ROCK HILL, S.C. – In a tightly contested game until the final minutes, the Presbyterian Blue Hose (9-14, Big South: 2-6) battled the Winthrop Eagles (14-9, Big South: 4-4) down to the wire before coming up short in a 76-67 loss on the road on Wednesday evening.
 
Kory Mincy led the Blue Hose with 20 points. Kobe Stewart recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Carl Parrish scored 13 points off the bench. Jaylen Peterson recorded six blocks in the game while chipping in with nine points.
  
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF – Mincy scored Presbyterian's first points on a three from the wing. Winthrop jumped out to an early 11-3 lead. Baskets from Triston Wilson and Parrish got the Blue Hose within four points, 11-7, with 13 minutes on the clock.  Winthrop increased their lead to eight points, 18-10. Presbyterian went on a 9-2 scoring run cutting Winthrop's lead to one point, 20-19. The run began with a three from Parrish. Peterson, Jamahri Harvey, and Kaleb Scott also scored during the run. Eagles scored seven of the next nine points taking a 27-21 lead with 3:52 on the clock.  The Blue Hose scored seven straight points tying the score at 27 after two free throws from Mincy with 1:49 left in the half. Winthrop scored the final five points of the half taking a 32-27 lead into the locker room.
 

SECOND HALF – The two teams exchanged baskets for the first three minutes of the half. Peterson scored inside cutting Winthrop's lead to three, 38-35. Winthrop would maintain a lead of 3-7 points until with 9:31 on the clock, with Presbyterian trailing Winthrop 53-46, the Blue Hose scored nine straight points taking a 55-53 lead after a three from the wing from Mincy with 7:18 left in the contest. Mincy scored seven of Presbyterian's points during the run. The lead exchanged hands a couple of times. After Wilson converted on two free throws with 4:14 on the clock, the Blue Hose took a 62-60 lead. Winthrop tied the score at 62 with four minutes on the clock. After a tough foul call on Presbyterian's Peterson and a technical foul on Presbyterian, Winthrop converted on three free throws regaining the lead for good. Winthrop scored 16 of the final 21 points of the game.  
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• Stewart's double-double was his second of the season and the fourth of his career.
• Mincy's 20 points marked his fourth 20-point scoring game of the season and his 20^th double-figure scoring game of the season.
• Parrish tallied his 10^th double-figure scoring game of the season with his 13 points.
• Peterson's six blocked shots tied for the highest single-game total in the Big South Conference this season.

 
NEXT GAME
The Blue Hose return to the Templeton Center to play the High Point Panthers this Saturday, February 1 at 2:30 p.m.