ROCK HILL, S.C. - The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) women's basketball's sophomore Kennedy Simpson posted a career-high 17 points as the Spartans claimed a Sunday afternoon victory over Winthrop, 75-52, inside Winthrop Coliseum.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Winthrop held an 8-7 advantage through the first four minutes of the opening quarter. The Spartans countered with a pair of three-point field goals 39 seconds apart from Faith Price and Simpson beginning at the 5:49 mark to amass a 6-0 run and claim a five-point lead, 13-8. Winthrop tied the game at the 3:55 mark of the period with a five-point response, but Simpson helped the Spartans reclaim the lead 14 seconds later with her second three-point field goal. Simpson made her third three-point basket of the quarter with 13 seconds left to give UNCG its largest lead of the period, 21-17, before Winthrop countered with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to close the lead to one, 21-20.
 
Both sides traded field goals in the first minute of the second quarter before a 2:05 dry spell on both sides. The Spartans then posted back-to-back three-point field goals from Akira Wiggins and Simpson, the sophomore's fourth of the game, to extend the lead to seven, 29-22, with 6:36 left in the period. After a Winthrop basket at the 5:56 mark of the period, UNCG resumed their three-point barrage beginning at the 4:44 mark to spark a 9-0 run lasting the next 3:30. UNCG's three-straight three-pointers grew the lead to 14 points, 38-24. Winthrop created a short 4-0 run with the Spartans responding on the next possession as UNCG held a 12-point lead, 40-28, at halftime.
 
UNCG regained a 14-point advantage 12 seconds into the third quarter on a Khalis Cain layup. Winthrop held the Spartans without a field goal until the 5:53 mark when Wiggins made a second-chance layup to bring the advantage back to 11, 45-34. After an Antoniette Emma-Nnopu basket with 5:10 remaining in the period, Winthrop held a 7-3 advantage over the next 2:59 of the period to cut the lead down to eight. The Spartans concluded the final 1:48 of the period with a 6-1 run to bring the UNCG lead back to 13, 56-43, to end the period.
 
The Spartans opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run through the first 2:58 of the period. UNCG extended the run to 11-2 over the next 1:19 which extended its largest lead to 21, 67-46. The Spartans' largest lead increased to 24 points with 3:26 remaining thanks to a three-point field goal from Anna Terron as UNCG held a double-digit advantage to the end.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Simpson made 6-of-11 from the field including 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range.
• Price came off the bench to post 15 points in 5-of-13 shooting, all from beyond three-point range.
• Wiggins was the remaining Spartan in double-figure scoring with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting. The graduate student also added five assists.
• Cain posted nine points and 10 rebounds with six rebounds on the offensive end. The center also added two blocks.
• Nitzan Amar amassed a career-high eight assists while adding five points and four rebounds.
• The Spartans shot 43.1 percent for the game including 43.8 percent from three-point range.
• UNCG shot 7-of-11 from the field in the second quarter, 5-of-6 from three-point range, while holding the Eagles to only three field goals.
• The Spartans held a 25-7 advantage over Winthrop in second-chance points.
• UNCG posted a 38-28 advantage in rebounds.

RECORDS
UNCG: 4-2
Winthrop: 1-6
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans return home to host Presbyterian inside Fleming Gym on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.