Winthrop thumps Holy Cross to open Rock Hill Classic

 

Winthrop's K.J. Doucet (12) attempts a shot in Friday's game. (Photo:  Brian Wilmer)

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Though the multi-team Rock Hill Classic is not being played on Winthrop’s campus, the three-day showcase still allows the Eagles to put on a display for the Rock Hill faithful.

To call Friday afternoon’s outing a display would be an understatement.

Winthrop led wire-to-wire, getting four scorers into double digits and mauling Holy Cross, 89-51, in front of an announced crowd of 909 at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center.

“We emphasized being harder to play against, especially on the defensive end of the floor,” Winthrop coach Mark Prosser said. “I felt like we let Drexel last Saturday score way above their average from last year (in a 74-72 Drexel victory). We want to be more difficult to play against on the defensive end. I think that was the main difference in last year’s team. We could really score it, but we struggled at times defensively. We have personnel that are motivated at that end of the floor.”

Winthrop (2-2) took it to the Crusaders early, starting the game on a 10-1 burst behind eight combined points from forwards Kelton Talford and Alex Timmerman. Holy Cross (1-3) countered in the next segment, notching a 9-1 burst of its own that sliced the Eagle lead to one at 11-10. Winthrop briefly opened a nine-point lead, but Holy Cross trimmed it to three on a  Will Batchelder triple with 8:22 to play in the first half.

The drama would be short-lived, however.

Winthrop opened a 21-4 sprint to close the half, guided by three triples from freshman Noah Van Bibber. The Eagles enjoyed a 42-22 margin at the interval, knocking down 59.3 percent (16-for-27) of their tries in the opening 20. Seven Eagle threes buoyed the offensive attack, including four from Van Bibber.

The Eagle onslaught continued into the second stanza. Caleb Kenney put home a close-range bucket for the Crusaders that briefly stopped the hemorrhage and reduced the lead to 19. The Eagles again stomped on the accelerator from there, using a 21-10 segment to extend the Holy Cross deficit to 30.

Winthrop continued its hot shooting ways, stretching the lead as far as 41 following a sequence where walk-on Henry Harrison splashed a triple followed by a Michael Moore dunk. Holy Cross scored the game’s final three points, but the outcome had been long decided.

“We had some guys step up and make some shots from distance,” Prosser said. “That was what our challenge was going to be today. We stepped up to that challenge.”

Van Bibber led Winthrop and all scorers with 22 off the bench. The freshman guard connected on 6-of-9 tries from the field (6-of-8 from three) in 18 minutes of game action. K.J. Doucet tallied 15, with Nick Johnson adding 14. Sin’Cere McMahon contributed 12 in reserve duty, hitting 4-of-7 from the field and 3-of-5 from deep. The Eagles shot 53.7 percent (29-for-54) from the field, putting home 53.8 percent (14-of-26) from beyond the arc.

“When you’re hitting shots like that and everybody’s involved and everybody’s hitting, the rim gets a lot bigger, for sure,” Van Bibber said. “I think we moved the ball really well. I think that was a key focus coming into the game. I think moving the ball opens opportunities and gets other people involved. I think that was the primary source of our success tonight.”

Caleb Kenney paced Holy Cross, booking 11 as the lone double-figure scorer for the Crusaders. Holy Cross shot 32.7 percent (17-for-52) from the deck, coupled with just 16 percent (4-for-25) from distance. Holy Cross made just one second-half triple in 11 tries.

Both teams return to action in the Rock Hill Classic tomorrow. Winthrop plays IUPUI at 5:00 (Eastern), while Holy Cross squares off with Elon at 7:30. Both contests will be streamed over ESPN+.

WINTHROP 89, HOLY CROSS 51

HOLY CROSS (1-3)

Montgomery 1-7 0-0 3, Octave 1-5 0-1 2, Batchelder 2-6 2-2 8, Nugent 1-5 0-0 3, Kennedy 5-7 1-3 11, Williams 3-6 0-0 6, Capron 0-0 0-0 0, Singleton 0-6 0-0 0, Kirkwood 0-1 1-2 1, McIntyre 0-0 0-0 0, Wills 0-0 2-2 2, Rabinovhc 1-3 1-2 3, Ryan 0-0 6-6 6, Coulibaly 3-6 0-0 6. Totals 17-52 13-18 51.

WINTHROP (2-2)

Talford 3-4 0-1 6, Johnson 4-5 4-6 14, Harrison 1-5 0-0 2, Doucet 4-7 5-6 15, Claxton 1-2 1-1 3, McMahon 4-7 1-3 12, McKelvy 0-3 0-0 0, Diallo 1-1 0-0 2, Howard 0-1 0-0 0, Van Bibber 6-9 4-4 22, Harrison 1-1 0-0 3, Moore 1-3 0-0 2, Timmerman 3-6 2-2 8. Totals 29-54 17-23 89.

Halftime:  Winthrop 42-22. 3-Point goals:  Winthrop 14-26 (Johnson 2-3, Harrison 0-2, Doucet 2-4, Claxton 0-1, McMahon 3-5, McKelvy 0-2, Van Bibber 6-8, Harrison 1-1), Holy Cross 4-25 (Montgomery 1-4, Octave 0-2, Batchelder 2-5, Nugent 1-4, Williams 0-3, Singleton 0-4, Kirkwood 0-1, Rabinovich 0-2). Fouled out:  None. Rebounds:  Winthrop 38 (Johnson/Doucet/McKelvy 5), Holy Cross 26 (Montgomery 5). Assists:  Winthrop 14 (Harrison 5), Holy Cross 10 (Williams 5). Total fouls:  Holy Cross 18, Winthrop 17. Technicals:  NA.

Points off turnovers:  Winthrop 22, Holy Cross 8.  Points in the paint:  Winthrop 30, Holy Cross 26.  Second-chance points:  Winthrop 13, Holy Cross 2.  Fast-break points:  Holy Cross 5, Winthrop 5.  Bench points:  Winthrop 49, Holy Cross 24.