Cold shooting dooms Winthrop men in Alabama loss

Junior Keon Johnson scored a game-high 25 points but Winthrop suffered its second straight defeat in a 72-60 loss at Alabama on Wednesday evening.

The Eagles (6-3) will be back in action on Saturday at 4 p.m. when they take on Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Ga. Wednesday night’s game was the fifth straight win for Alabama (7-2).

Alabama used a 13-0 run early in the second half to open up a 51-31 lead. Winthrop was 0-for-7 from the field during that stretch before Xavier Cooks ended the run wide a made jumper. Retin Obashohan played a big role in the run as he scored 10 of the 13 points; he finished the game with 12 points. Alabama was 6-for-8 from the field as a team during the run.

The deficit was too much to overcome for the Eagles, who couldn’t get going offensively and finished the night shooting 38 percent from the floor and just 5-for-26 behind the arc.

Midway through the second half Winthrop went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 16 after a Zach Price dunk with 8:10 to play and made it a 13-point game with 6:59 left after a Roderick Perkins three. But Justin Coleman answered right away for the Tide with a 3 as the lead went back up to 20 points. Alabama shot 52 percent from the floor and outscored the Eagles - missing 6-foot-8 sophomore shot-blocking standout Duby Okeke with a broken wrist - 42-22 in the paint.

Cooks joined Johnson in double-figures with 13 points and also pulled down six rebounds. They were the only two Eagles in double-figures. It was Johnson’s second straight 20-point game and the third time in the last four games. Alabama was led by Coleman’s 18 points while Jimmie Taylor added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Johnson scored five straight points late in the first half to give the Eagles a 27-25 lead with 3:03 left. Winthrop turned the ball over on its next two possessions and Alabama ended the half on a 7-0 run to lead 32-27 at the break.

The Eagles, already shorthanded from Okeke’s absence, ran into foul trouble in the post midway through the first and shot just 36 percent (1-for-8 behind the arc) but kept the game close by going 10-for-12 at the charity stripe. The Crimson Tide made eight of its last 11 shots of the half and finished at 48 percent from the field. Alabama took advantage of Winthrop’s foul situation in the post, scoring 22 of its 32 first half points in the paint.

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Cold shooting dooms Winthrop men in Alabama loss."