Winthrop survives shooting struggles to beat Presbyterian

Saturday was Star Wars Day at Winthrop Coliseum, where Winthrop hosted Presbyterian in the two teams’ second December Big South Conference contest.

Was there too much of The Force floating around the Coliseum? The two teams were whistled for 53 combined fouls, leading to 68 total free throws, but Winthrop endured the constant stoppages and foul trouble for a 74-70 win. The Eagles are 6-1, the program’s best start since the 1989-90 team won eight of its first nine games.

“As a group we like to be aggressive, get to the (foul) bonus early and take over,” said junior guard Keon Johnson, who finished with 18 points, his seventh double-figure scoring game in seven games this season. “We try to find a way. We stick through each war and try to find on the defensive end and the offensive end.”

The teams were tied at halftime, 38 all. They combined for 27 fouls in the first 20 minutes, a trend Winthrop took more advantage of, making 16-of-19, while the Blue Hose hit just 6-of-12. Presbyterian (3-5, 0-2) point guard Davon Bell was saddled with foul trouble early, as was Winthrop sophomore Xavier Cooks.

With key offensive pieces marginalized, each team endured a substantial field goal drought, Winthrop’s lasting nearly 5 minutes midway through the first. Still, after Bjorn Broman’s slick head-fake and bounce pass to Zach Price for a slam, Winthrop led 36-30. Presbyterian scored the last five points of the half.

Bell and Cooks were both back on the bench with third fouls within the first 3 minutes of the second half. Where the Eagles shot nearly 20 free throws in the first half, they didn’t attempt their first in the second half until five-plus minutes had elapsed. But Johnson grabbed control of the game as the half wore on, piling up fouls on the visitors. The contest see-sawed the entire second half until Winthrop made the decisive move with about 2 minutes left to complete the early portion of the Big South schedule 2-0.

Turning point

Preseason first team All-Big South selection DeSean Murray knocked down two free throws to give Presbyterian a 68-67 lead with 2 minutes, 38 seconds left. On the next possession, Johnson sprinted into the lane, dumped off to Okeke and he dropped in a close-range bucket to put Winthrop back in front, 69-68.

Winthrop had a chance to stretch its lead, but turned the ball over. But Cooks rebounded a Presbyterian miss and then drove into the lane at the other end, pausing before lifting a jumper over Murray to make it 71-68 with 38 seconds left. An Okeke free throw nudged the lead out to 72-68, before Markus Terry hit two free throws to get the Blue Hose within 9.9 seconds left. Johnson knocked in two free throws with 5 seconds left to clinch the victory.

Critical

Winthrop strengthened the growing belief that it can win games even when its desired deluge of 3-pointers dries up. The Eagles only hit 4-of-17 from beyond the arc, but they got the foul line 41 times, making 28. Presbyterian as a team attempted just 27 free throws.

“I think it’s another instance of our guys finding a way to win,” said Kelsey. “The floor was more open today - they were trying to take away our 3 - and we were able to put fouls on them and get to the rim quite a bit. It’s nice to have both of those; I think in the past couple of years we lived and died by the 3.”

Star contributions

Keeping with the Star Wars theme, Winthrop’s promotions department gave out neon green light-sabers to hundreds of fans. Presbyterian’s weapon of choice was Murray, who finished with a game-high 24 points and racked up fouls on Winthrop players, Cooks especially.

“DeSean Murray’s a phenomenal player,” said Kelsey, whose team plays Presbyterian just once in the regular season. “Kind of happy we don’t have to return to their place and see him again.”

Johnson did the exact same for Winthrop, blowing by seemingly lead-footed defenders to either score or get to the charity stripe. He finished with 18 points, eight coming from the foul line, to go with six rebounds.

“We tried to keep Keon as quiet as we could,” said Presbyterian coach Gregg Nibert. “He got out there and got going in the second half.”

Four other Eagles scored in double digits, 6-foot-8 Okeke providing one of the biggest contributions with 12 points, eight boards and two blocked shots. Six-foot-10 Zach Price added a season-high 11 points, giving Winthrop a noticeable post presence.

“The difference in the game was the play of those two guys,” said Kelsey. “It’s a heck of a two-headed monster.”

Overheard

“I felt like we were better defensively in the second half,” said Kelsey. “We get in those huddles and we talk about leaning forward on the defensive end. That’s kind of a term that we use, to dictate. Our activity level went up in the second half and we started getting stops.”

On deck

Winthrop travels to Athens, Ga., to face Georgia next Tuesday. The Bulldogs are 3-3, with wins over High Point, Murray State and Oakland. The game is Winthrop’s last before an eight-day game break because of final exams.

This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Winthrop survives shooting struggles to beat Presbyterian."