You’ve seen the recap. Now, let’s go inside the numbers of what I called a trip through the dryer of a victory for Winthrop over Campbell.

  • Winthrop’s 62 points were the second-lowest total in an Eagle victory this season. The lowest? The Eagles scored 61 in their two-point victory at then-18th ranked Saint Mary’s earlier this year, and in a five-point victory at Radford.
  • The Eagles were 24.5 off their previous average in their 10 prior Big South victories of 86.5 points per game. Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey credited the Campbell defense, and with good reason. The Camels allowed 87 to Winthrop earlier this season, and Kevin McGeehan’s charges were amazingly well-prepared for this tilt. One bit about Campbell’s defense Kelsey noted was its ability to force miscues.

“They’re a team that really creates turnovers. I think they’re top-50 in the country in turnovers created (and) steal percentage. We only had 10 turnovers, which is really good.” – Kelsey

Of those 10 turnovers Winthrop committed — against 13 assists — only four were steals. Campbell has forced fewer than four steals just once in conference play — pilfering Hampton twice in an 83-74 loss on January 23.

  • The crowd — announced at 1,910 — was not as sizable as some of the recent turnouts at Winthrop, owing largely to horrendous weather in the area. Those who did show up, though, made quite the difference in this nationally-televised tilt, and that didn’t slip past Kelsey, either.

“There were a couple moments when the Coliseum got really loud, which fires me up. (There were) probably three hot timeouts. I appreciate our students coming out tonight. The weather’s horrible … The students came out, the community came out, and they were a factor in the game, and that’s what I always ask them to be … They were a major, major factor in the game, late in the game, when things got really close. That’s why winning on the road’s hard, especially when you’re playing in a hostile environment. It sure was that for Campbell, I would think.” – Kelsey

  • Winthrop guard Chandler Vaudrin drained 3-of-4 free throws on the night, including the front end of a one-and-one, and Kelsey stood on the sideline and nodded his head up and down as one of the free throw tries splashed through. Vaudrin, who came into the game shooting 54.7 percent from the line in conference play, was a foul target of the Camels, and Kelsey commented on that after the game.

“They did the Hack-a-Shaq. There was (1:14) left in the game, and — whatever it was, a five point game. They didn’t need to foul right there. It was a Hack-a-Shaq … Chan’s a competitor, now. He knew it. He just gritted his teeth, stepped up there, and knocked them down. Message sent. I give him a lot of credit for that. I was proud of him.” – Kelsey

  • Winthrop forward Josh Ferguson scored his 1,000th point as an Eagle tonight, and he was one of two Big South players to earn the honor Thursday. Longwood’s JaShaun Smith joined him.

It’s only fitting that two of the most athletic, dynamic forwards in the league in a long while both get there within minutes of each other.

  • Charles Falden finished with six points and five boards in 15 minutes for Winthrop — which doesn’t seem like a huge line on paper, but it was big for the Staunton, Virginia, native.

“I’m getting back in my groove. I started off the season slow. I’ve been focused on, if my shot’s not working, just trying to create (and) do something else.” – Falden

Falden went 2-for-4 from three, with both triples looming large in the result.

(Oh, and he was happier with the five boards than the two triples.)

  • Winthrop hit just five threes in 21 tries, its lowest total since a 61-58 loss at East Tennessee State a week shy of three months ago. Campbell was 6-of-22 from distance; no Big South opponent has hit greater than six from beyond the arc against the Eagles except Gardner-Webb, and that came in a three-overtime decision January 11, in which the Runnin’ Bulldogs hit eight.
  • Campbell snagged 35 boards, making the Camels just the fourth opponent in 11 Big South starts against the Eagles to snare 30 boards or greater. The Camels had six offensive boards, with half of those coming in the span of eight seconds on the final trip down the floor.
  • Finally, the Camels tried just nine free throws, hitting five. This was by far the lowest total of any Winthrop foe in Big South play, eclipsing the prior low of 15 by Radford on January 20.
  • Your Hustle Stats:
    • Points in the paint:  Winthrop 26, Campbell 20
    • Points off turnovers:  Campbell 13, Winthrop 12
    • Second-chance points:  Winthrop 5, Campbell 0
    • Fast-break points:  Winthrop 4, Campbell 2
    • Bench points:  Campbell 21, Winthrop 18

WINTHROP 62, CAMPBELL 53

CAMPBELL (11-12, 2-9 BIG SOUTH): Carralero 3-6 1-4 8, Henderson 4-8 2-3 10, Whitfield 0-5 0-0 0, McCullough 1-1 0-0 3, Gensler 5-9 0-0 11, Spencer 2-5 0-0 6, Clemons 2-3 0-0 4, Nelson 1-5 2-2 4, Thompson 2-5 0-0 5, Stajcic 1-4 0-0 2, Knight 0-1 0-0 0, Lusane 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-52 5-9 53.

WINTHROP (17-7, 11-0): Ferguson 4-13 0-0 10, Burns 5-9 1-2 11, Anumba 2-3 5-6 10, Hale 3-10 1-2 7, Vaudrin 1-7 3-4 5, Jones 0-5 1-2 1, Falden 2-5 0-0 6, King 0-2 0-2 0, Zunic 0-1 0-0 0, Claxton 4-4 4-5 12. Totals 21-59 15-23 62.

Halftime — Campbell 26-24. 3-Point Goals—Campbell 6-22 (Carralero 1-3, Henderson 0-2, Whitfield 0-2, McCullough 1-1, Gensler 1-3, Spencer 2-5, Nelson 0-2, Thompson 1-3, Knight 0-1), Winthrop 5-21 (Ferguson 2-7, Anumba 1-1, Hale 0-4, Vaudrin 0-2, Jones 0-2, Falden 2-4, King 0-1). Fouled Out — NA. Rebounds — Winthrop 41 (Vaudrin 8), Campbell 35 (Spencer 7). Assists —Winthrop 13 (Vaudrin 7), Campbell 7 (Gensler/Nelson 2). Total Fouls — Campbell 20, Winthrop 13. Technical — NA. A —1910.

Current Big South Standings

TEAM CONF OVERALL
Winthrop 11-0 17-7
Radford 8-2 13-9
Hampton 5-4 10-12
Presbyterian 6-5 9-15
Charleston Southern 5-6 11-12
USC Upstate 5-6 10-14
Gardner-Webb 4-6 8-14
High Point 4-6 7-16
UNC Asheville 4-7 10-12
Longwood 4-7 9-15
Campbell 2-9 11-12