Winthrop’s 15-point lead, Big South title hopes disappear in loss to High Point

The Big South championship, the NCAA Tournament berth — it was all within sight for Winthrop Sunday afternoon.

And then it disappeared amid a High Point comeback that carried the top-seeded Panthers to an 81-69 victory in the conference championship game at Johnson City, Tenn.

It will be High Point’s first appearance in the NCAA’s Division 1 men’s basketball tournament, and its first Big South championship in the sport.

Winthrop (23-11) had built a 15-point lead, 48-33, with 15:53 left in the game, against a High Point (29-5) that had won 16 of 18 games this season against Big South competition.

Moments after the Eagles’ Bryce Baker connected on a 3-pointer for the big lead, High Point coach Alan Huss called a timeout. He replaced his first team with five substitutes and directed those players to crank up the defensive pressure.

High Point has built a strong basketball program under Huss, and the Panthers’ second unit includes players like guard Bobby Pettiford Jr., who played at Kansas earlier in his college career, and guard Trae Benham, who played at Concord Academy in high school and then at Lipscomb before moving to High Point.

“The depth they have made a difference,” Winthrop head coach Mark Prosser said.

He said High Point’s investment in the basketball program has helped build a strong second unit.

Pettiford, Benham and the others immediately made a difference as the Panthers roared back, going on a 21-4 run. They tied the game at 50-50 on a Pettiford 3-pointer with 10:07 remaining, and Benham put High Point ahead, 55-52, on a layup and free throw about 70 seconds later.

Pettiford finished with 17 points and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Benham totaled eight points and 10 rebounds.

The Eagles tried to hang with High Point and were still within striking range until Abdoulaye Thiam, another of those substitutes, connected on a 3-pointer with 2:02 to play. That put High Point up 75-67.

“They played their brains out for 32 minutes,” Prosser said of his team. “This was an unbelievable group that worked very hard to get here.”

As was the case in the first two games of the tournament, Winthrop had five players score in double figures. Kelton Talford led the way with 15 points and was named to the all-tournament team, as was Kasen Harrison, who finished with 10 points.

Bryce Baker (11), Nick Johnson (11) and K.J. Doucet (10) also scored in double figures.

Pettiford and Kezza Giffa (16) led High Point.

Three who made a difference

Bobby Pettiford Jr., High Point: A 6-0 guard who played high school ball at South Granville near Durham, Pettiford scored a game-high 17 points and added four assists.

Kelton Talford, Winthrop: A former standout at Great Falls High, Talford finished his Winthrop career with 15 points and eight rebounds. He hit 7-of-9 field goal attempts.

Trae Benham, High Point: Benham, a product of Concord Academy, scored eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a reserve role.

Just noting

▪ High Point shot 33% (13-of-39) from the floor in the first half. The Panthers shot 59% (20-of-34) in the second half. They also improved their distance shooting after intermission, making 5-of-10 from 3-point range in the second half, compared to 3-of-16 in the opening 20 minutes.

▪ Winthrop fans will see a different-looking team next season. Four starters — Talford, Johnson, Harrison, and Doucet — are seniors.

▪ Winthrop was playing its third game in 40 hours, as the Eagles’ opening-round game was at 8:30 p.m. Friday. High Point played afternoon games all three days of the tournament. But that’s the reward for winning the regular-season title and gaining the No. 1 berth.

▪ High Point was 3-0 this season against the Eagles, but Sunday’s game was the closest. The Panthers beat Winthrop by more than 20 points in the earlier two meetings.

▪ High Point was appearing in the Big South finals for the third time. The Panthers lost in 2002 to Winthrop and two years later to Liberty.

This story was originally published March 9, 2025 at 3:14 PM.