UPDATE #8: ASU holds a 70-62 lead with 3:15 left to play. Morgan has scored 22 for the Eagles, while Neal has come alive for ASU with six in the half, along with seven points from Healy.
UPDATE #7: Winthrop has made it a ballgame, taking a 58-57 lead with 7:43 to play. Following a timeout, ASU answers with a Neal three-pointer to regain the lead with under seven minutes to play. ASU leads 60-58 with 6:50 to play in the game. Morgan leads WU with 20 points, while Carter leads ASU with 15 points. ASU is only 7-of-19 shooting from the field in the second half, while Winthrop has made 10-for 23 shots.
UPDATE #6: ASU leads 49-44 with 15:54 to play. Butts already has a double-double for the game with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Middleton continues to lead Winthrop with 13 points.
UPDATE #5: ASU leads Winthrop 41-35 at halftime. Hamilton has scored nine points, but Carter and Butts each have 11 points to pace ASU. Middleton and Morgan has combined for 24 of Winthrop's 35 first-half points.
UPDATE #4: ASU's lead has been trimmed from 24-10 to 34-28 with 3:43 to play in the half. Middleton has remained in the game for Winthrop and has scored 10 points, with nine from Morgan. Butts leads ASU with 11 points, with 10 from Carter and five points from Tab Hamilton. Winthrop has shot 50 percent from the floor, while ASU is at 48 percent.
UPDATE #3: ASU leads 28-17 with 7:35 left in the opening half. Carter and Butts have combined for 19 points, while ASU has dominated the rebounding margin 17-6 thus far. Reggie Middleton has five points for Winthrop, but also has two fouls.
UPDATE #2: At the 11:28 mark of the first half, the Mountaineers hold an early 21-8 lead. Carter has 10 points already for ASU, with six points from Butts. Matt Morgan paces Winthrop with five points.
UPDATE #1: Ike Butts has been a FORCE so far in the opening four minutes, as has Omar Carter has eight points, with four points and six rebounds by Butts in the opening five minutes. ASU leads 14-4 at the 14:16 mark of the first half.
We are LIVE from Holmes Convocation Center in Boone for today's Sears Bracketbusters men's college basketball game between Winthrop (11-17) and ASU (11-15).
Today is Senior Day at The Rock, as Isaac Butts, Omar Carter, Petey Hausley and Andre Williamson suit up for the final time to play before the home crowd. ASU hopes to build momentum off its 79-70 victory Wednesday against Chattanooga, while Winthrop is reeling, having lost three of its last four, including a 48-45 loss to Presbyterian last Tuesday, Feb. 14.
Freshman Mike Neal poured in a career-best 23 points along with five rebounds and three assists. The point guard has led ASU in scoring in each of the last three games.
Andre Jones scores 16.9 out of Winthrop's 63.9 points per game, while Reggie Middleton also reaches double figures at 12.2 points per game. George Valentine adds 7.9 rebounds, 8.8 points and more than a block per game.
ASU improved to 4-1 in the all-time series with the Eagles following a 70-51 win in 2009-10. Led by 20 points from Jeremi Booth, the Mountaineers cruised to a 70-39 lead with five minutes to play in the game
before going cold and allowing Winthrop to score the game’s final 12 points.
Isaac Butts notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the contest, while Andre Williamson hauled in 10 rebounds of his own against the eventual Big South Conference champion.
We'll be providing updates throughout the game, scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. Thanks for reading!
