Ferguson's career day leads Winthrop over Southern Illinois
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Josh Ferguson set career highs with 26 points and five 3-pointers, and Winthrop made 15 3-pointers to beat Southern Illinois 79-71 on Saturday.
Ferguson grabbed 10 rebounds for his eighth career double-double and Nych Smith added 19 points for the Eagles (7-4).
Austin Awad hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Winthrop the lead for good at 25-23 and Ferguson added another trey to make it a 9-0 run. Three minutes later, Ferguson made the first two of four straight Eagles 3-pointers and Winthrop led 45-29 after the 12-0 run.
Southern Illinois (7-6) broke the deficit into single digits with a 6-0 run to get within 62-53 in the middle of the second half. Ferguson and Kyle Zunic answered with back-to-back 3s to push the lead to 15 and the Eagles held off the Salukis until another rally brought Southern Illinois to within 75-68 in the final minute.
Sean Lloyd had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Eric McGill scored 18 for Southern Illinois.
Game Information
2023-24 Big South Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Point | 13-3 | - | 27-9 |
| UNC Asheville | 12-4 | 1 | 22-12 |
| Gardner-Webb | 11-5 | 2 | 17-16 |
| Winthrop | 8-8 | 5 | 17-15 |
| Longwood | 6-10 | 7 | 21-14 |
| Presbyterian | 6-10 | 7 | 14-19 |
| Charleston Southern | 6-10 | 7 | 10-20 |
| Radford | 5-11 | 8 | 16-17 |
| South Carolina Upstate | 5-11 | 8 | 10-20 |
2023-24 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana State | 17-3 | - | 32-7 |
| Drake | 16-4 | 1 | 28-7 |
| Bradley | 13-7 | 4 | 23-12 |
| Belmont | 12-8 | 5 | 20-13 |
| Northern Iowa | 12-8 | 5 | 19-14 |
| Southern Illinois | 11-9 | 6 | 19-13 |
| Illinois State | 9-11 | 8 | 15-17 |
| Murray State | 9-11 | 8 | 12-20 |
| Missouri State | 8-12 | 9 | 17-16 |
| Evansville | 6-14 | 11 | 17-18 |
| UIC | 4-16 | 13 | 12-21 |
| Valparaiso | 3-17 | 14 | 7-25 |
Men's College Basketball News
