STATESBORO, Ga. – Keon Johnson scored 30 points, including 19 in the second half, to lead Winthrop past Georgia Southern, 88-81, in men's basketball action in Hanner Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon.
Tookie Brown tallied 25 points, four assists and two steals for Georgia Southern (3-6). It was the freshman's third game this season with 20-plus points and second in a row.
Ike Smith collected 13 points and eight rebounds, and
Devince Boykins netted a career-high 13 points to go with four rebounds.
Johnson was 6 of 9 from 3-point range for Winthrop (7-3), and Xavier Cooks notched 13 points and 11 rebounds. Jimmy Gavin scored 20.
Winthrop shot 52 percent in the second half after the teams were tied 36-36 at halftime, and the Eagles made 20 of 21 from the free-throw line. Georgia Southern outrebounded Winthrop 50-34 and used 22 offensive boards to score 24 second-chance points.
The storyGeorgia Southern scored five straight points in a 9-3 run and tied the game 59-59 on a pair of Brown free throws with 9:56 to play. Winthrop outscored Georgia Southern 19-6 over the next six and a half minutes of game time to open a 13-point cushion. Johnson scored the first seven points of the run, and Cooks capped it with a pair of free throws. Brown hit a 3-pointer from the wing,
Jonathan Sanks got a steal in the backcourt and a layup, and Brown scored a layup to trim the margin to six points with 49 seconds left. Gavin, Joshua Davenport and Johnson each made two free throws to seal the win for Winthrop.
Quotable from Coach Mark Byington"We have to learn what's important and how to win. In the first half, we were guarding, we were competing and were doing the things that aren't anything related to an X-and-O or a schematic thing but are a big part of the game. In the second half, they shoot 52 percent compared to 40 percent in the first half, and that's the game. It's the fact that we don't get stops and understand how important it is to be in a defensive stance and to be locked in on defense. We just drift and show our youthfulness on defense more than anything else."
On Keon Johnson"He made 3s tonight, and when he's making 3s, it's really hard. He had his best shooting night from the 3-point line, and he got to the rim. Early on, I felt like we were doing well but in the second half, he did everything."
On Tookie Brown"He's competitive, and he has a big heart. He's trying to make plays and playing hard and he's still learning and going to get better."
Next upThe Eagles cap a two-game homestand with a 7 p.m. contest against Stetson Tuesday, Dec. 22, in Hanner Fieldhouse. Four tickets and a $20 concession voucher for the game is available for just $40. It's a Holiday Party – Visit with Santa Clause, play reindeer games, get free candy canes, and of course, listen to Christmas music!
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events can be purchased by visiting GSEagles.com/tickets.
