PC men rally from down 18, drop Winthrop

The Presbyterian College men’s basketball team picked up a milestone victory in the Dustin Kerns era, rallying from down 18 points in the first half to pull out a 99-91 victory over the Winthrop Eagles at the Templeton Center in Clinton.

The victory moved PC to 13-10 overall, 5-3 in the Big South, and ended a 10-game losing streak in the series. The last time PC defeated Winthrop was Feb. 16, 2013, when the Blue Hose won 64-57.

Five PC players scored in double figures to lead the attack, while both Francois Lewis and Davon Bell had a double-double. Adam Flagler was the big scorer for the Blue Hose, netting 28 points – including 6-of-12 shooting from 3-point range. Lewis had 22 points and 10 boards, Bell picked up 18 points and a career-high 15 assists, J.C. Younger came off the bench with 12 points, and Cory Hightower had 10 points.

Winthrop’s Nych Smith had a career-high 35 points to lead the Eagles, but Presbyterian was able to slow him down in the second half after scoring 22 points in the game’s first 16 minutes. Smith was held to 5-of-10 shooting over the final 24 minutes.

PC is on the road Wednesday night when it faces Charleston Southern, and returns home for a home tilt on Feb. 7 against UNC Asheville.

PC women: Kacie Hall had 24 points and Tess Santos gathered 13 rebounds for the Blue Hose, but it wasn’t enough as they lost to Winthrop Saturday, 55-52, at Rock Hill.

The Blue Hose led by nine late in the first quarter before the Eagles eventually rallied and held a 26-24 lead at the half. PC held a slim 43-42 lead less than a minute into the fourth quarter before the Eagles ran off nine straight points to take the lead. PC still managed to close within a point on a 3-pointer from Hall, but a pair of free throws from Anika Riley with 12 seconds left proved to the final points on the night.

Salina Virola had 10 points for PC, which fell to 4-14 overall and 2-5 in the Big South. The Blue Hose host UNC Asheville Tuesday.