Eagles unable to break Chanticleers’ dominance

By Steven Bowers

Special to The Johnsonian

Despite jumping out to an eight-point lead at halftime, the Eagles couldn’t stop Coastal Carolina and their 22-game winning streak. Photo by Claire VanOstenbridge • vanostenbridgec@mytjnow.comBig South rival Coastal Carolina continued in their quest to become the second team to ever complete a perfect season in the conference Saturday night at the Winthrop Coliseum. The Chanticleers (24-2, 15-0) shot over 56 percent in the second half to erase an 11-point deficit and end Winthrop’s three-game winning streak with the score of 61-56.

Coastal extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 22 games as they try to join the 2006-2007 Winthrop team as the only other team to go undefeated in the Big South.

Sophomore guard Anthony Raffa came off the bench to score a career-high 23 points for the Chants and to pick up the slack for the conference’s leading scorer, junior guard Desmond Holloway. Holloway, who did not play in the first meeting between the teams, came in leading the Big South at 19.3 points per game.

He only scored nine in this game but he did have 12 rebounds and two huge shots, including a 3-pointer from deep in the corner to beat the shot clock. That gave Coastal a 50-42 lead with five minutes remaining.

“Those were two unbelievable shots,” Winthrop coach Randy Peele said. “He broke our back.”

The Eagles (12-13, 8-7) held Coastal to 20 first-half points and led by eight at the break, the first time the Chants had trailed at intermission in 14 games. A straightaway 3-pointer from junior guard Reggie Middleton to open the second half pushed Winthrop to its largest lead of 31-20. Coastal Carolina answered with a 10-0 run over the next six minutes to get right back in the game.

The Eagles had also let an 18-point second-half lead Thursday against Charleston Southern almost completely dissolve before rebounding to win. Raffa tied the score at 37 with a little over 10 minutes to go, and when sophomore guard Kierre Greenwood scored at 9:52, the Chanticleers had their first lead since they led 6-5. Junior guard Andre Jones’ two free throws pulled Winthrop even at 40 before starting to pull away. Senior forward Charles Corbin had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Eagles while sophomore guard Robbie Dreher was their leading scorer with 16.

Coastal Carolina, the top defensive team in the Big South, held the Eagles to 29 percent shooting. The Chanticleers now sweep the season series with the Eagles and win in Rock Hill for the first time since the 2005-2006 season.

They came into the game ranked number five in the collegeinsider.com mid-major poll and received 26 votes to rank 28th in the AP poll, just behind Wichita State. Their coach, Cliff Ellis, who recorded his 610th win and ranks as the 9th most winning active college coach expects his team to get more attention.

“We’re gaining national attention and I think that’s something good for our league, school and program. That’s good for everybody,” Coach Ellis said. “I don’t see how they could leave us out of the top 25 this week.”

After the game, Coach Peele took the microphone and thanked the crowd of 3,604 for their support and enthusiasm.

“We can win this,” Peele said. “The NCAA tournament berth was not won today.”

Last season, the Eagles defeated Big South regular season champion Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C. to win the conference tournament and the NCAA berth that goes with it. 

Winthrop returns to action Saturday at 7 p.m. against Ohio University in an ESPN Bracketbuster game.