Winthrop got 21 points from Torrell Martin and 16 points and 11 rebounds from James Shuler en route to a 72-55 win over the Panthers Tuesday night in the Millis Center.

The Eagles won their ninth-straight game and improve to 18-5 (9-1 in the Big South), while the Panthers dropped their third straight and fall to 10-13 (5-5).

Mark Wilson scored a team-high 15 points for the Panthers, who made just one of their first 15 three-point shots and finished 3-of-18 from behind the arc. Jerry Echenique added 10 points for HPU. Otis Daniels also reached double-figures for the Eagles (12 points).

Winthrop used a 19-6 run midway through the second half to turn a one-point halftime lead (34-33) into a 55-41 cushion. The Eagles shot 48 percent from the floor and outrebounded HPU, 41-31.

The Eagles jumped out to an early 17-10 edge before the Panthers used a 13-2 run to grab their first lead at 25-24 on a layup by Arizona Reid with 7:21 left in the half. Winthrop scored just two points during a 5 1/2-minute stretch of the first stanza, allowing the Panthers to take their biggest lead of the game (31-26) following a layup by Zione White with 5:26 to play before halftime.

Winthrop stormed back to score the next eight points and held a slim 34-33 edge at intermission.

High Point made just one field goal in the opening five minutes of the second half, allowing the Eagles to eventually push their lead to double-digits for the first time at 51-41 with 8:31 to play. Three-pointers by Daniels and Chris Gaynor (who had a game-high six assists) pushed the lead to 66-47 with 3:52 left.

The Panthers were without the services of senior forward Danny Gathings (13.6 ppg/6.8 rpg), who missed the game due to a violation of team rules.

The game was originally scheduled for Jan. 29, but wintry weather prohibited the Eagles from making the trip north from Rock Hill, S.C. 

The Panthers travel to Birmingham on Thursday for a regionally-televised tilt with Birmingham-Southern. Tip-off on Fox Sports Net South and Fox College Sports-Central is set for 7:00 pm EST.

Winthrop visits Liberty on Thursday in a battle of the Big South's top two teams in the standings (7:00 pm).