Winthrop women down Georgia State as junior Leonor Paisana continues emergent season
Leonor Paisana led all scorers with a season-high 20 points Wednesday as Winthrop finished the game on an 8-0 run to come from behind and defeat Georgia State, 65-60.
The win was the second-consecutive victory for Winthrop after the Eagles dropped each of their previous two games by single digits.
“I felt like tonight was a great night,” Paisana said. “We were focused. We wanted this game, we wanted it more than them. After the last two games where we lost by three (to Queens) or overtime (to UNC Wilmington), we were like we’re done, we need to win. I think everyone was on the same page, and everyone wanted it more. I think we just showed what our team is capable of doing.”
Paisana, a junior guard from Lisbon, Portugal, is having a career season.
In her third season with the Eagles, she is setting career-highs in points (8.5), rebounds (3.8) and field goal percentage (34%).
A key to her emergence? Spending the summer in South Carolina.
After spending her previous two summers in Portugal, Paisana spent this past summer in Rock Hill with the team. She said it was a major help in allowing her to mesh with a team that added 11 new players in the offseason.
“I feel like it helped the connection,” Paisana said. “Hanging out in the summer is an important part. I never had it, and I was happy that I had it this year. I enjoyed the fact that I was with the team, I was getting to know people, because that’s where the love and trust is. It’s really hard to know people in the beginning, and I feel like this summer helped me come into this year more prepared.”
Head coach Semeka Randall Lay said that Paisana’s time spent with the team in the summer was invaluable for the team’s progression.
As a junior, Paisana has been at Winthrop the longest of anyone on the roster and knows what Randall Lay expects on the court. That time spent together has resulted in Paisana becoming an extension of the coach when she’s on the court.
“She knows me,” Randall Lay said. “She does a good job of receiving how I coach — I get after it and I’m pretty passionate about the game — but she has that demeanor, too. So she’s kind of a reflection of me out there on the floor. Especially when she hit that three down there and did a little trash talking to the (Georgia State) bench. But I love to see that emotion on the floor and just happy for these kids, again. I just want us to continue to keep embracing our progress.”
Winthrop’s win Wednesday lifted the Eagles’ record to 6-5. They play next on the road at North Florida on Dec. 20 at noon.