Winthrop Starts Season with 110-78 Win Over Mary Baldwin College

Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop junior D.J. Burns Jr. posted a career-high 30 points to lead Winthrop to a season-opening 110-78 win over Mary Baldwin, Tuesday night inside the Winthrop Coliseum.

WINTHROP (1-0)
SCORING LEADERS

• D.J. Burns Jr. (30 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists)
• Kelton Talford (13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal)
• Cory Hightower (13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists)

MARY BALDWIN (0-1)
SCORING LEADERS

• Jaden Ignacio (15 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals)
• Tyler Thomas (15 points, 3 assists)
• Vernon Fraley (13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist)

FIRST HALF

• Eagles connected on 12 of their first 14 shots and led 31-19 just over seven minutes into the game
• It was a 7-0 run that pushed the Eagles to the 12 point advantage as the run ended with back-t-back dunks from Chase Claxton and D.J. Burns Jr.
• Jaden Ignacio knocked down two threes for a quick 6-0 spurt for the Fighting Squirrels to make it a six point game with 10:48 to play in the half
• Burns Jr. was set up for an easy two by Drew Buggs, which started an 11-0 run for a 17-point advantage
• Mary Baldwin did cut the deficit to single-digits a couple more times but the Eagles were able to build a double-figure lead by the break at 58-46
• Burns Jr. had 18 of his 30 points in the first 20 minutes on 8-of-9 shooting

SECOND HALF

• Ignacio knocked down a three to start the second half to cut the lead down to nine
• Fighting Squirrels hung around over the first six and a half minutes until the Eagles used an 8-0 run for its first 20-point lead of the night
• It was an 18 point lead with 9:35 to play when the Eagles went on a 15-3 run over the next three minutes for a 99-69 lead

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Winthrop finished the game shooting 59 percent while Mary Baldwin shot 45 percent
• Eagles had a 43-26 advantage on the glass with 10 offensive rebounds
• The teams combined for 26 three-pointers as each had 13
• Winthrop was 13-of-26 (50%) behind the arc while the Fighting Squirrels were 13-of-30 (43%)
• Winthrop received points from its bench led by Talford while Sin’Cere McMahon and Chase Claxton each chipped in with 10
• Josh Corbin was also in double-figures at 12 points for a total of six Eagles in double-digits on the night
• Three times the Eagles made at least six consecutive shots with a game-high of eight straight in the second half

NOTABLES

• Burns Jr. had Winthrop’s first 30 point game since Josh Ferguson dropped in 32 against Coastal Carolina on Dec. 7, 2019
• Winthrop is now 29-16 all-time in season openers
• Eagles extended win streak vs. Non-D1 opponents to 55 straight
• Talford’s eight rebounds ties his career-best
• This was the 42^nd 100-point game in program history as the Eagles are now 40-2 all-time when hitting the century mark
• The 110 points are the 8^th most points scored in a single-game in program history
• Mark Prosser is the 7^th head coach in program history and all seven have won their coaching debut for the Eagles
• The win is the 398^th all-time by the Eagles inside the Winthrop Coliseum