ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Missouri State basketball coach Barry Hinson gave himself more than enough reason to light up his team during future halftimes.
After watching Winthrop guard Michael Jenkins thrash the Bears' defense for 18 first-half points, Hinson let it rip.
"I'm not even Catholic and I'm gonna have to go to confession for some of the things I said," Hinson said.
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Quite a turnaround -- not to mention confidence booster -- for Missouri State.
The Bears erased a double-digit lead in the final minutes of their game at Winthrop before eventually going on to win, 73-69. MSU trailed by 16 at half, and a combination of turning points in the second period led to the victory.
More to come.
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Missouri State forward Dex Manswell's three-pointer with 5:25 left in the game just made this game a bit more interesting.
Following a Winthrop missed shot (and a missed opportunity for an offensive rebound), Manswell took an open pass on the wing and drilled the three.
Following a Spencer Laurie three-pointer, Missouri State leads, 61-60.
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Courtesy of MSU center Drew Richards' layup and an accompanying free throw, the Bears are down 60-51 with 7:31 left in the game at Winthrop Coliseum.
Missouri State, trailing by 20 points during the first half, have relied on Richards and Deven Mitchell's activity inside while getting solid ball-handing from guards Spencer and Shane Laurie and Justin Fuehrmeyer.
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Missouri State is doing what it can to get back into the game.
Down 16 points at half, the Bears have started the second period on a 12-3 run to slim the Eagles' advantage to 48-40 after MSU guard Shane Laurie's three-pointer with just under 16 minutes to play.
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- If Winthrop was picked to finish second in the Big South this season, opposing conference teams may want to watch out for High Point.
Winthrop is looking like an awfully solid second-place team right now, taking it to Missouri State 45-29 at the Winthrop Coliseum in a rematch of last year's ESPN Bracket Buster matchup.
So far, Eagle guard Michael Jenkins is leading the charge with 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting (2-of-2 from 3-point range). He also has five rebounds and two assists. Teammate Taj McCollough has added 11 points and three rebounds, and senior Antwon Harris has eight points.
For the Bears, they've had little outside of forward Deven Mitchell. The 6-foot-5 senior has 10 points, four of which came from the free-throw line. Junior guard Shane Laurie has six points and forward Chris Cooks has five.
Missouri State's going to need much more than that if it's going to get back into the game.
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Missouri State center Drew Richards probably isn't going to be teaching free-throw classes any time soon.
Richards managed to do something at least a couple reporters on press row can't ever remember seeing -- successfully banking consecutive free throws.
It's been one of the few bright spots for the Bears, who trail Winthrop, 43-24, with 2:01 left in the first half.
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Randy Peele doesn't need to explain his lime green tie.
Not yet anyway.
In a sea of garnet and gold (even if most of the garnet is empty seats at Winthrop Coliseum), the first-year Eagle coach's neckwear stands out to anyone with any sort of peripheral vision. Maybe it's just his lucky charm.
Peele and his Winthrop team are up 29-13 on Missouri State with 7:28 left in the first half.
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- In a game that has started somewhat sloppy for both Missouri State and Winthrop, Eagles senior Michael Jenkins is giving fans some good basketball to watch.
Jenkins, a 6-foot-3 guard, has scored nine points through the first eight minutes, pushing Winthrop out to a 16-5 lead. Missouri State has gotten four of its points from senior forward Deven Mitchell. The Bears have also not helped themselves by hitting just 1-of-6 shots attempts and adding five early turnovers.
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Maybe it's the fact that the majority of the Winthrop student population hasn't returned to campus after Thanksgiving break.
Maybe they simply forgot how hyped this matchup was last February.
For whatever reason, today's Winthrop-Missouri State game is going to be played in what is about a 50-percent full Winthrop Colliseum.
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- While Winthrop and Missouri State have played just four games each, both teams come into today's game with a small web of opponents.
The Bears defeated UNC-Greensboro (Winthrop coach Randy Peele's old squad, by the way). UNC-Greensboro defeated Georgia Tech before Winthrop then defeated the Yellow Jackets.
About one hour until tip-off.
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- The rematch of last year's ESPN Bracket Buster game between Missouri State and Winthrop begins in about 90 minutes.
That game helped propel the Eagles up the national mid-major food chain, as well as add an increased confidence that certainly helped toward a stretch run resulting in an "upset" of Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament.
According to Winthrop's sports information department, only two injuries to note. All-Big South guard Chris Gaynor took it easy in practice upon the team's return from the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands last week. Gaynor was suffering from a sore thumb but isn't expected to show any effects today. The same can not be said for reserve center Andy Buechert, who in dealing with an Achilles injury.
