ROCK HILL, S.C.?Kendall Shepard scored a career-high 18 points while tying a school record with six made three-pointers but for the second time this season, Winthrop overcame halftime deficit to defeat UNC Asheville 72-58 Friday night.
Winthrop (14-14, 8-7 Big South) was led on Senior Night by its four seniors who combined to score 54 of the Eagles 72 points. Ashley Fann scored a game-high 27 points. She had just four points at halftime because two fouls allowed her to play just nine minutes of the opening period. In the second stanza she went 10-for-12 from the floor as the Eagles shot 54 percent while holding UNC Asheville (10-19, 7-9 Big South) to 38 percent in the second half.
Shepard is the fourth UNC Asheville player to knock down six treys in a game. Ashton Barton was the last player to do it hitting six against Furman on Nov. 20, 2007. Brittany Hendley (2/10/07), and Ashley Woods (12/3/91) both did it against Coastal Carolina.
Asheville began the game by building a 16-8 lead and grew the lead to 28-16 with 8:03 left in the first half. The Bulldogs went without a field goal for the next six minutes while Winthrop went on a 8-1 run to cut the lead to five points. Shepard's three-pointer with 2:05 ended the drought and the Bulldogs once again built a 10-point lead 34-24 on a basket by Ana Baker with 1:28 left in the half.
Winthrop scored the final four points of the half and went into the locker room trailing 34-28. Asheville scored 14 points off 14 Winthrop turnovers in the first half. In the second half, it was Asheville who turned the ball over 12 times while the Eagles turned it over just four times.
Lindsey Montgomery's jumper with 18:40 left in the game put the Bulldogs up by 10 points at 40-30. It was the last basket Asheville would score for the next five minutes. Winthrop went on a 12-0 run and took the lead 42-40 on a lay-up by Fann. Monroe tied the game briefly as 42 before Winthrop began a 10-2 run to build a 52-44 lead with 10:42 left to play. The Eagles would lead by as many as 18 points in the second half.
Shepard and Monroe, who finished with 11 points, combined to score 19 of Asheville's 24 points in the second half. Baker was shutout in the second period but still finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
Ashley Haugtvedt and Tiffany Rodd both scored 11 points as the Eagle seniors combined to score 54 of the team's 72 points.
UNC Asheville will await the Big South Tournament pairings which will be announced on Monday. Winthrop will face Charleston Southern on Monday night. The Big South Women's Basketball Tournament will begin Friday, March 13, in High Point.
