Eagles rise from ashes to clip Charleston Southern

By Josh Noel (@Josh_DDH)

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — With 45 seconds to play in the second half, Winthrop trailed Charleston Southern, 81-74, and stared down the end of its season.

By the time those 45 seconds elapsed, Winthrop players, coaches, and fans joined together in celebration with an 86-81 victory.

The Eagles unleashed a staggering 12-0 run in a mere 28 seconds to snatch the lead and the win from the seemingly firm grasp of the Buccaneers.

“I have been amazed by the resolve of this team for months,” said Winthrop head coach Mark Prosser. “Every time we get to those last two media timeouts, they don’t blink. You’re getting full eye contact from everybody. They just have an unwillingness to lose that I have rarely seen coaching a team.”

A Josh Meo 3-pointer began the instant comeback, but what made the difference for the Eagles was the two forced inbounds turnovers that led to a 3-point play for Kody Clouet and a Logan Duncomb layup to ultimately retake the lead. Winthrop further iced the game with Kareem Rozier and Kody Clouet free throws.

The Eagles trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half and only got 16 minutes out of Big South Player of the Year Duncomb, who returned from a three-half absence due to a left foot injury. Duncomb contributed a herculean effort with 20 points and 11 rebounds in those 16 minutes, marking a 13th double-double on the season, which ranks in the top 25 nationally.

“He’s hard to deal with in the middle of the floor because we can’t send a double-team,” said Charleston Southern head coach Saah Nimley. “I thought we executed our gameplan greatly, to be honest. He’s a different type of talent.”

Duncomb came off the bench for just the second time all season and routinely made trips to the sideline to rest his ankle or pedal on the stationary bike. His entrance at the 14:06 mark of the first half drew a standing ovation from the Winthrop faithful on hand. 

“I took a shot today to try and get through (the pain),” said Duncomb. “I’ll do whatever my trainer says for rest and ice. I just want to hang a banner to finish the season.”

Prosser had no shortage of praise for what Duncomb showed Friday.

“What Logan is doing is unique; his energy and positivity is infectious,” said Prosser. “It would be easy not to do what he just did. No one would blame him for it. He’s ready for the moment.” 

Clouet added 19 points and finished a rebound shy of a double-double. Daylen Berry (13 points) and Rozier (10 points) also contributed double-figure scoring. 

“We have guys that are battling and fighting through (injuries) right now in a togetherness that I think is rare in college athletics right now,” said Prosser. “They’re fighting and clawing and playing for one another and they’re taking us on an unbelievable ride.”

Duncomb echoed his coach’s praise of the team in how they have never quit on each other.

“This team has done a great job of not breaking in adversity,” he said. “No one ever gets nervous. I honestly believe that we can come back and win at any time.”

Trailing 57-50 with 11:18 to play, Duncomb re-entered the game after having his shoes off and foot iced for much of the second half. He contributed four points in a prolonged 12-0 run which gave the Eagles their first lead since the 3:04 mark in the first half. 

The Eagles’ lead got as high as five points before the Buccaneers regained the advantage with less than four minutes to go. In fact, CSU made six of its last seven field goals to close the game, but surrendered the lead due to three turnovers and several lost 50-50 rebounds.   

“It’s just unfortunate; it seemed to be a microcosm of our season, said Nimley. “Our Achilles’ heel was offensive and defensive rebounding. It was just in those last two minutes, we made a couple mistakes and they capitalized.” 

A’lahn Sumler led all scorers with 22 points. Luke Williams added 18 points and Reis Jones added 11 points. Despite a disappointing end to the season, Nimley believes this campaign could be a turning point in the future of CSU basketball.

“Our guys were ready, and they were a pleasure to be around all year,” he said. “They came in and set a standard. We have shown what we are capable of (at CSU). I’m happy with the growth we made as a program this year.” 

Clouet credited the comeback to Winthrop’s roster construction, which includes seven seniors and four graduate students.

“I think it was Isaiah (Wilson) who looked us all in the eye and said, ‘we have been here before,’” said Clouet. “I want to go out there and do anything I can to help this team win. This is my last shot at making it (to the tournament), and I’m just trying to prove everything I have worked for my whole career.”

Winthrop advances to play the winner of Radford and Presbyterian Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. As satisfying and cathartic as the victory was, Prosser knows that the expectations for his team and program are higher. 

“At Winthrop, you expect to keep playing three games in three days,” he said. “We have to enjoy this one, as we always do, but we understand that there’s a challenge waiting for us tomorrow afternoon.”