Winthrop hits century mark in win over Gardner-Webb

By Jacob Conley (@gwujake)

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Gardner-Webb had its second-highest scoring output of the season Thursday, with 85 points.

The only problem was the defense surrendered 103 to Winthrop, falling to the Eagles in a Big South shootout at Paul Porter Arena.

“When you give up 85 on the road, that usually spells trouble,”  Winthrop coach Mark Prosser said. “But tonight, we had our inside-out game working. Logan Duncomb commands so much respect in the post that it opens things up for our shooters, and we were able to make shots tonight.”

Gardner-Webb started out making its first three shots from the floor, and when Colin Hawkins hit a three, the Runnin’ Bulldogs led, 7-4. Kareem Rozier hit a pair of triples for the Eagles, starting an 11-0 run that saw them go in front, 15-7. Jacob Hudson broke the run with a three-point play, but Winthrop could not miss from deep. The Eagles hit their first four shots from beyond the arc. Spence Sims and DJ Jefferson kept GWU close with threes of their own as the Runnin’ Bulldogs only trailed, 22-18.

A steal and layup by Jacob Hogarth brought Gardner-Webb to within 22-20 midway through the half, but Rozier hit two more triples in a 12-0 Eagle run. Jefferson ended the spurt with a three, but Rozier hit another. By the time Rozier hit his fifth trey of the half, Winthrop led, 42-26. Former Bulldog Pharrell Boyogueno added a trifecta, answered by Hudson’s triple. Even so, Winthrop was able to build a 55-35 halftime lead.

Rozier hit another three to open the second half, but GWU made a bit of a push when Hudson hit a pair of free throws and Hogarth threw down a dunk. Ace Talbert hit a pair of threes as the Runnin’ Bulldogs cut the deficit to 63-49 at the under-16 media stoppage. Rozier stopped the bleeding with a three, and the teams began a long stretch of trading baskets.

Hudson cut the deficit to 72-62 with a pair of free throws, but Hogarth picked up his fourth foul on the next trip down the floor. As a result, the Eagles went on a 9-0 run that included five points from Kody Clouet, giving the visitors an 83-62 lead.

“Give GW credit,” Prosser said. “They were the better team for long stretches in the second half. They hustle and are well-coached. When they cut it to ten, we stayed calm in the huddle and were just focused on winning the next war (four-minute segment). I think we ended up winning the next two and that was huge.”

Hogarth came back in the game and hit a jumper, while Navuan Peterson canned a pair of threes. It was not enough, though, as GWU fell 103-85.

THE ROZIER & DUNCOMB SHOW: The duo combined for 57 of Winthrop’s 103 points. In addition, Duncomb collected his 11th double-double of the season, with 14 rebounds to go with 24 points, while Rozier had a game-high 33 points.

BOMBS AWAY; Winthrop hit 18 threes on the night, with Rozier doing most of the work with nine of those. The 18 threes by Winthrop is the most for the Eagles since they hit 17 against Hampton in 2019. GWU was not too shabby from beyond the arc, hitting 11. Both teams shot an identical 51 percent from the floor.

OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS: Winthrop (19-8) has now won 11 games in a row, and sits atop the Big South Conference with the tiebreaker over High Point. Prosser is not watching the standings just yet, though.

“I couldn’t care less at what other teams are doing at this point,” he said. “I’m just happy we got the win because it’s been a while since we won here.”

Meanwhile, the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ struggles continue. They sit in the cellar of the Big South with a 3-21 mark and face another tough task Saturday, hosting High Point at 2 p.m. Winthrop will host USC Upstate the same day at 6:30 p.m.