Radford holds off Winthrop 82-80 to sweep Big South openers (Dec 31, 2016)
ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) Justin Cousin hit a late 3-pointer and Sterling Christy finished with a blocked shot and a dunk as Radford held off Winthrop 82-80 on Saturday, completing the opening weekend of Big South Conference play with back-to-back wins.
Keon Johnson had pulled Big South favorite Winthrop to 77-75 with a pair of free throws at 1:27, but Cousin answered with his sixth 3-pointer - finishing with 19 points - and Christy blocked a Johnson trey with 23 seconds left, slamming through the winning points at the other end.
The 5-foot-7 Johnson - who poured in 37 points for the Eagles (9-4, 1-1) - hit a 3-pointer with nine seconds left. But after a timeout, Radford was able to run out the clock for the win. The Broncs (7-7, 2-0) defeated defending Big South tournament champion UNC-Asheville to start the weekend.
Caleb Tanner added 20 points off the bench for Radford. Johnson scored 38 in an overtime win at Illinois Nov. 21.
