Thirteen days after Winthrop’s nationally-recognized 21-game win streak came to an end, the Eagles traveled to Virginia to take on their most daunting opponent in the Big South Conference – Mike Jones’ Radford Highlanders.
While Winthrop versus Radford may not be an official rivalry, tempers have flared recently when these teams competed. Jones, the coach of the Highlanders, received a one-game suspension (imposed by Radford) last February after he and Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey exchanged words and gestures and were both assessed technical fouls just minutes into a game inside Winthrop Coliseum.
This year’s games provided a calmer atmosphere, with only a limited number of fans allowed in the Dedmon Center. Though Radford played Winthrop tough during both contests, the Eagles outperformed the Highlanders in each second half, earning victories on Feb. 11 and 12 to extend their lead atop the Big South standings.
Thursday’s match got off to a hot start, with both teams shooting over 50 percent from the field in the first half. Winthrop’s D.J. Burns scored the first six points of the game for the Eagles, totaling ten points by halftime.
Winthrop trailed 31-23 with just under eight minutes to go in the first half, but the Eagles ended the period on an 18-5 run, taking a five-point lead to the locker room.
The Eagles carried that momentum into the second half, leading by as many as 19 points. Winthrop’s Burns finished with 18 points, but redshirt freshman Josh Corbin earned player of the game honors, recording 17 points while shooting 5-of-9 from behind the arc.
Friday’s contest was not the offensive highlight reel that Thursday’s game was. 13 minutes into the match, Winthrop had amassed a measly five points. Lucky for the Eagles, Radford had recorded just 12 points of their own.
When the halftime buzzer sounded, the Eagles trailed 22-18 for just their third halftime deficit of the season (their previous halftime deficit being the loss to UNC Asheville).
Four minutes into Friday’s second half, Winthrop had captured the lead behind four points from Burns and three-pointers from seniors Charles Falden and Chandler Vaudrin.
Five more points from Vaudrin and back-to-back triples from sophomore Russell Jones Jr. gave the Eagles a ten-point lead with 13:23 remaining. However, a 12-2 run for the Highlanders tied the game at 41-41 with 5:20 to go.
A basket from Radford’s Fah’Mir Ali (who recorded 37 points in two games against the Eagles) gave the Highlanders a one-point lead with under three minutes left, but an 11-2 run in Winthrop’s favor (including nine points from Falden) sealed the deal for a Winthrop victory.
Falden’s 14 total points and clutch performance down the stretch earned him player of the game honors in Winthrop’s eighteenth win of the season, a 55-47 victory. He and Vaudrin were the only Eagles to record double-digit points on Friday.
One of the nation’s leaders in assists, Vaudrin recorded just seven dimes total in Winthrop’s previous two games against UNC Asheville. He looked more like himself in this series, totaling 13 assists to go with his 27 points and 16 rebounds against Radford.
If Winthrop’s victories against Radford were not impressive enough, it should be noted that the Eagles completed both contests utilizing just ten players. The team had been competing with a twelve-man rotation, but freshman Toneari Lane and senior Adonis Arms did not play against the Highlanders.
Winthrop will compete next on Feb. 18 at 9 p.m. against High Point, in a game that will be featured on ESPNU. The Eagles will also play the Panthers on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. before returning to Rock Hill to host Hampton in their final series of the regular season.
Graphic by Micheal Yelton
