The Cancun challenge is a tournament organized by Triple Crown Sports and featured eight NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams and 10 women’s basketball teams.
Winthrop men’s basketball traveled to Cancun, Mexico and competed in the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 22 and Nov. 23 at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya against Southern Mississippi University and Eastern Michigan University. The team went home on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022.
“In a lot of ways, it’s a learning experience for our guys,” Matthew Erps, the men’s basketball team video coordinator said. “Every game we get to compete at the highest level against really good players and I think that’s what our guy’s love. It’s a time where we can grow together as a team and find ways that we can become better as a unit.”
Cory Hightower, a senior forward, reached 1,402 career points while competing against Southern Mississippi University.
Hightower, Lane, and McMahon helped lead the team to victory with 23, 20, and 18 points, ending with 101-87 victory over Eastern Michigan University.
According to Winthrop Athletics, the team scored a season high of 47 during the first half of the game and a season high of 54 points in the second half.
While in Cancun, Toneari Lane, a sophomore guard, received a career high of 20 points against Eastern Michigan University.
Before leaving for the Cancun Challenge, the team fell to Auburn University 65-89 and Mercer University 68-77.
The Winthrop eagles traveled to Auburn, Alabama to compete against No. 13-ranked Auburn University on Nov. 15. Lane hit a career high of 18 points against Auburn University, which he later topped with a 20-point career high against Eastern Michigan University.
Kelton Talford, a junior forward, posted his fifth career double-double with 16 points and another career high of 14 rebounds against Auburn University.
“The coach’s key points for [the game against Auburn] was rebounding, so going into the game that was just in the back of my mind. As far as points, my teammates were setting me up nicely and finding me so that’s mostly because of them and the coaches play calling” Talford said.
In the last fifteen minutes of the game, Talford left the game with an injury from a rolled ankle and finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds.
“Following the game, I think I have spent more time in the training room and with [the athletic director] Dr. Jeff more than at home” Talford said. “We are just constantly doing treatments and physical therapy and we plan to be back on the court Friday before the Costal game.”
Junior guard, Sin’Cere McMahon, led the team with 24 points against Mercer University on Nov. 19, and he and Lane were both 4-5 behind the arc. Xavier McKelvy, a freshman guard, was able to receive a career best of five rebounds against Mercer.
The team will be back in the Winthrop Coliseum to host Toccoa Falls University on Nov. 29, Coastal Carolina University on Dec. 3, and South Carolina State on Dec. 6. Information concerning upcoming games can be found on the Winthrop athletics website. Winthrop supporters can watch the eagles compete against Toccoa Falls University on ESPN+.
The eagles will conclude their nonconference season on December 21, 2022, by traveling to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania to compete against Duquesne University. Their first game in the Big South Conference will be in Spartanburg, South Carolina against the University of South Carolina at Upstate.
“We know and everyone knows that we can play with the best of them we just have to focus more on the little things and that’s what we are emphasizing that a lot now” Talford said. “The fans should expect a hard playing and exciting game when coming to watch us. We are going to be special this year we have a lot of guys that are bought into the system and the sky is the limit.”
