Winthrop’s season ends with first-round loss to Longwood
Winthrop lost to Longwood 69-56 in the first round of the 2024 Hercules Tires Big South Men’s Basketball Championship at High Point on Friday afternoon.
The most important stretch in the game came in a three-minute spurt midway through the second half.
A Micheal Anumba 3-pointer cut Winthrop’s deficit to 53-50 with just under nine minutes left in the game.
Over the next 2 1/2 minutes, Winthrop held Longwood scoreless as the Lancers shot 0 for 6 from the field. However, the Eagles also went scoreless in that stretch, missing both of their shot attempts and turning the ball over three times.
Longwood would go on to hit a three with 6:10 left in the game to spark off a 16-6 run to the final buzzer.
“It was, ‘All right, somebody’s going to make a play here that’s going to be somewhat defining,’” Winthrop head coach Mark Prosser said. “It’s sort of a blur at this point, and I feel like we had a couple of opportunities.”
There are a few things that point to the loss for Winthrop.
The Eagles committed 14 turnovers in the game, twice as many as Longwood’s seven.
Winthrop also came into the game averaging a Division I-leading 27.4 free-throw attempts per game; it shot just seven Friday and two in the second half. Longwood went 16 for 18 from the free-throw line.
“We have a team full of wonderful people that are 100% trying to do the right thing,” Prosser said. “When you make a mistake, you have to limit that at this time of year. ... The team that makes the fewest mistakes is the team that’s going to win, especially in a league as talented and deep as this league.”
Winthrop senior guard Sin’Cere McMahon led all scorers with 19 points and five 3-pointers. His scoring came in key moments and helped keep the Eagles in the game.
But after the game was over, all he could think about was the final result.
“I could’ve played better,” the Indianapolis native said. “Just gave more effort defensively and try to make a difference to stop their run in the second half. I didn’t do enough to stop the bleeding. I’m not really worried about how I played, we lost the game.”
Anumba was the only other Eagle to score in double digits, with 10 points in his final collegiate game.
The Italian guard has been at Winthrop since 2018 and expressed gratitude for the experience he’s had in his six seasons wearing the garnet and gold.
“(I’ve) been here a long time,” Anumba said. “Went through a lot of lows and a lot of ups. I’m just grateful that (Winthrop) gave me a chance to play the sport that I love with people I love.”
It’s a tough end to the season and to the collegiate careers of Anumba, forward Chase Claxton and center Alex Timmerman.
Senior guards Kasen Harrison, McMahon, Nick Johnson and Isaiah Wilson and forward Kelton Talford can still return for one more season.
Prosser commended them for their loyalty to him and to Winthrop’s program, and their wishes to deliver better season-ending results in the future.
“(Anumba, Claxton and Talford) have had three opportunities from a coaching change and two other opportunities in the offseasons, and other guys have as well, to say, ‘You know what, I’m going to take a look at something different,’” Prosser said. “And in the world that we live now, something that is maybe more lucrative. Their loyalty to our program, to each other, to their teammates, to Winthrop says a lot about who they are as people. We will miss that. It sounds cliche, but just honored to have been a part of it with them. They deserve better.”
Longwood will play High Point in the tournament semifinals at noon Saturday.
