BOILING SPRINGS --- Winthrop rode a hot-shooting second half to victory on Wednesday evening over Gardner-Webb, outscoring the Runnin' Bulldogs by a 46-25 margin and connecting on 19-of-30 from the floor in the final 20 minutes en route to a 71-58 come-from-behind win in Big South Conference play.
Winthrop (13-6, 5-3 Big South) shot 49.2 percent from the floor for the game, including a 63.3 percent clip in the second half, while holding Gardner-Webb (10-10, 5-3 Big South) to a field goal percentage of 32.8 percent on the night. The Runnin' Bulldogs edged the Eagles on the glass by a 42-39 – including a 17-7 advantage on the offensive boards – while Winthrop outscored Gardner-Webb in the paint, 46-32.
Dylan Poston (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) scored 15 points with a 4-for-6 night from downtown, while Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Tyrell Nelson (Charlotte, N.C.) added nine and eight points, respectively. Nelson and Adonis Burbage (Orlando, Fla.) each hauled down a team-high eight boards, while L'Hassane Niangane (Chalon, France) grabbed seven rebounds.
Keon Johnson and Joshua Davenport each poured in 17 points to lead the way for Winthrop, as Davenport knocked down 8-of-10 from the floor. Johnson connected on 7-of-13 from the field on the night, as Xavier Cooks and Jimmy Gavin each added nine points. Gavin dished out a game-high six assists while Zach Price pulled down seven boards.
Gardner-Webb jumped out to an early 14-8 lead in the first half, as McBride connected on four of his first seven attempts to give the Runnin' Bulldogs a six point advantage at the 12:29 mark. The Runnin' Bulldogs would push the margin to 28-16 with a 14-8 run over the next seven minutes, opening the 12-point gap on a nifty lay-in by Rideau with 5:20 to go.
Winthrop fought back with a 9-5 spurt over the final five minutes of the half to cut the lead to 33-25 at the break.
The Eagles carried the momentum into the second half, connecting on seven of their first 13 shots in the final stanza to take their first lead of the period, 40-39, on a Johnson layup at the 14:47 mark. After a pair of Burbage free throws put Gardner-Webb back on top, 41-40, Winthrop answered with an 8-0 run to reclaim the advantage at 48-41 with 11:12 to play.
Poston pulled the Runnin' Bulldogs back even at 50-50 with three straight three-pointers, knocking down the third with 9:08 left on the clock to give Gardner-Webb new life. Davenport and Cooks answered right back for the Eagles, each hitting a pair of key shots as part of an 11-0 run to give Winthrop a 61-50 advantage with 6:25 to go.
The Eagles would close out the win from there, maintaining the double-digit lead for the remainder of the night as they held Gardner-Webb to an 8-of-34 effort from the floor in the second half.
Gardner-Webb is back in action on Saturday when the Runnin' Bulldogs travel to Radford, Va. to take on Radford in Big South play at 4:00 pm on the Big South Network. The Runnin' Bulldogs defeated the Highlanders, 83-61, in the teams' first meeting this season on January 9 in Paul Porter Arena.
