Jan. 16, 2008

Final Stats

Jefferson-City, Tenn. --- Senior forward/guard Sean Barnette (Rock Hill, S.C.) had 31 points, including a free throw with 1.2 seconds remaining to give Wingate an 83-82 win Wednesday night in South Atlantic Conference action. Wingate improves to 11-5 overall, and 3-1 in the SAC. The Eagles fall to10-3 overall and 3-1 in the conference.

Wingate trailed by two points with a minute remaining when Sam Holmes (Danville, Va.) drilled a three to give the Bulldogs a one point lead. The Eagles responded by hitting a free throw on the other end, tying the game with 33 seconds left. The Bulldogs missed their shot, and Carson-Newman grabbed the rebound with 1.2 seconds on the clock. On the ensuing play, the Eagles were called for a foul on the inbounds, sending Barnette to the line, where he missed the first shot, then drained the second to secure the win.

Barnette, the 2007 SAC Player of the Year and SAC Male Athlete of the Year, had a career-high 17 rebounds to go along with his 31 points. Redshirt senior forward/center Bryan Grier (Charlotte, N.C.) added 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Holmes chipped in with 11 points. Junior guard Rosco Turner (Lexington, N.C.) had 10 points and five assists while junior guard DeMario Mattox (Rocky Mount, Va.) had 10 points and seven steals.

Jordan Dixon (Clinton, Tenn.) led the Carson-Newman attack with 18 points and five assists. Andy Tipton (Maryville, Tenn.) added 15 points and six rebounds. Scott Williams (Macon, Ga.) had 14 points and six rebounds while Darren Williams (Lawrenceville, Ga.) added 11 points for the Eagles.

The Bulldogs came out on fire, taking a 14-0 lead. Grier had six points in the early spurt, while Barnette added four. A Barnette lay-up gave Wingate its largest lead at 20-5 with 14:31 remaining. The Eagles would then begin to slowly chip away at the lead. Carson-Newman closed the half on a 15-5 run, with Dixon scoring the last six points of the half, cutting the deficit to one.

The second half would remain tight throughout. Neither team built a lead larger than three points until a Scott Williams three pointer gave the Eagles a 60-55 lead with 11:25 remaining. Carson-Newman maintained that lead, getting it as high as eight points on a Scott Williams lay-up at the 6:50 mark. Holmes responded with a three pointer, which was immediately answered on the other end by Darren Williams to regain the eight point advantage.

Lay-ups from Grier and Barnette cut the lead to three with 4:27 remaining. The Eagles had the answer, getting a jumper from Bobby Guyton (Jesup, Ga.). Wingate was unable to get the lead below three until a Barnette lay-up with 1:39 left. After a defensive stop, Holmes hit the three to give Wingate the lead. The Eagles tied it with a free throw, but Barnette hit the game-winning free throw with 1.2 seconds remaining.

Wingate shot 47 percent from the field in the game, including 53 percent shooting in the second half. Carson-Newman shot 41 percent from the field, while hitting eight-of-23 three pointers. The Bulldogs held a 49-40 rebounding advantage, while also holding a 54-42 edge in points in the paint. Carson-Newman scored 30 points off of 29 Wingate turnovers. The Bulldogs turned 22 turnovers into 19 points.

Courtesy Wingate Sports Information