Radford holds off Winthrop 82-80 to sweep Big South openers

Jan 1, 2017, 05:07 pm

ROCK HILL, S.C. -- 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.