Johnson’s Free Throws With 1.6 Seconds Left Give Eagles 83-82 Win At CSU

N. CHARLESTON, SC— Keon Johnson’s two free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining lifted Winthrop to an 83-82 victory over Charleston Southern, Wednesday evening in the Big South Conference opener for both teams.

The Eagles improve to 5-1 on the year and pick up their first win at The Buc Dome since 2009. It is the second time in the last three seasons the Eagles are off to a 5-1 start. Charleston Southern falls to 2-5 on the year. Winthrop will look for a 2-0 start to the Big South slate as is hosts Presbyterian College on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 4 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the women’s basketball team.

Following a three-point play by Armel Potter that put the Buccaneers up 82-81 with 5.8 seconds left, Johnson got the ball and drove the length of the court attacking the basket and drawing the foul. Johnson had just gone 1-for-2 at the foul line with 11.2 seconds left, but stepped up and calmly drained both and then stole the inbounds pass to clinch the victory.

“We wanted to get the ball in his hands, I mean why not?” said Winthrop head men’s basketball coach Pat Kelsey. “He put us on his back like he’s done so many times throughout his career. Down the stretch our best offense was getting the ball to Keon and getting out of the way. Players like that make coaches look really, really smart. We had a play drawn up to try and get him the ball on the run so he could get to the rim.”

Johnson led all scorers with 27 points as he was 8-for-11 from the field, 3-for-4 behind the arc and 8-for-10 at the foul line. He was joined in double-figures by Xavier Cooks, who finished with 18 points and Duby Okeke chipped in with 10 points and five blocks off the bench.

Johnson put the Eagles up by four points with 1:12 to play in the game, but Potter converted the first of two three-point plays in the final minute of the game to pull the Buccaneers within a point with 53 seconds left. Then he had the three-point play that put CSU ahead 82-81.

Winthrop led the game for just over 34 and a half minutes as the game saw eight lead changes and 10 ties, mostly in the second half.

Charleston Southern finished the game with 14 made threes as Patrick Wallace finished with a team-high 25 points as he was 7-for-17 behind the arc with four of his threes in the second half in an attempt to rally the Buccaneers. Potter finished the game with 18 points and four assists as CSU finished the game shooting 37 percent from the floor. Winthrop finished the game shooting 50 percent, 75 percent at the foul line (21-for-28) and finished with a 38-28 advantage in the paint.

Winthrop led 41-36 at the break behind 48 percent shooting, including 4-for-11 behind the arc. CSU was able to keep the game close by knocking down six triples as well as committing just one turnover and hitting the glass for eight offensive boards.

The Eagles led by seven points on seven different occasions and even extended the lead to as much as eight three times but each time CSU seemed to answer to keep it a two possession game. Winthrop opened the game 6-for-8 from the field and led 14-10 in the first five minutes. Johnson scored six in the first five minutes to help the Eagles build an early lead.

The Buccaneers only lead in the first half came at the 18:07 mark after a tip-in by Wesley Johnson put them in front 6-5. Cooks responded quickly by knocking down a jumper and the Eagles led for the remainder of the half.

After an Potter three cut the Eagles lead to 22-19 with 10:02 left, Cooks took over four unanswered points for a 26-19 lead. Raemond Robinson scored on a drive to the basket, but Cooks came right back with a three for seven consecutive points and a 29-21 advantage for its first eight-point lead.