Inside the Numbers: Winthrop at High Point

 

High Point guard Kezza Giffa led the Panthers with 14 points in Saturday's win over Winthrop.  (Photo:  High Point University Athletics)

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HIGH POINT, N.C. – High Point continued its sizzling play on its home deck Saturday afternoon, turning away Winthrop, 84-62. There are plenty of numbers to break down – we’ll do that in due time – but the telling part came from Winthrop coach Mark Prosser’s postgame remarks.

“It’s not a tough talk,” Prosser said. “I think – we have a lot of pride in that locker room, so there’s not a lot that needs to be said in there. It was a – we had a couple looks early that didn’t go down. They made plays in the first half. They had guys coming off the bench burying threes. Their bench was 6-for-12 from three. I think that’s a huge boost.

“When you’re sort of easy to play against, in some ways – you give a comfort level, and they obviously got comfortable very early. We got frustrated and we didn’t run our offense the way we typically run it. When that happens, you become stagnant and easy to guard. The ball stuck too much.”

Now that you know all that, let’s go…Inside the Numbers.

• 13:53 is the number on which to focus. Winthrop forward Kelton Talford was assessed his second foul at this mark in the first half, and the Eagles looked rudderless without him. Winthrop started the game okay on its first possession, as Nick Johnson sank a corner triple. That early success vanished, though, as the Eagles hit just two of their next 10 tries. It got progressively worse from there, as Talford was limited to just 24 minutes of play. He was only – such as it is – minus-11 on the day, which was the second-best among Eagle starters behind KJ Doucet’s minus-7.
• Talford’s absence notwithstanding, the Panthers enjoyed a significant advantage on the glass. High Point pulled down 47 caroms – 12 offensive – and converted those bounces into 19 second-chance points. The Eagles were limited to just six such points, as they only boarded six of their 34 misses. High Point center Juslin Bodo Bodo gobbled up 12 of those misses, with six other Panthers getting three or more each.
• To Prosser’s earlier point about the ball sticking, consider this:  Winthrop ended up at just .911 points per possession for the game, which was a significant improvement over its first-half total. The Eagles logged just .735 points per trip in the first half, leading them to trail the Panthers by 22 at the interval. Winthrop assisted on 10 of its 19 made baskets (55.6 percent), which was actually an improvement from its first-half rate of 37.5 percent (3-of-8).
• To another of Prosser’s points, the bench players “burying threes” were also significant. Abdoulaye Thiam logged 11 points, including 3-of-4 from distance. Terry Anderson added another pair, while Simon Hildebrandt halved his two three-point attempts. The Panthers outscored Winthrop, 30-10, off the pine, which helped make the margin that much more lopsided.
• Apropos of whatever it may be, Winthrop tried 53 shots on the day. Five players took 42 of those shots. Between the ball sticking, the lack of bench production, and Talford’s foul troubles, it all made for a long afternoon for the visitors.

Selected comments from High Point coach Alan Huss:

Main remarks:  “I’m pleased with the win. They got off to a bad start with Talford getting into foul trouble. That changes the dynamic of their team dramatically. I thought we separated while he was off the floor. He’s the most dynamic low-post scorer in our league, in my opinion. He puts you in so many difficult situations with his ability to draw fouls and play with such a motor. We showed our guys a lot of film this week of him being in situations where he’s outnumbered by two and three guys, outsized by three or four inches at his position. I don’t even know if he’s the best athlete in the world, but somehow, due to determination and will, he ends up coming up with those balls. Without him on the floor, I thought they struggled a bit for a stretch and we capitalized.”

About the bench:  “I thought in the first half, Terry and Laye gave us a really good lift off the bench. We’re very fortunate to have guys like that that are capable off the bench. I was really pleased with those guys.”

On the defensive play in the post:  “I thought Bodo did a really great job of guarding without fouling – and (forward) Kimani (Hamilton) for that matter, too. It’s extremely difficult to guard these guys. They’re number one in the country at drawing fouls. To guard them and keep them off the foul line – still, we gave them 26 free throws, but I think they shot 53 in this building a year ago.”

On the rebounding and second-chance points advantages:  “I think our effort has been really good. We’ve played a couple of these one-day rest games and I thought we got out-competed (in those games). I think we’ve been the aggressor and the more competitive team (in other situations). Tonight – we always talk about rebounding being a great barometer of effort level. Part of that is the fact that one of the best rebounders in the country – and definitely in our league – was sitting next to his coach for part of the game, and that helps. We did a nice job. We rebounded as a group. I thought our guards really rebounded down. They missed some shots that they’ll probably make at their place. I thought our guys did a really good job on those 50-50 and 60-40 balls of being in the right place and going and making those ours.”

HIGH POINT 84, WINTHROP 62

WINTHROP (13-9, 3-4 BIG SOUTH)

Talford 4-5 5-8 13, Doucet 4-11 0-3 9, Jones 2-8 1-2 6, Johnson 3-8 2-3 10, Harrison 4-10 3-4 14, Baker 1-5 0-0 2, Wilson 0-1 4-4 4, Diallo 0-0 0-0 0, Hamilton 0-0 0-0 0, Duncomb 1-3 0-0 2, Kamarad 0-1 2-2 2, Jolly 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-53 17-26 62.

HIGH POINT (18-5, 6-2)

Hamilton 5-9 3-3 14, Bodo Bodo 2-4 6-8 10, Giffa 5-8 4-7 14, Johnston 1-3 0-0 3, Williams 5-10 2-2 13, Benham 0-3 0-0 0, Hildebrandt 3-6 0-2 7, Pettiford 2-3 0-1 4, Thiam 4-5 0-1 11, Anderson 3-3 0-1 8, Ibukunoluwa 0-0 0-0 0, Sargiunas 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-55 15-25 84.

Halftime:  High Point 47-25. 3-Point goals:  High Point 9-21 (Hamilton 1-1 Johnston 1-3, Williams 1-5, Benham 0-3, Hildebrandt 1-2, Thiam 3-4, Anderson 2-2, Sargiunas 0-1), Winthrop 7-24 (Doucet 1-3, Jones 1-7, Johnson 2-4, Harrison 3-4, Baker 0-3, Wilson 0-1, Kamarad 0-1, Jolly 0-1). Fouled out:  Doucet (WU).  Rebounds:  High Point 47 (Bodo Bodo 12), Winthrop 27 (Talford 6)). Total fouls:  High Point 24, Winthrop 23. Technicals:  Anderson (HPU), Doucet (WU).

Points off turnovers:  High Point 12, Winthrop 8.  Points in the paint:  High Point 34, Winthrop 24. Second-chance points:  High Point 19, Winthrop 6.  Fast-break points:  Winthrop 8, High Point 6.  Bench points:  High Point 30, Winthrop 10.