Liberty University
5-15, 2-5
Winthrop
12-6, 4-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 22 | 36 | 58 |
| WINTHROP | 31 | 43 | 74 |
Sharp Shooting Second Half Puts Winthrop Over Liberty
1/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Liberty men's basketball team stepped into Winthrop Coliseum, Saturday afternoon, looking for its first win over the Eagles in the facility in nearly 12 years. Unfortunately for the Flames, the duo of Xavier Cooks and Jimmy Gavin refused to let the streak end, guiding Winthrop to a 74-58 victory.
With the defeat, Liberty falls to 5-15 overall and 2-5 in Big South play. Winthrop improves to 12-6 on the season and 2-5 in conference action. The Eagles extend their winning streak over the Flames to nine games overall and 13 games inside Winthrop Coliseum. Winthrop leads the all-time series, 38-15.
Redshirt sophomore John Dawson concluded the contest with 15 points. Three other Flames finished with eight points each – Ryan Kemrite, Evan Maxwell and Lovell Cabbil.
Cooks led the charge for the Eagles, recording 22 points and six rebounds. Gavin followed up with a 19-point performance, while Winthrop leading scorer Keon Johnson ended the afternoon with 12 tallies.
Liberty shot 41.5 percent (22-of-53) for the contest, compared to 52.0 percent (26-of-50) for the Eagles. Winthrop benefited from an efficient second period, shooting 69.6 percent (16-of-23) from the field.
Liberty jumped out to a 5-0 lead thanks to a Kemrite three-pointer and a Dawson jumper. However, the Eagles flipped the script, going on an 11-0 run. The burst featured six points from Gavin, including a rare four-point play following a foul on a three-point basket. After another free throw by Duby Okeke, Ezra Talbert ended Liberty's scoring drought with a trey at 13:00, pulling the Flames to within three, 11-8.
With Winthrop leading by seven at the 7:50 mark, the Flames knotted the contest with a 7-0 run. Cabbil and Caleb Homesley each had baskets during the span, while A.C. Reid tied the contest, 20-20, with a three-pointer at 5:33.
The Eagles closed out the remainder of the period on an 11-2 run. Cooks highlighted the burst with seven points, while Gavin accounted for the other four tallies. A traditional three-point play from Gavin closed out the half, giving the Eagles a 31-22 lead at halftime.
Cooks led all scorers in the opening 20 minutes with 13 points, followed by Gavin, who had 10. Kemrite paced the Flames with six points.
Winthrop (37.0 percent, 10-of-27) and Liberty (34.6 percent, 9-of-26) finished the period with similar shooting percentages, but the Eagles were able to capitalize at the foul line. Winthrop went 6-of-8 at the charity stripe, while the Flames did not reach the foul line in the period.
Cooks helped widen the gap in the second period, posting seven of the Eagles' first 14 points in the stanza. The home team stretched its lead out to 15 with a pair of Gavin free throws at 14:53, making it 49-34.
Trailing by 14, Liberty cut the deficit 10 with 7:30 remaining, thanks to a four-point play from Dawson. Gavin answered with a three-pointer on the other end less than a minute later, putting the Eagles ahead, 60-47.
Winthrop led by as much as 19 in the contest after a Gavin layup with 1:45 remaining. The Flames were unable to climb any closer than 16 down the stretch, setting up the 74-58 final.
Liberty returns to the Vines Center on Tuesday, playing host to Longwood. Game time is slated for 7 p.m., with the contest broadcasting live on the Liberty Flames Sports Network, ESPN3, MASN, WFFP 24 and the Big South Network.
