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Rock Hill, S.C. — In front of a crowd of 2,637 fans, Winthrop thrashed the visiting Mercer Bears by 36 points on Homecoming to win 105-69.
The Eagles were led by Kareem Rozier, Kody Clouet, and Josh Meo as an explosive Winthrop offense tore the visiting Bears apart point by point.
First Half Recap: The Beginning
The first half of the game was about as competitive as Mercer got.
The Bears won the rock to start the game on tip-off and got out to an earlier 4-0 lead, their first and last of the game.
Winthrop responded as Kareem Rozier drained a three at the 18:00 mark to bring the Eagles within one. About a minute and a half later, Rozier drilled another three to put Winthrop up 6-4.
Isaiah Wilson got in on the memo, finding yet another three-pointer, putting Winthrop ahead 9-4. Mercer responded with their own basket, a floater to put the Bears within a possession.
Josh Meo and Daylen Berry both found the basket next for the Eagles, stretching the lead to 13-6.
Logan Duncomb found himself in foul trouble early, subbing out with about fourteen minutes left to go.
Josh Meo continued to cook inside sixteen minutes, getting a three-point play to put the Eagles ahead by eight.
The Eagles would continue to put an early lead on the Bears, going up 31-20 with 8:16 left in the half.
The visitors clawed back though, making it a one-point game at the 6:11 mark. That was as close as the game ever got for Mercer though as they went in trailing 50-39 at the half.
The Eagles shot 44.1% from the field and 82.4% from the line in their stellar first half. Both teams had 17 rebounds but Winthrop had definite control in the turnover margin, winning 12 to 5 in that department.
Kareem Rozier led the Eagles with 4-three pointers, which seemed to be the difference in the half.
While this game looked to be all but over, it was the beginning of the end as the Eagles would never look back come the second half.
Second Half Recap: The End
Trailing by eleven going into the half was not going to be an easy lead to cut into for the Bears. But the sentiment of the game seemed to have came when Quinton Perkins II shot an airball three to start the half.
Mercer looked like they might have another impressive run as Zaire Williams drained a three and Perkins made a tear-drop floater to make the score 52-44.
The Eagles finally began to blow the game wide open when Tommy Kamarad nailed a three to give the Eagles a 60-46 lead.
A three from way downtown shot by Kody Clouet gave the home team a 74-52 lead that only grew from there.
By the time the Under-4 media timeout rolled around, Winthrop had extended their lead to 103-62, their largest of the game.
The lead had grown so large that, as a nail in the coffin, Winthrop put in walk-on fan favorites Cam Christy and Henry Harrison.
Mercer only scored seven more points to finish the game.
Kareem Rozier finished 7-13 for 20 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists. Josh Meo added 16 points off the bench with 3 rebounds and a pair of assists. Kody Clouet ended with 14 points, an assist, and 4 rebounds.
Answered Prayers
After an abysmal game on the glass against Coastal Carolina, Winthrop finally began clicking in the rebound category, pulling down 43 boards as compared to Mercer’s 32. While both teams only had 17 in the first half, Winthrop went on a tear when protecting the rim, getting 26 rebounds in the second half alone.
Winthrop also cleaned up their game on the floor, limiting their total of turnovers to 11 as compared to the 19 from the Bears.
Foul Frenzy
Winthrop and Mercer combined for a total of 51 fouls throughout the game, including three technical fouls and a Flagrant 1.
Two of the technical fouls occurred during a shoving match between Bendji Pierre and Pharell Boyogueno with 10:39 on the clock in the first half. Both players were assessed a technical each.
The third tech came with 8:36 in the first on Kyle Cuffe Jr. after the guard appeared to have choice words after a play.
The one Flagrant foul came on Cuffe Jr. in the second half, appearing to hit a Winthrop player in the face.
Up Next…
Winthrop travels to Fayetteville, Arkansas to take on John Calipari’s Razorbacks, who are ranked #21 in the country.
The Eagles sport a 0-2 record against Coach Cal coached teams as well as an 0-1 record against Arkansas. The closest Winthrop has come to beat a Coach Cal team was in the 2018-19 season when the Kentucky Wildcats held Winthrop off 87-74.
What’s at Stake:
Winthrop also has not won a game against a power conference team since beating Washington in 2021. The last win the Eagles have against a Top 25 team was in 2007 against the No. 19 Miami Hurricanes in Miami, F.L.
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