Despite trailing 31-25 at halftime, Winthrop earned a 64-54 win at home over North Carolina A&T State on Thursday.
The team’s first double-digit victory over a Division I opponent all season, Thursday’s game was especially impressive because the Eagles were without usual starters Patrick Good and Cory Hightower, and consistent rotational player Josh Corbin.
Good was on the bench but not in uniform (medical), while Hightower (medical) and Corbin (personal) were not present.
“Having some guys that weren’t here, certainly other guys were given opportunities to play some more minutes and to step up,” said head coach Mark Prosser.
One of those players was sophomore Sin’Cere McMahon, who recorded 13 points in 31 minutes, which he said is probably the most minutes he’s played in his collegiate career.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that can just come in and probably start on any other team. Playing hard together, I think we’re probably the best team in this league, no problem,” McMahon said.
McMahon praised teammate Drew Buggs, who led the team with 36 minutes, recording five points, four rebounds, and dishing out eight assists.
“Drew’s probably one of the best leaders I’ve ever played with. He’s all about the team. Not a selfish bone in his body,” McMahon said.
McMahon had his best performance of the season at Longwood on Jan. 29 when he scored 17 points while shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range. The Eagles didn’t ride McMahon’s effort to a win though, as Winthrop lost to the Lancers 92-88.
McMahon said Winthrop may have benefited from that loss in some ways.
“I think actually that might have helped us a little bit, just because nobody on this team likes losing. That was a big game. We feel like we’re better than them,” he said.
“We didn’t quite show that as a team on Saturday, so it was just a big emphasis to come in here and play really hard and come out with a [win].”
Another player who stepped up on Thursday was junior Jamal King, who finished with a season-high seven points in just 12 minutes off the bench.
“He’s a young man that has done a lot of really good things in a Winthrop uniform. He’s a really good player, and given the opportunity tonight, he showed that again,” Prosser said.
“He was huge, especially down that stretch where we’re trying to fight for the lead. He had [a layup] around the rim and those two free throws. Gives you a three. He’s going to be physical, he’s going to guard,” Prosser said.
Winthrop is now 9-0 at home this season, which McMahon largely credits the fans for.
“They bring it every night and just make it hard for the opposing team,” he said.
Thursday’s game versus NC A&T brought out a season-high 2,192 fans, topping the previous high of 1,803 recorded on Jan. 22 when the Eagles hosted Gardner-Webb.
Following Thursday’s 10-point win, the Eagles traveled to Hampton, collecting a 12-point win in a 69-57 victory over the Pirates.
Winthrop was again without Good, Hightower and Corbin. Prosser said after Thursday’s game that he expects all three players to be back, and hopes it will be soon.
The Eagles return home for a two-game homestand this week, hosting Radford on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and Presbyterian on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
