Inside the Numbers: Winthrop vs. Little Rock

Winthrop guard Kasen Harrison (Photo:  Winthrop University Athletics)

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ROCK HILL, S.C. – Saturday was a day for celebration at Winthrop.

Alumni partied outside as part of the annual Homecoming celebration. An unseasonably warm sun shone overhead. The school’s royalty for the year was crowned. There was also the business of Winthrop basketball hosting a fellow mid-major power in Little Rock.

Winthrop played a somewhat choppy first half but needed just minutes in the second half to break open the game and run away from the visiting Trojans. The Eagles used a 9-0 second-half run to open a double-digit lead they would never surrender and placed four scorers in double figures to secure an 82-67 victory over Little Rock Saturday afternoon.

Now – for the first time since I’ve gotten here – let’s go…Inside the Numbers!

• The game was a bit of a rock fight – pardon the pun – in the opening stanza, as Winthrop led, 32-28, at the interval. Winthrop scored a lower-than-expected .914 PPP on 35 first-half trips, despite getting 40.6 percent of its scoring (13 points) from its bench. Winthrop’s saving grace was its defense, as it limited the Trojans to just .800 PPP in the same number of trips. Little Rock turned the ball over just seven-and-a-half percent less than it scored, owing largely to the Eagles’ defense.
• Little Rock played an active 2-3 zone that caused the Eagles some struggles in that first half. Every pass was followed, every shot contested. This led to the soon-prescient question of whether or not the Trojans could sustain that effort, especially given their thin rotation – eight guys played the bulk of the minutes – and their foul situation. Four of those eight Trojans had two or more fouls at the interval, which led to some concern on Darrell Walker’s side.
• Let’s zoom in a bit on that game-changing segment during the first second-half war. Winthrop needed just 10 seconds to get a Kelton Talford layup that created a bit of breathing room. Tommy Kamarad splashed home a triple on the ensuing possession. Kasen Harrison – the real key to breaking Little Rock’s zone that turned into more of a full-court press in the second half – knifed through traffic and dropped a jumper, then Talford put home another layup. Just like that – in two-and-a-half minutes – the once-tenuous four-point lead had grown to 13. Little Rock never recovered from that opening salvo as it continued to try to speed up the game to get more possessions.
• Harrison spoke after the game of remaining calm and keeping his composure while breaking the press – he largely did – but Winthrop committed a frankly troubling 22 turnovers. Those turnovers led to 24 Little Rock points. The Eagles, to be fair, compelled 20 Little Rock miscues that translated into 17 points on their side. Winthrop also did not enjoy the advantage on fast-break points it normally does, only outdoing Little Rock, 18-15, in that regard.
• Winthrop also had the same issue that has troubled it off and on – more on than off – over the last several years:  free throw shooting. The Eagles hit just 27-of-42 free throws (64 percent) on the day, with a 5-for-10 start. Winthrop has prided itself – justifiably – on being able to get downhill, get two feet in the lane, and draw fouls. That advantage will be negated – possibly at a very inopportune time – if the Eagles can’t get it together a bit more from the stripe.
• The Eagles continued their bench points advantage throughout, as nearly 25 percent of Winthrop’s scoring came from its reserves. Xavier transfer Logan Duncomb – who was 4-for-5 from the line, interestingly, put in work during his eight minutes of action after not having played in Monday’s season-opener. Duncomb showed good effort and toughness. Ryan Jolly contributed seven in reserve duty, with freshman guard Paul Jones – who looks frighteningly like Talford – adding four points, four boards, and three dimes. Winthrop’s depth will be one of its advantages in this campaign, and it will need to be able to continue to count on that reserve production.·   
• Creighton transfer Johnathan Lawson is going to be really good for the Trojans. Lawson poured in 27 to lead all scorers, dropping 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Lawson also hit 6-of-7 free throws and hauled in eight boards while playing 37 minutes. Lawson’s size (6-7) and agility make him a tough defensive matchup for anyone, and that proved true Saturday. Jordan Jefferson and Tuongthach Gatkek tallied 11 apiece, with Jefferson playing 28 minutes while dodging foul trouble. Gatkek was 4-for-5 from the floor and 3-for-4 from the line.
• Much of the talk about Winthrop before the season centered on its returners, but its newcomers also turned in some solid contributions. We’ve mentioned Jolly, Jones, and Duncomb, but ODU transfer Bryce Baker shook off a sluggish start to contribute eight points and six boards. Arkansas Tech transfer Tommy Kamarad contributed 13 – including 3-of-4 from deep – and five boards, though he hit just 2-of-5 from the line. The new faces seem to fit the Winthrop mold well – at least early on.

And now for the final numbers:

Winthrop:  23-for-55 FG (41.8 percent), 9-for-27 3FG (33.3 percent), 27-for-42 FT (64.3 percent)

Little Rock:  22-for-64 FG (34.4 percent), 8-for-25 3FG (32 percent),15-for-23 FT (65.2 percent)

Leading scorers:  Lawson 27 (LR), Doucet 17 (WU)

Tempo stuff:

Winthrop:  1.093 PPP (75 trips), 50.7% scores, 29.3% turns

Little Rock:  .848 PPP (79 trips), 38% scores, 25.3% turns

Hustle stats not covered in final box:

Offensive rebounds:  Winthrop 21 (65.6% OR percentage), Little Rock 14 (33.3% OR percentage)

Assist percentage:  Winthrop 14 (60.9 percent), Little Rock 10 (45.5 percent)

WINTHROP 82, LITTLE ROCK 67

LITTLE ROCK (1-1)

Wilkinson 3-7 3-4 9, Lawson 8-19 6-7 27, Jefferson 4-12 1-2 11, Beljan 2-5 0-0 4, Gatkek 4-5 3-4 11, Hughes 0-2 1-3 1, Lewis 1-8 0-0 3, Williamson 0-2 1-3 1, Popov 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 22-64 15-23 67.

WINTHROP (2-0)

Talford 5-11 0-2 10, K. Harrison 3-4 7-8 13, Doucet 4-7 6-8 17, Kamarad 4-6 2-5 13, Baker 2-8 2-2 8, Wilson 0-0 0-0 0, Jolly 1-4 4-4 7, Jones 2-7 0-0 4, Diallo 0-1 1-6 1, Christy 0-0 0-0 0, Johnson 0-4 1-2 1, Van Bibber 0-0 0-0 0, Hamilton 1-1 0-0 2, H. Harrison 0-0 0-0 0, Duncomb 1-2 4-5 6. Totals 23-55 27-42 82.

Halftime:  Winthrop 32-28. 3-Point goals:  Winthrop 9-27 (K. Harrison 0-1, Ducet 3-5, Kamarad 3-4, Baker 2-7, Jolly 1-3, Jones 0-4, Johnson 0-3), Little Rock 8-25 (Wilkinson 0-2, Lawson 5-10, Jefferson 2-7, Lewis 1-4, Popov 0-2). Fouled out:  Wilkinson (LR).  Rebounds:  Winthrop 52 (Talford 9), Little Rock 32 (Lawson 8). Total fouls:  Little Rock 31, Winthrop 23. Technicals:  Johnson (WU).

Points off turnovers:  Little Rock 24, Winthrop 17.  Points in the paint:  Winthrop 28, Little Rock 26.  Second-chance points:  Winthrop 19, Little Rock 7.  Fast-break points:  Winthrop 18, Little Rock 15.  Bench points:  Winthrop 21, Little Rock 5.