Winthrop basketball drops third in a row after cold shooting leads to loss at TCU

Winthrop fell into an early hole and couldn’t shoot its way back out Wednesday night, dropping a 70-60 men’s basketball decision at TCU.

The Eagles (4-6) battled back from a double-digit deficit to get within two points early in the second half, but their efforts were hurt by a season-worst 32 percent shooting percentage from the floor.

Winthrop broke in front 4-0, but the Horned Frogs (7-2) then went on a 12-0 run, capped by a P.J. Fuller layup that made it 12-4. TCU’s lead reached double digits, 28-18, on a jump shot by Jaire Grayer with 3:17 left in the half.

The Eagles closed the gap to five points at the half after going on an 8-2 run.

Winthrop narrowed the gap to 31-29 early in the second half on a 3-pointer by Hunter Hale, and the Eagles trailed only 33-31 when Grayer opened a 9-0 run for TCU with a 3-pointer.

The Eagles battled back and closed to within four points midway in the half on a basket by freshman Chase Claxton, but TCU pulled away once again, opening a double-digit lead that it held the rest of the way.

TCU coach Jamie Dixon called the victory “a good effort against a team with a lot of talent that’s well-coached.”

TCU hit 48 percent of its field-goal attempts and outrebounded Winthrop, 42-41.

Josh Ferguson led the Eagles with 14 points and eight rebounds. Hale added 11 points.

Sophomore guard R.J. Nembhard led TCU with 15 points and six rebounds, and Desmond Bane added 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

AND ONE

The Eagles’ Chandler Vaudrin had a rough shooting night, hitting 2-of-11 from the floor. But he had a career-high 10 rebounds and added seven assists.

ICYMI

This was the first meeting between the two schools.

Winthrop is now on a three-game losing streak. The last time that happened was in January 2018.

MAKING SENSE OF THE NUMBERS

25: Combined 3-point shooting percentage for the two teams, neither of which shot well from long distance. Winthrop made 8-of-31, and TCU hit 6-of-25.

18: Offensive rebounds for Winthrop, which had an 18-11 advantage over TCU in that department. Ferguson had six offensive rebounds.

NEXT UP

Winthrop’s road trip continues with a 6 p.m. game Saturday at Furman. The Eagles return home for an 11 a.m. contest Tuesday against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 10:45 AM.