ROCK HILL, S.C. – “Quirky”.

Pfeiffer head coach Pete Schoch used that word to describe his Falcons in comments to the media Tuesday night, and the term seems apt for a club that took 89 shots, 60 from three-point range.

As one might expect, though, Winthrop pulled away from the transitional Division III club, placing seven scorers in double figures and setting a single-game scoring record in a 134-99 victory over the visiting Falcons.

“I think it’s a very innovative basketball system that they have, that they believe in, and that they execute. It was very, very interesting in preparation watching it, and then seeing it executed,” said Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey.

Winthrop (2-1) scored 73 points in a dominant first half, with all ten Eagles who took the floor scoring at least two points. The home side shot a blistering 65 percent from the field in the opening 20, connecting on 11-of-16 tries from beyond the arc. Pfeiffer (1-0), meanwhile, was held to just 7-for-27 shooting from distance in the period, with the Eagles doubling the Falcons’ output on the boards.

The second half was a much more evenly-played affair, owing both to Winthrop freely substituting and Pfeiffer finding its footing much more from three. The Falcons, who made 23-of-48 tries in a season-opening victory against Bob Jones University, made 15 second-half shots against the Eagles. 13 of those makes were three-pointers.

“I told our guys in preparation that they were gonna try to shoot 50 threes. I told them in the locker room, ‘Fellas, they failed. They shot 60 threes,’” said Kelsey. “Our guys were really trying to get back and guard the ball and take away that three-point shot. There was a conscious effort to defend all through the forty minutes.”

Though disappointed with the result, Schoch emphasized the benefits of the experience, both on the court and off (“we make every dollar holler,” said Schoch of his school’s financial challenges and creativity).

“This is only our second contest. It was ugly. Offensively, 99 points is one thing, but it was a very grueling 99. We shot 60 threes, which, we’re going to shoot a ton,” said Schoch. “The problem is, from an execution standpoint, our system is very simple, but it does rely on some simple concepts that we, unfortunately, went away from.

“All in all, I thought it was a positive. We got better tonight. I wish we had played better. I think we’re capable of doing better.”

Three Pfeiffer scorers finished in double digits. Kyle Riddley paced the Falcons with 18 points. Blake Smith added 17, with Craig Sabb scoring 15.

Michael Anumba paced the septet of Winthrop double-figure scorers with 19 points. Adam Pickett added 18. Kyle Zunic registered a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 boards. Josh Ferguson, Nych Smith and Keondre Schumacher tallied 13 apiece, with Bjorn Broman finishing with 10. The rebounding advantage Winthrop enjoyed at the half held through the game, with the Eagles nabbing a 61-33 rebounding margin.

Winthrop finished the game with a dizzying 1.431 points per offensive possession. The 134-point total broke the Eagles’ prior single-game record, which came in a 132-point affair against Morris in November of 1985.

“Hopefully, people that came to the game enjoyed it,” said Kelsey. “I think it was a pretty entertaining brand of basketball on both ends. It was fun.”

Winthrop plays its annual Homecoming game Saturday afternoon, welcoming East Tennessee State to the Winthrop Coliseum. The 1-2 Bucs and 2-1 Eagles will face off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

WINTHROP 134, PFEIFFER 99

PFEIFFER (1-0): Miller 3-8 0-0 8, Smith 6-18 0-0 17, Avington 3-10 0-0 7, Sabb 5-10 2-2 15, Riddley 6-17 3-3 18, Cone 3-5 0-0 9, Sawyer 1-1 0-3 2, Simmons 1-3 2-2 5, McLamb 0-1 2-2 2, Zieske 0-1 0-0 0, Rodriguez 0-1 0-0 0, Conner 0-2 3-4 3, Rowe 2-4 2-2 8, Whitener 0-4 1-2 1, Fosha 0-2 0-0 0, Bradsher 0-2 4-4 4, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-89 19-24 99.

WINTHROP (2-1): Smith 4-5 3-4 13, Anumba 5-6 9-10 19, Broman 3-8 2-2 10, Pickett 7-10 2-2 18, Ferguson 4-6 4-4 13, Schumacher 4-6 2-2 13, Pupavac 2-3 0-0 4, Hunter 1-1 0-0 3, Ukaegbu 2-2 2-2 6, Davis 3-5 2-2 8, Zunic 6-11 0-0 14, Awad 3-7 0-0 7, Morgan 0-0 0-0 0, Scerbinskis 2-6 1-2 7. Totals 46-77 27-30 134.

Halftime — Winthrop 73-42. 3-Point Goals—Pfeiffer 20-60 (Miller 2-4, Smith 5-16, Avington 1-8, Sabb 3-5, Riddley 3-9, Cone 3-4, Simmons 1-2, McLamb 0-1, Zieske 0-1, Rodriguez 0-1, Rome 2-4, Whitener 0-3), Winthrop 15-34 (Smith 2-3, Broman 2-6, Pickett 2-3, Ferguson 1-2, Schumacher 3-4, Pupavac 0-1, Hunter 0-1, Davis 0-1, Zunic 2-3, Awad 0-4, Scerbinskis 2-6). Fouled Out — NA. Rebounds — Winthrop 61 (Zunic 13), Pfeiffer 33 (Riddley 7). Assists — Winthrop 22 (Broman 8), Pfeiffer 14 (Riddley 5). Total Fouls — Pfeiffer 23, Winthrop 22. Technical — NA. A — 1179.

Points in the Paint —Winthrop 56, Pfeiffer 16. Points off Turnovers —Pfeiffer 16, Winthrop 11. Second-Chance Points — Winthrop 13, Pfeiffer 7. Fast Break Points — Winthrop 21, Pfeiffer 8. Bench Points — Winthrop 61, Pfeiffer 34.