Winthrop and Gardner-Webb faced off on a nationally-televised game on ESPNU. The Eagles hosted the Bulldogs last Thursday evening inside the Winthrop Coliseum. In their seventh game of Big South Conference, they ended the night with a 97-88 victory over Gardner-Webb. This made it their third win in a row in front of an audience of over 2,800 fans.
“It was awesome to have a game nationally televised,” said freshman pep band member, Matthew Shealy. “The band always cheers loud, but it was very exciting to have a student section make some noise as well. I wish every game would be that pumped up. Our players deserve it.”
The Eagles were chosen to be the ESPNU Wildcard for the second time this year. The arena was filled with spirited students and families that were ready to “ROCKtheHILL”.
“That night was the best atmosphere I’ve seen in the Coliseum all year,” Michael Covil, freshman and manager of Winthrop Live social media fan accounts. “Winthrop can have an awesome home court advantage and we all proved that last night. The energy was incredible. There was a sort of buzz around the campus all day and you could tell everyone was really excited to showcase for their school in front of a national audience.”
Winthrop has now won 10 straight against Gardner-Webb and leads the all-time series 22-9. In addition, it was the third straight meeting with Gardner-Webb in which the Eagles have scored 90 or more points. After making 15 threes, the Eagles now have made 250 on the season. This is now currently ranks 8th in program history for most threes in a single-season.
“It’s a lot of fun when everyone shows up and gets loud,” said freshman Mark Laming. “It helps us show how much we care about our school and gives us a major home court advantage.”
Photos Courtesy of Greta Conboy
