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With the optimism of a new year upon us, here's what I look forward to reading about a Gregg Marshall-coached team in Wichita, not the one he left behind in Rock Hill:
Senior Chris Gaynor scored a career-high 21 points, and Winthrop made 10 of its final 13 shots Saturday to beat the No. 19-ranked Hurricanes 76-70.
Miami fell to 12-1 in the first game of an Orange Bowl Classic doubleheader.
"It really started for me yesterday when we went out to eat as a team," Gaynor said. "One of the Miami fans came up to me and was like, 'Do y'all think you can keep it close?' That was like a slap in the face to this program. It gets tiring every time you go somewhere and everybody is like, 'Where's Winthrop?' It feels good to show them where Winthrop is at today."
The Eagles of Rock Hill, S.C., improved to 7-5. They're 4-31 against current Atlantic Coast Conference schools, with two of the wins this season. They defeated Georgia Tech on Nov. 18. Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall led Winthrop for nine seasons before coming WSU this year.
The Eagles scored 49 points in the final 17 ½ minutes.
McClinton finished with seven of Miami's 14 turnovers, and Winthrop's hot shooting doomed the Hurricanes down the stretch. The Eagles missed only three shots in the final 11 minutes while making four four-pointers.
Their point total was the highest against the Hurricanes this season.
"It feels good," said Taj McCullough, who scored 19 points. "We were harping on the fact they were 12-0."
Gaynor, chosen the game's most valuable player, went 7 for 8, including 5 for 6 from three-point range.
"I've been working hard on my jump shot," he said. "They just went down, and I got into a groove."
Michael Jenkins added 16 and Antwon Harris 12 for the Eagles, who shot 57 percent in the second half. Anthony King scored a season-high 16 points for the Hurricanes, and James Dews added 12.
Miami failed to score on nine consecutive possessions, committing five turnovers during the drought, and Winthrop scored 14 points in a row to go ahead.
"They converted on the turnovers we made," King said. "You could feel the momentum swinging their way."
Jenkins' three-pointer gave the Eagles a 42-40 lead with 13 minutes left. A basket by McCullough put Winthrop ahead to stay, 47-45, and Gaynor sank three-pointers on consecutive possessions to make it 60-51.
Jenkins' steal and layup with 19 seconds left clinched the win.
Winthrop took an early 22-13 lead, but Dews sank a pair of 3-pointers to spark a 10-0 run that put the Hurricanes ahead 27-24. The Eagles missed eight shots in a row but didn't get rattled.
Miami fell to 12-1 in the first game of an Orange Bowl Classic doubleheader.
"It really started for me yesterday when we went out to eat as a team," Gaynor said. "One of the Miami fans came up to me and was like, 'Do y'all think you can keep it close?' That was like a slap in the face to this program. It gets tiring every time you go somewhere and everybody is like, 'Where's Winthrop?' It feels good to show them where Winthrop is at today."
The Eagles of Rock Hill, S.C., improved to 7-5. They're 4-31 against current Atlantic Coast Conference schools, with two of the wins this season. They defeated Georgia Tech on Nov. 18. Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall led Winthrop for nine seasons before coming WSU this year.
The Eagles scored 49 points in the final 17 ½ minutes.
McClinton finished with seven of Miami's 14 turnovers, and Winthrop's hot shooting doomed the Hurricanes down the stretch. The Eagles missed only three shots in the final 11 minutes while making four four-pointers.
Their point total was the highest against the Hurricanes this season.
"It feels good," said Taj McCullough, who scored 19 points. "We were harping on the fact they were 12-0."
Gaynor, chosen the game's most valuable player, went 7 for 8, including 5 for 6 from three-point range.
"I've been working hard on my jump shot," he said. "They just went down, and I got into a groove."
Michael Jenkins added 16 and Antwon Harris 12 for the Eagles, who shot 57 percent in the second half. Anthony King scored a season-high 16 points for the Hurricanes, and James Dews added 12.
Miami failed to score on nine consecutive possessions, committing five turnovers during the drought, and Winthrop scored 14 points in a row to go ahead.
"They converted on the turnovers we made," King said. "You could feel the momentum swinging their way."
Jenkins' three-pointer gave the Eagles a 42-40 lead with 13 minutes left. A basket by McCullough put Winthrop ahead to stay, 47-45, and Gaynor sank three-pointers on consecutive possessions to make it 60-51.
Jenkins' steal and layup with 19 seconds left clinched the win.
Winthrop took an early 22-13 lead, but Dews sank a pair of 3-pointers to spark a 10-0 run that put the Hurricanes ahead 27-24. The Eagles missed eight shots in a row but didn't get rattled.
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