With a 65-61 victory over Presbyterian College on Saturday, Winthrop is now 10-2 in Big South play and riding a four-game win streak.
“We always find a way to push through,” said redshirt junior Cory Hightower.
Hightower, who played his first two collegiate seasons at Presbyterian before transferring to Western Carolina and now Winthrop, finished Saturday’s contest with 17 points, shooting 7-of-11 from the field.
After one of the early shots Hightower drained, he put his finger to his lips. He mostly denied it being directed toward his former team.
“I know last game I got that tech, and then coach has been emphasizing me keeping my mouth shut, so I just put it over my mouth,” Hightower said. “I’m done talking. Can’t get [any] more techs.”
Hightower’s 17 points were tied for a team-high with DJ Burns, who scored 13 of his points in the second half.
“We have so many players on our team. I can start the game off, DJ pick it up, and then another person, you know?” Hightower said.
While Hightower and Burns combined to shoot 15-of-23 from the floor, the rest of Winthrop’s roster finished 8-of-22. The team shot 3-of-16 from three-point range.
“I’m very encouraged because we won these last two games when we shot it poorly, and I think good shooters — and we have a bunch of them that live in the gym and work at it — when they don’t make some, I think it just means sort of the flood gates are going to open here pretty soon,” said head coach Mark Prosser.
The Eagles are currently down to nine scholarship players with the loss of Jamal King, who left the program prior to Saturday’s game.
“He and his family made the decision that it was best for him to leave,” Prosser told media members following Saturday’s win.
“He’s a wonderful kid. We love Jamal. Anytime you lose good people, it sucks. And especially somebody that’s a great kid that’s friends with everybody in your locker room, and we had great relationships.”
King appeared in just 10 games for the Eagles this season, averaging only 2.5 points per game. He made significant contributions during two recent Winthrop victories though, recording 7 points in 12 minutes against North Carolina A&T State on Feb. 3, along with 6 points and 5 rebounds in 21 minutes versus Hampton on Feb. 5 while others on Winthrop’s roster dealt with injuries.
“At the end of the day, when it comes to student-athletes — families — doing what’s best for them, timing doesn’t matter,” Prosser said. “We support him. I think we miss the person more than anything else.”
Redshirt sophomore Josh Corbin is still away from the team for personal reasons according to Prosser, though unlike King, Corbin remains on the roster and may return to play this season. Corbin’s return would give the Eagles a tenth scholarship player.
“It’s a challenge, it’s a little different, but we feel good about the guys in the locker room that want to be there, and I think we’re talented enough to keep competing,” Prosser said.
Prosser joked that even with only nine guys on scholarship active right now, his biggest concern about depth is getting those guys more minutes.
“It’s a tough-minded, hate-to-lose group. They’re talented, so don’t feel sorry for us,” Prosser said.
Winthrop travels to Gardner-Webb on Wednesday, UNC Asheville on Saturday, then finishes the regular season with home games versus USC Upstate on Feb. 24 and Charleston Southern on Feb. 26.
