Charming turn of events
It turned out that a Kiwi was a better good-luck charm than a four-leaf clover Friday.
Winthrop overcame a second-half collapse and scored 12 of the game’s final 13 points to register a 74-64 victory over sixth-seeded Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA tournament at the Arena.
Seeded 11th in the Midwest region, Winthrop (29-4) will face third-seeded Oregon (27-7) in the second round Sunday.
Oregon held off Miami (Ohio) 58-56 in another first-round matchup Friday.
Eagles coach Gregg Marshall said team supporters furnished him with several four-leaf clovers and a lucky tie, and good fortune certainly shined upon Winthrop after it allowed a 20-point lead to slip away in the second half. Notre Dame took a 63-62 lead on Luke Harangody’s bucket with a little more than 2 minutes remaining, but the Eagles recaptured the lead moments later on Craig Bradshaw’s layin and never trailed again.
A 6-foot-10 senior from New Zealand, Bradshaw finished with 24 points on 10-for-16 shooting. He made a pair of 3-pointers and added six rebounds and four assists.
“I think he’s a little more valuable than any of those other (good luck charms) I mentioned,” Marshall said. “Craig Bradshaw was just dominant. I didn’t think they could guard him inside, and then he steps out and hits a couple of 3s. He made his free throws, he ran the court and got a big layin when we really needed it.”
Torrell Martin contributed with 20 points and 11 rebounds for Winthrop, which led 54-34 following a Bradshaw basket with 13:15 remaining. The Eagles, however, went the next 8 1/2 minutes without a field goal and endured a 3-for-10 effort from the line during that stretch. That allowed Notre Dame to storm back and eventually take the lead on Harangody’s big shot.
Notre Dame mustered just one point after that, though, and the Eagles made 5 of 6 free throws in the final minute to seal the win. The tournament victory was Winthrop’s first in seven appearances, and the Eagles were trying to erase the painful memory of last year’s last-second loss against Tennessee in the first round.
“It’s huge for me personally,” Marshall said. “It’s huge for these players right here. It’s huge for our team, our program. It’s huge for our league, being the first Big South (Conference) team to win a game. It’s huge for the state of South Carolina. … It’s really big, and it means a lot. It’s been nine years, nine years of pouring your heart and soul into something.”
The Irish led 24-17 with 7 minutes left in the first half, but Winthrop scored 25 of the next 29 points in a stretch spanning halftime to take control.
Colin Falls led four Irish players scoring in double figures with 14 points.