MBB Game Day Central: Winthrop
2/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Complete Game Notes (PDF format)
Live Video Streaming (Big South Network)
Live Flames Sports Network Radio Broadcast
Live Stats
Winthrop Men's Basketball Web Page
The Game
The Liberty men's basketball team returns to the Vines Center Thursday to host Winthrop. The contest marks the 42nd meeting between the two squads, with the Eagles leading the all-time series, 27-14. Winthrop took the first contest against Liberty this season, holding off the Flames inside the Winthrop Coliseum, 65-62, on Jan. 9. Tipoff for Thursday's rematch is set for 8 p.m. The matchup is the second half of a double header which features a women's hoops contest between the Lady Flames and North Carolina Central at 5 p.m.
Recent Results
Hoping to control the third spot in the conference, the Flames played host to UNC Asheville, on Jan. 16. Throughout the contest, Liberty rallied on numerous occasions to make it a one-possession ball game, but was unable to grab the lead in the second half, ultimately falling to the Bulldogs, 74-70.
The Flames traveled to High Point, N.C., on Jan. 21, taking on the High Point Panthers. Looking to finish the night in third place in the Big South standings, the Flames played without leading scorer Kyle Ohman, falling, 81-53.
Liberty remained on the road on Jan. 23, making a stop in Radford, Va., to face the second place Radford Highlanders. The Flames kept it close with the Highlanders throughout the contest, before taking the lead with 9:29 remaining, en route to a 60-55 win.
The Flames returned to the Vines Center on Jan. 28, hosting fellow Commonwealth competitor VMI. Antwan Burrus finished with a career-high 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Jesse Sanders also posted a career-high 15 boards, leading the Flames past the Keydets, 91-73.
Watch and Listen to the Flames
Thursday's contest will be televised on the Flames Sports Network with Ray Jones providing the play-by-play and Tim Scarborough adding color commentary. The matchup with the Eagles will also be broadcast nationally on ESPN FullCourt and ESPN360.com. There will be a radio broadcast which will air on the Flames Sports Network (flagship WRVL 88.3 FM) with Jerry Edwards providing the play-by-play for his 29th season. Additionally, an Internet audio broadcast on LibertyFlames.com will be available. There will also be a live video stream of the broadcast via the Big South Network, available on BigSouthSports.com.
Soaring with the Eagles
Winthrop enters Thursday's contest with an 11-10 record overall and a 7-4 posting in conference play. Since its previous meeting against Liberty on Jan. 9, Winthrop has gone 4-1 in the Big South and is currently riding a three-game win-streak.
The Eagles are flying high after a win over conference leader Coastal Carolina this past Saturday, successfully defending their home court against the Chanticleers, 67-64. Reggie Middleton and Mantoris Robinson led the offensive attack for Winthrop, scoring 16 and 15 points, respectively. The Eagles shot 41.4 percent (24-of-58) from the field, while holding the Chanticleers to 37.3 percent (22-of-59).
While there is not a dominant scorer within the Winthrop lineup, the Eagles appear to share their team's scoring duties. Middleton leads the way, averaging 8.6 points per contest, followed by Matt Morgan (7.9 ppg), Robinson (7.8 ppg), Andre Jones (6.9 ppg), Andy Buechert (6.8 ppg) and Robbie Dreher (6.3 ppg). Buechert is also the team's leading rebounder, grabbing 7.0 boards per game.
Liberty-Winthrop Series Notes
Thursday's contest marks the 42nd meeting between Liberty and Winthrop, with the Eagles currently holding a 27-14 series lead over the Flames. The two teams first met during the 1991-92 campaign, Liberty's inaugural Big South season. The first encounter occurred on Jan. 30, 1992, as the Flames defeated the Eagles, 72-58. Both teams met just nine days later on Feb. 8, 1992. Liberty walked away with another victory, besting the Eagles in the Vines Center, 63-52, capping off a six-game conference winning streak. That season, Liberty finished with a 22-7 record overall and a 10-4 record in conference play.
Last season, the Flames nearly kicked off 2009 with a road win against the Eagles, but critical misses at the free throw line helped Winthrop hold off Liberty in the Winthrop Coliseum, 59-57, on Jan. 3, 2009. Anthony Smith and Seth Curry led the way for the Flames, finishing with 24 and 18 points, respectively. Three Eagles managed to reach double figures in scoring — Byron Fasion (16), Charles Corbin (12) and Mantoris Robinson (10).
The following month, Liberty avenged the loss, defeating the Eagles inside the Vines, 57-47, on Feb. 7. Seth Curry netted 16 tallies in the contest, followed by Kyle Ohman, who finished with 11. Anthony Smith and Jesse Sanders posted solid numbers on the glass, grabbing eight and seven rebounds, respectively.
In their first meeting with the Eagles this season (Jan. 9), the Flames nearly escaped Rock Hill, S.C., with a win. Despite Liberty holding a one-point lead in the final minute, the Eagles were able to find nylon with 27 seconds left, when Andre Jones knocked down a trey. The downtown dagger ultimately cemented the contest, as the Eagles successfully defended home court, 65-62.
Layer Versus the Big South
Dale Layer holds a 10-7 record all-time against current Big South opponents. Prior to returning to Liberty, Layer went 2-1 against Gardner-Webb as head coach of the Colorado State Rams. At the time, the Runnin' Bulldogs were members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. During his stint at Division II member Queens, Layer garnered a 2-2 record against the Winthrop Eagles.
Layer Versus the Eagles
During Dale Layer's tenure at Queens, the Royals matched up with the Eagles on four occasions. The first meeting took place on Nov. 24, 1990, as the visiting Royals shocked the Eagles in their season opener in Rock Hill, S.C., 72-64.
Winthrop also opened its season at home against Queens during the 1992-93 campaign on Dec. 2, 1992. The Eagles avenged the loss from the previous meeting, besting the Royals, 92-84. The following season, the Royals upset the Eagles once again, earning an 85-77 decision (Dec. 15, 1993).
Layer's last meeting with Winthrop occurred on Dec. 11, 1994. The Eagles managed to even the series with Queens, edging out the Royals, 73-70.
Second Time Around
When Layer served as a Liberty assistant during the 2007-08 season, the Flames went 7-7 in conference play. Liberty posted at least one win over all but one conference opponent. That season, the Winthrop Eagles took both contests against the Flames, 55-48 (Jan. 15, 2008) and 59-50 (Feb. 12, 2008). Liberty managed to sweep one Big South opponent, as the Flames went 2-0 against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, 78-59 (Jan. 21, 2008) and 66-51 (Feb. 16, 2008).
Career-High Night
Jesse Sanders set a new career-high in rebounds last Thursday versus VMI, finishing with 15 boards. The mark surpasses the point guard's previous personal best of 11, which he achieved on two occasions this season (Nov. 27 against Mississippi Valley State and Jan. 2 against VMI).
Dishing it Out
Flames' guard Jesse Sanders is currently third in the Big South in assists per game, averaging 4.82 per contest. Radford's Amir Johnson leads the way with 5.55 dimes per contest. Sanders is also third in the conference in total number of assists with 111.
Against conference opponents, Sanders is currently averaging 4.5 assists per game, with 45 dimes in Big South play this season.
Big Night for Burrus
In Liberty's matchup against VMI last Thursday, Antwan Burrus finished out the night with a career-high 20 points and 13 rebounds, marking the first 20-10 performance and the second double-double of his collegiate career. The freshman forward also chipped in six assists and one blocked shot during the contest. Heading into Thursday's contest, Burrus is averaging 6.7 points and 3.9 boards per game.
Flames in February
Heading into Thursday's match-up with Winthrop, the Flames hold a 164-148 all-time record in the month of February. Liberty's best posting in the second month of the year occurred during the 1996-97 season, when the Flames went 9-1 in February.
A Look at Last Season
Through its first 10 games in conference play, Liberty sits in fifth place with a 6-4 record. Liberty's performance mirrors that of last season, as the Flames were 6-4 after their first 10 contests during the 2008-09 campaign.
