The Winthrop women’s basketball team suffered two losses last week in a conference double-header against Longwood University. The two losses extended the team’s losing streak to seven games, giving Winthrop a record of 1-7 in conference play and 2-9 overall.
The Eagles traveled to Farmville, VA to take on the Lancers, who were 5-3 in conference play entering the series. As has been a theme for the team this season, Winthrop got off to a slow start and trailed 30-17 at the conclusion of the first quarter on Jan. 15. By halftime, the Eagles faced a 17-point deficit.
One thing Winthrop has done well this season is show resilience. As Head Coach Semeka Randall-Lay has told her players over and over that it is important to stay the course and “trust the process.”
After shooting 11-of-28 during the first two quarters, the Eagles went 10-of-18 from the field during the third quarter, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. They outscored the Lancers by an impressive 28-16 margin and entered the fourth quarter trailing by only 5 points.
While Winthrop didn’t lose any ground during the fourth quarter, it didn’t make up any either. The Lancers beat the Eagles 73-68, though Winthrop gave its best effort behind senior Anika Riley’s 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
Game two against the Lancers started out better for the Eagles as they finished the first quarter only down 21-20 while shooting 7-of-13 from the field. At halftime on Jan. 16, Winthrop trailed 40-37.
Three points remained the closest Winthrop would get to reaching Longwood throughout the entire second half. At one point Winthrop’s deficit increased to nine, but at the end of the third quarter victory was still within reach for the Eagles who were down by seven points.
For the second day in a row, no net gain or loss amounted for Winthrop in the fourth quarter. The Eagles gave another valiant effort, including five players with double-digit scoring figures, but lost 80-73.
Although the team didn’t bring home a victory, Winthrop’s performance last week suggested that the Eagles are not going to simply throw in the towel on this season. Even though they have been swept in their last three conference series, those three teams also own the best winning percentages in the conference.
With other teams toward the middle and bottom of the pack now on the horizon of Winthrop’s schedule, there is still hope that the Eagles could finish the season on a major high note. It may be hard to cheer for a 2-9 team, but fans must remember this group has faced a good bit of adversity.
After all, Winthrop has a whole lot of new faces on the squad this year (seven to be exact). The whole team is also trying to learn the system of a new head coach, and of course, they had limited preparation this off-season due to a global pandemic.
With 12 games remaining on Winthrop’s schedule, there is still time for the Eagles to turn things around. Winthrop will travel back to the state of Virginia this week to take on Hampton University in a double-header on Jan. 22 and 23 before hosting Charleston Southern University in Rock Hill on Jan. 29 and 30.
