Middleton scores 16, Winthrop advances to Big South title game with a 61-46 win over Radford

Winthrop beats Radford 61-46 in Big South tourney

CONWAY, S.C. — Reggie Middleton scored 16 points and Winthrop used a strong second-half run, beating Radford 61-46 on Thursday night in the semifinals of the Big South Conference tournament.

Charles Corbin finished with 11 points and seven rebounds for the third-seeded Eagles (18-13). They’ll face either Coastal Carolina or North Carolina-Asheville in the championship game on Saturday.

Andy Buechert had 10 points, five blocked shots and five rebounds for Winthrop.

The Highlanders (19-12) took a 30-28 lead with 17:03 left in the second half on two free throws by Artsiom Parakhouski, who finished with 11 points and 18 rebounds. But the Eagles answered with 13 straight points, capped by Middleton’s 3-pointer with 13:56 left to pull ahead by 11.

Joey Lynch-Flohr had 17 points and 11 rebounds for second-seeded Radford, which never pulled no closer than eight points the rest of the way.