HICKORY, N.C. - Fourth-seeded Wingate University (18-12) defeated No. 2 Presbyterian (24-9), 61-50, in the championship game of the 2006 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament held this afternoon at the Catawba Valley Community College.
The Bulldogs, winners of seven straight, won their first league tournament championship in six years and earned a berth to the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the first time since the 2001-02 campaign. Presbyterian awaits to see if it has been selected to a spot in the playoffs.
Sophomore Sean Barnette (Rock Hill, S.C.) led all scorers with 21 points to go along with a game-high 14 rebounds, and was named the tournament's most valuable player, while junior Justin Baker (Lumberton, N.C.) added 14 points for Wingate.
Wingate limited Presbyterian to just 31 percent (18-of-65) shooting for the contest and blocked eight shots, including five by sophomore Bryan Grier (Charlotte, N.C.), who became the South Atlantic Conference's career blocked shot leader with five on Sunday, giving him 212 for his career.
Senior Johann Collins (Raleigh, N.C.) was Presbyterian's top scorer and finished with a double-double (17 points and 12 rebounds) while junior Sean Dixon (Marietta, Ga.) chipped in with 13 points and junior Grant Herren (Oviedo, Fla.) pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds.
PC held a 51-36 advantage on the boards despite the loss.
Wingate led by six (30-24) at the break, shooting 71.4 percent (5-7) from the charity stripe and 44.4 percent (12-27) from the field. Barnette led the Bulldogs from the field with nine first-half points, going 3-4 from the free-throw line. Baker and Grier also tossed in six apiece for the Bulldogs in the first half. Collins led the Blue Hose with nine points. The Blue Hose won the first half battle of the boards, 26-15, and out-scored the Bulldogs in the paint, 22-18. Wingate led the entire first half with PC only able to tie the game once.
After the break, Wingate built a 42-32 lead with 11:01 remaining on a three-point play by Barnette but Presbyterian came back to cut the margin to two (46-44) on a pair of free throws by Collins at the 6:53 mark.
Wingate, who never trailed again in the game, responded with seven straight points culminated by a Barnette lay-up with 5:32 remaining and never trailed by four points the rest of the way.
The Bulldogs made their last six free throws in the final 26 seconds to seal the win.
Barnette earned Food Lion SAC Tournament MVP honors and he was joined on the all-tournament squad by teammate Grier as well as PC's Collins and Sean Dixon and Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore Josh Kindred (Holly Springs, N.C.).
Wingate earned the SAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division II Tournament.
