Winthrop, Furman score upsets in Sweet 16 round of Palmetto State Madness
Shocking upsets and last-second shots — some made, some missed — put the Madness into March, and the Sweet Sixteen round in the Palmetto State’s fantasy tournament featured a bit of both.
This venture into “fantasy land” comes in the wake of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament’s cancellation. Each South Carolina college that has been represented in the Big Dance got a team in the field of 16.
As our Palmetto State Madness tournament opened, Winthrop 2007 and Furman 1974 pulled off bracket-busting wins, and Furman’s Bruce Grimm made the shot to remember. Winthrop, seeded 10, took down South Carolina 1997 in the often-shocking 7-10 match-up, and No. 9 Furman edged Clemson 1990 in the 8-9 duel.
Form followed otherwise with the top seeds — No. 1 South Carolina 1970 and No. 2 Clemson 1980 — rolling to easy wins.
No. 1 South Carolina (1970) 87, No. 16 Charleston Southern (1997) 64
South Carolina: John Roche 24 points; Tom Owens 21 points, 14 rebounds; Tom Riker 17 points, 9 rebounds; Bobby Cremins 11 points, 4 assists.
Charleston Southern: Brett Larrick 17 points; Errol McPherson 16 points, 6 assists.
Game Summary: The Gamecocks took command from the start, opening a 17-4 lead in the first seven minutes and cruised into the Elite Eight. John Roche and Tom Riker led the early surge with six points each.
Carolina’s front line of Riker, Tom Owens and John Ribock ruled the backboards, and the Gamecocks piled up an 42-28 advantage in rebounding. USC shot 56% from the floor, too.
No. 9 Furman (1974) 73, No. 8 Clemson (1990) 71
Furman: Clyde Mayes 17 points, 11 rebounds; Bruce Grimm 21 points; Fessor Leonard 12 points, 6 rebounds.
Clemson: Dale Davis 18 points, 12 rebounds; Elden Campbell 16 points, 8 rebounds.
Game Summary: Sharp-shooter Bruce Grimm drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing with three seconds remaining to break Clemson’s heart and advance the Paladins into the Elite Eight.
The game featured a battle royal around the rim with Clemson’s all-star tandem of Dale Davis and Elden Campbell battling the Paladins’ Clyde Mayes and Fessor Leonard.
The Tigers, who fought back from a nine-point deficit in the second half, took the lead 71-70 Davis’ follow-up of a Marion Cash miss with 9 seconds on the clock. Furman point guard Ed Kelley got the ball to Grimm for the decisive shot.
No. 5 College of Charleston (1997) 63, No. 12 USC Spartanburg (1982) 57
College of Charleston: Thaddeous Delaney 17 points, 10 rebounds; Anthony Johnson 14 points, 7 assists.
USC Spartanburg (now USC Upstate): Mike Gibson 16 points, 9 rebounds; Wendall Gibson 21 points.
Game Summary: The big men, Charleston’s 6-8 Thaddeous Delaney and Spartanburg’s Mike Gibson, waged a furious battle inside, but Cougars’ guard Anthony Johnson stole the show.
After a 27-27 halftime draw, the Cougars eased in front early in the second period with Johnson leading the way. Johnson’s 3-pointer gave Charleston a 59-48 lead with five minutes remaining before the Rifles closed the gap behind Wendall Gibson. Johnson’s free throws in the final minute sealed the win.
The pairing had a familiar tone; both teams ranked among the heavyweights on old NAIA District 6, and both won NAIA national titles, Spartanburg in 1982 and Charleston in 1983.
No. 4 Clemson (1997) 75, No. 13 Winthrop (2020) 61
Clemson: Greg Buckner 15 points; Harold Jamison 11 points, 11 rebounds; Terrell McIntyre 17 points, 9 assists.
Winthrop: Hunter Hale 16 points; Josh Ferguson 12 points. 7 rebounds.
Game Summary: Clemson led most of the game, but the Tigers could not shake the Eagles until point guard Terrell McIntyre sparked a 9-0 run midway the second half.
Winthrop and its balanced offense — eight players averaged at least 6.7 points a game in 2020 — gave Clemson fits, especially in the first half that ended with the Tigers in front 31-27.
In the decisive second-half spurt, McIntyre nailed a straight-away 3-pointer, slipped a nifty pass to Greg Buckner for a dunk, drove the lane for a layup and found Harold Jamison at the rim for another slam.
No. 3 South Carolina (2017) 81, No. Coastal Carolina (1991) 69
South Carolina: Sindarius Thornwell 26 points, 7 rebounds; Chris Silva 10 points, 12 rebounds.
Coastal Carolina: Tony Dunkin 17 points, 7 rebounds; Brian Penny 16 points; DuWayne Cheatam 12 points, 6 rebounds; Robert Dowdell 11 points.
Game Summary: The Gamecocks seized control early, dominated inside and cruised into the Elite Eight with a workmanlike victory.
Coastal Carolina, the Big South champion, had no answer for Sindarius Thronwell and Chris Silva as the Gamecocks opened a 10-point lead after 10 minutes and led 42-28 at the half.
USC’s superior depth allowed coach Frank Martin to substitute freely. The Gamecocks forced 17 turnovers to squelch Coastal’s comeback hopes.
No. 6 Wofford (2019) 82, No. 11 College of Charleston (1983) 61
Wofford: Fletcher Magee 28 points; Cameron Jackson 16 points, 8 rebounds; Nathan Hoover 13 points.
College of Charleston: Greg Mack 19 points; Steve Yetman 14 points, 6 assists; John Brett 10 points.
Game Summary: Woe be to the opponent if Wofford’s long-range game is clicking, and the Cougars ran into a 3-point buzz saw in the Palmetto State Madness Sweet Sixteen.
Fletcher Magee and Company went 16 of 27 on 3-pointers, and experienced little trouble in advancing against a team that won the 1983 NAIA national championship. An early burst of “3s” sent the Terriers winging in front 27-12, and the Cougars never recovered.
No. 10 Winthrop (2007) 77, No. 7 South Carolina (1997) 70
Winthrop: Torrell Martin 17 points; Craig Bradshaw 14 points, 9 rebounds; Michael Jenkins 16 points.
South Carolina: BJ McKie 19 points; Larry Davis 13 points; Melvin Watson 12, points, 8 assists; William Gallman 10 points, 8 rebounds.
Game Summary: Teams that live by the 3-point shot often perish if those long-range missiles fail to find the nets, and the Gamecocks discovered that sad truth in their quest to advance to the Elite Eight.
Instead, Winthrop moved into a quarterfinal matchup by hanging close early, overcoming a nine-point deficit midway the second half and pulling away down the stretch.
Statistics tell the story. Winthrop’s game plan focused on stopping USC’s sharp-shooting guards and the Eagles took away the 3-point line. Torrell Martin sparked Winthrop’s late charge with 12 of his 17 points in the final half.
No. 2 Clemson (1980) 95, No. 15 South Carolina State (1998) 81
Clemson: Billy Williams 23 points; Larry Nance, 18 points, 10 rebounds; Bobby Conrad 12 points, 9 assists.
South Carolina State: Roderick Blakney 26 points; Tyler Brown 16 points; James Jones 11 points.
Game Summary: The Bulldogs came into the tournament on a 21-2 streak, but Clemson had too much firepower and romped to a comfortable victory over the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions.
With Billy Williams supplying the outside scoring and Larry Nance using his magic inside, the Tigers raced to a 45-31 halftime advantage. Clemson stretched its lead to 19 midway the second half.
The Tigers shot 50% from the floor, but they never found an answer to stop State’s Roderick Blakney, who made 10 of 14 on his way to 26 points.
Palmetto State Madness scores, schedule
Sweet 16 scores
▪ No. 1 South Carolina (1970) 87, No. 16 Charleston Southern (1997) 64
▪ No. 9 Furman (1974) 73, No. 8 Clemson (1990) 71
▪ No. 5 College of Charleston (1997) 63, No. 12 USC Spartanburg (1982) 57
▪ No. 4 Clemson (1997) 75, No. 13 Winthrop (2020) 61
▪ No. 3 South Carolina (2017) 81, No. Coastal Carolina (1991) 69
▪ No. 6 Wofford (2019) 82, No. 11 College of Charleston (1983) 61
▪ No. 10 Winthrop (2007) 77, No. 7 South Carolina (1997) 70
▪ No. 2 Clemson (1980) 95, No. 15 South Carolina State (1998) 81
Coming tomorrow: Elite Eight games
▪ No. 1 South Carolina (1970) vs. No. 9 Furman (1974)
▪ No. 4 Clemson (1997) vs. No. 5 College of Charleston (1997)
▪ No. 3 South Carolina (2017) vs. No. 6 Wofford (2019)
▪ No. 2 Clemson (1980) vs. No. 10 Winthrop (2007)
This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Winthrop, Furman score upsets in Sweet 16 round of Palmetto State Madness."