Winthrop overcomes double-digit deficit, wins first regional rivalry game with Queens

 

Winthrop forward K.J. Doucet paced the Eagles with 21 in Tuesday's win over Queens. (Photo:  Winthrop University Athletics)

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Twenty-two miles and a half-hour – assuming Charlotte is not having one of its trademark traffic days – separate Queens University of Charlotte’s Levine Center and the Winthrop Coliseum. The first-ever game with both schools in Division 1 – and the doors open, anyway – earned the moniker of the Battle of I-77, the road that houses all that traffic between the two institutions.

The first round of the battle was claimed by the South Carolina side.

Winthrop overcame a 10-point halftime deficit and collected four double-figure scorers – all while holding Queens 0-for-14 from deep in the second stanza – to outlast Queens, 88-82, before an announced crowd of 1,279 at Winthrop Coliseum Tuesday night.

“They’re really good. They have really good shooters,” Winthrop coach Mark Prosser said. “I thought we were a little slow to start. We’ve just got to make sure our antennas are up against a team that pushes the ball and can shoot it the way they can.”

“We were fortunate in the second half. They missed a couple really good looks that they’ll make. We feel we had a part in it, but they certainly have really good shooters, so those will (eventually) go down.”

Queens (5-5) started the game on a heater. The Royals’ first six scoring possessions all ended in threes – either the traditional way or the hard way. Queens built an 18-11 lead on two AJ McKee threes, an and-one opportunity from McKee, two Chris Ashby triples, and a Bryce Cash make from distance. The first Queens points not to compose a three-point possession came on two free throws from BJ McLaurin that keyed a 9-0 Royals run and extended their lead to 12.

Winthrop (7-3) then whittled the deficit to two points at 36-34 before Queens unfurled another 9-0 run that put them ahead, 45-34, and induced a stoppage on the floor. The Eagles sliced that 11-point advantage to 10 at the interval, fueled largely by Queens’ 8-4 advantage from beyond the arc.

Queens maintained a lead no fewer than six for the first six minutes of the second half, pushing it to ten at times. A Kalib Mathews dunk afforded the Royals a 10-point lead at the 14:28 mark. Winthrop then chiseled away at the advantage, using a 12-2 run to square the game at 61 nearly three minutes later. K.J. Doucet then knocked down two free throws 40 seconds later to give the Eagles their first lead since a 2-0 advantage after the first possession of the game.

McLaurin then scored four straight points to keep the game level. Kasen Harrison responded to McLaurin’s second pair of points as he did the first – with a bucket – and put his Eagles back in the lead. Bryce Cash then tied it again on a layup, only for Xavier McKelvy to splash a triple from the right corner that would both necessitate a stoppage and give Winthrop a lead it would never relinquish.

Queens continued to push Winthrop, keeping the game within a possession or two until the horn. The second-half struggles would do in the Royals, though, as the visitors’ 13-for-36 (36.1 percent) second-half shooting percentage was weighed down by the 0-for-14 anchor from deep.

“I thought we just didn’t make threes in the second half,” Queens coach Grant Leonard said. “I thought we got a lot of clean looks and the shots we wanted. Our guys executed. We just weren’t able to knock them down. Overall, I thought we got clean looks.”

“I thought there we stretches (in the second half) where they got the tempo they wanted and there were stretches where we got the tempo we wanted. We got out in transition and missed a transition layup. We missed a couple transition threes. It was a pretty high-paced game. We’ve just got to be able to convert in transition and set our defense more often.”

Leonard spoke after the game of the newfound rivalry and the benefit it brings both programs.

“I want to play the game every year,” Leonard said. “We are scheduled to play next year. I want to play games that matter and games where the fans matter.”

Queens fell to 0-5 on the road with the result. Leonard saw his club turning a corner in Tuesday’s game, however.

“I told them to keep their heads up,” Leonard said. “I thought that we executed a lot of really good things. I thought it was our best road effort. Physicality and effort, I thought, were excellent. Sometimes when shots don’t fall, that’s part of it. I thought our guys did a good job overall. I think we’re making positive steps forward. Our goal is to be clipping when we get to conference play, and I think we’ve got a chance to do that.”

Doucet paced the Eagles with 21 points, hitting 6-of-12 tries from the deck and 7-of-8 from the line. Harrison added 17 on 6-for-13 shooting and 5-for-8 from the stripe. Alex Timmerman contributed 14 off the bench to go along with eight caroms, while Nick Johnson scored 13 and snatched seven boards. Xavier McKelvy tallied 12, hauled in seven boards, blocked a career-high three shots, and pilfered Queens twice in reserve duty. Winthrop shot 43.1 percent (28-for-65) from the maple, with 6-of-21 threes finding their home. The Eagles were 26-for-35 (74.3 percent) on free throw tries.

“I’ve just been staying in the gym and locked in every day,” McKelvy said. “I was just focused on bringing the energy. Respect to Queens. They were hitting difficult shots. We just had to stay composed and locked in.”

Queens got 23 from McKee, who led all scorers. Point guard Deyton Albury hit 7-of-14 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the line to finish with 20, while filling the stat sheet with seven dimes, five boards, four steals, and two blocks. McLaurin finished with a double-double, putting home 16 points and pulling 10 misses off the rim. The Royals hit 28-of-72 (38.9 percent) from the field and 18-of-20 (90 percent) from the line. The second-half woes limited Queens to 8-for-31 (25.8 percent) from three.

Both teams return to action over the weekend. Queens welcomes Carolina University to Curry Arena in Charlotte Saturday afternoon for a 1:00 (Eastern) start. That game will be streamed over ESPN+. Winthrop travels to Little Rock, Ark., to take on Little Rock Sunday afternoon. That game is slated to tip at 1:00 (Eastern).

WINTHROP 88, QUEENS 82

QUEENS (5-5)

McLaurin 4-10 8-8 16, McKee 8-19 2-3 23, Cash 3-4 0-0 7, Ashby 2-7 0-0 6, Albury 7-14 6-7 20, Sebock 0-4 0-0 0, Mathews 1-4 0-0 2, Pollard 2-5 2-2 6, George 0-2 0-0 0, Wilson 1-2 0-0 2, Threatt 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-72 18-20 82.

WINTHROP (7-3)

Talford 2-4 2-2 6, Doucet 6-12 7-8 21, Claxton 1-4 0-0 2, Johnson 2-3 8-12 13, Harrison 6-13 5-8 17, McMahon 1-6 0-0 3, Van Bibber 0-2 0-0 0, Timmerman 5-8 4-5 14, Diallo 0-0 0-0 0, McKelvy 5-6 0-0 12. Totals 28-65 26-35 88.

Halftime:  Queens 47-37. 3-Point goals:  Queens 8-31 (McLaurin 0-6, McKee 5-13, Cash 1-1, Ashby 2-6, Sebock 0-2, Pollard 0-2, George 0-1), Winthrop 6-21 (Doucet 2-3, Claxton 0-3, Johnson 1-3, Harrison 0-3, McMahon 1-4, Van Bibber 0-2, Timmerman 0-1, McKelvy 2-2). Fouled out:  None. Rebounds:  Queens 45 (McLaurin 10), Winthrop 43 (Timmerman 8). Assists:  Queens 15 (Albury 7), Winthrop 11 (Johnson/Harrison/Timmerman 3). Total fouls:  Queens 24, Winthrop 22. Technicals:  NA.

Points off turnovers:  Queens 19, Winthrop 14.  Points in the paint:  Winthrop 44, Queens 40.  Second-chance points:  Winthrop 15, Queens 9.  Fast-break points:  Queens 22, Winthrop 9.  Bench points:  Winthrop 29, Queens 10.