‘I was waiting on it’: Russell Jones returns, leads Winthrop basketball past Elon
Welcome back, Russell Jones.
After missing four games due to injury, Winthrop’s freshman point guard returned to the floor Saturday — and it worked in his team’s favor. Jones poured in a career-high 21 points in just 16 minutes of action and helped lead the Eagles to a come-from-behind, 85-80 victory over Elon at the Winthrop Coliseum.
“It felt very good (to be back),” Jones said. “I was waiting on it. It was killing me sitting (out) those four games, but to get back out there with my teammates and my brothers, it just felt good.”
For as triumphant as the result may have been, there was a quite different start to the game.
Elon (4-9) utilized a quick 7-0 burst to open up a 21-11 advantage over Winthrop early in the first period, but Winthrop quelled the run with a 6-0 sequence of its own to knife the margin to four. The Eagles later reduced the lead to two, prompting a stoppage by Elon coach Mike Schrage. The Phoenix ran up eight quick unanswered points out of that break to return the lead to double figures.
“(Elon) went at us early. We had a 10-point deficit that we clawed back from, and then after we clawed back, they hit us in the mouth again, and (it) went to another 10-point deficit,” Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey said. “Our guys showed a lot of resiliency, continuing to fight back.”
Following the second Elon run, Jones took matters into his own hands.
The freshman from Blythewood, who returned Saturday after an absence due to an injury suffered November 29 at Duke, scored eight straight Eagle points to help his club counter the burst.
“That’s what he does. He’s an energy booster,” said Kelsey. “He was big for us tonight. He made some big, big shots.”
Winthrop (5-7) continued to battle as the half wore down, cutting the margin as low as a single point. The Eagles never drew closer, however, and Elon took a 44-38 advantage to the interval.
Elon again tried to create separation early in the second half, but junior guard Charles Falden did his best imitation of Jones. Falden converted back-to-back three-point plays from fouls in the paint, then knocked down an open three from the left side to draw the game level at 52.
“I struggled shooting at the beginning of the year, and (I’m) still struggling,” Falden said. “This game – coming in and making those threes, it really brought me confidence and will continue to help me play.”
“Chuck was big, and it’s great to see, because he has been struggling,” added Kelsey. “You wouldn’t know it by his disposition, the way he carries himself, and the way he works … Those were some big shots at very timely moments.”
Jones still had a couple of remaining timely moments of his own, however.
After Marcus Sheffield drove and again returned the lead to the Phoenix, Jones freed himself and swished home a trey just feet away from the Eagle bench to give his side the lead for the first time all day and awaken the Winthrop faithful.
“My advantage is my speed and being able to create spacing. I feel like nobody can guard me,” said Jones. “I know that could sound a little cocky, but that’s just how I’ve grown up … I’ve put a lot of work into this, and God has blessed me with this talent.”
Those fans stayed on the edge of their seats from there, as a back-and-forth tussle ensued. Winthrop lost the lead on the ensuing possession following a three-point play by Chuck Hannah, but the Eagles regained it on two foul shots from Josh Ferguson.
Winthrop could never separate further than five points from the persistent Phoenix, and a Sheffield free throw again squared the contest at 70 with just over three minutes to play. Ferguson created some space in the right corner, took a pass from Chandler Vaudrin and knocked down the three that gave his side an advantage it would refuse to relinquish. The senior then converted a three-point play on the ensuing possession that essentially cemented the result.
The Eagles held Elon to just one basket in the game’s final 3:45, forcing the Phoenix to miss five straight shots before a Hunter McIntosh three with two seconds to play.
Four Phoenix finished in double figures. Sheffield tallied 27 on 8-for-17 shooting and 9-for-12 from the line, while McIntosh added 22. Forwards Chuck Hannah and Hunter Woods added 11 apiece. Elon shot 45.3 percent (24-for-53) from the floor, with half of those makes coming from distance.
Jones’ 21 paced Winthrop and all scorers. The freshman knocked down 5-of-8 tries, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Falden contributed 15, with Hunter Hale scoring 14 and Ferguson adding 11. The Eagles drilled 50 percent of their second-half tries from three-point range and hit 20-of-27 free throws in the closing stanza to help stave off the Phoenix.
Winthrop will now take a break of over a week, affording some time to rest and enjoy the holidays before Longwood visits to open Big South play on Jan. 2. Kelsey enjoyed the gift of a victory before heading off to spend time with family.
“It’s nice to end the pre-conference season with a win,” Kelsey said. “It’s always nice to go into the holiday break with a win.”