, 10-0 run that helped put away the game. More on that run in a minute, but first, some words from Asheville coach Mike Morrell on the result.

“I thought we had the three best days of practice that we've had all year,” Morrell said. “That doesn't guarantee you anything, but if you don't do that, I can guarantee you what the other result will be.”

“We haven't blown anybody out this year and I I don't know that that's as much on us as it is that this is the deepest in the best of league as it’s been in my seven years (at Asheville) and I really don't think it's close.” 

• Regarding that key segment, Morrell commented after the game on its importance. After a brief stoppage, Charleston Southern ran a quick ATO and passed up on its first read – whether this was something Asheville blew up or the design was to go to the second look could not be determined – choosing instead to kick to Berry for a triple. Berry’s look spun away and Asheville boarded the miss, spraying ahead to Fletcher Abee for a deep corner triple that extended the Bulldog lead to 12 and induced a Charleston Southern timeout.

“That was a really good read by (guard Jordan) Marsh,” Morrell said. “That’s something we talk about a lot. I wish we did more of that – getting the ball ahead in transition. One of the reasons we probably can’t do it as much is that I probably play Fletcher too many minutes and he’s so damn tired that he has a hard time getting down the court.”

“That was a big sequence. The other big sequence was when (forward) Toyaz (Solomon) made a really good read off a side out of bounda play that was really an option for him or Fletcher. He decided to give it to Fletch and Fletch hit a big three there.”

• Asheville absolutely suffocated Charleston Southern in the second half, but the defensive effort in the first half also helped tell the story. The Bulldogs logged 25 first-half deflections, which forced the Bucs out of their comfort zone. CSU shot just 33.3 percent (9-for-27) in the closing 20, adding just 25 percent (3-for-12) from deep. The Bucs also missed five free throws in 12 tries in the period.
  
  
• That defense led to one of the more interesting tempo numbers of the night. Asheville cashed 20 points off 16 Buccaneer turnovers but surrendered just three points off its eight miscues. Which number was more important? Let’s ask Solomon and Marsh.

“Definitely the 20 off their turnovers, because we had a season-high of deflections in the first half,” Solomon said. “That’s pretty big. We converted (on those turnovers).”

“Coach Morrell is on us – mainly me and Toyaz – about defense,” Marsh added. “We just want to keep playing. This group is too good. We just have to stay strong and keep playing for each other.”

Leave it to Morrell to finish that response with a joke.

“20 points leads mostly to their points, so obviously they’re going to choose those.”

• The game marked the final in the storied career of Charleston Southern forward and Player of the Year Taje’ Kelly. There are probably few more qualified to comment on Kelly’s legacy at CSU than Nimley. 

“It’s hard to put into words,” Nimley said. “Taje’ – he reminds you of what’s right about college basketball, even with all the changes going on – extra years, money, transferring – he reminds you of what’s right about it. Regardless of how his career went, wins- and losses-wise, there’s not a doubt that he’s one of the best players to ever play here and has had one of the best individual careers. He’ll be cemented in that because of his loyalty. If you track (his career) year-by-year, he’s the definition of development. This is a kid that, moving forward, has set the table for who we’re going to be.”

Morrell also weighed in on Kelly’s legacy.

“I told Taje’ this – I think he’s the best player in the league outside of (Drew) Pember in just how hard he is to guard. I give him so much credit for – I was at Charleston Southern for a year and I obviously know that place really well – I give him so much credit for staying there for four years and being just a great player. I guarantee you when he gets to my age -- which is 42 -- he will remember that way more. He is just a great player. I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that.”

Solomon led all scorers with 21 for Asheville, connecting on 10-of-11 tries from the deck and grabbing five boards. Marsh added 20, hitting nine shots, grabbing six boards, and dishing six helpers. Abee contributed 16, hitting 5-of-7 from deep. Josh Banks finished with 11.

Three Bucs finished in doubles. Kelly and Anthony Gause notched 11 apiece, while RJ Johnson finished with 10. 

Quick tempo numbers:

Asheville:  1.231 PPP (65 trips), 56.9% scores, 12.3% turns, 54.1% shooting (33-61), 43.8% three-point shooting (7-16), 58.3% free throw shooting (7-12)

Charleston Southern:  .923 PPP (65 trips), 41.5% scores, 24.6% turns, 41.1% shooting (23-56), 25% three-point shooting (6-24), 61.5% free throw shooting (8-13)

Asheville improves to 20-10 and will square off with the winner of sixth-seeded Longwood and third-seeded Winthrop in Saturday’s second semifinal. Tip time is approximately 2:30 (Eastern), with streaming coverage over ESPN+. Charleston Southern finishes its season with a 10-22 record.