Sunday, March 9, 2003

No. 3 SEED LENOIR-RHYNE TOPS PRESBYTERIAN 71-62 TO WIN FOOD LION SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

HICKORY, N.C. – The Lenoir-Rhyne College men’s basketball team won the 2003 Food Lion/South Atlantic Conference Tournament as it defeated Presbyterian College, 71-62, Sunday afternoon the campus of Catawba Valley Community College.  

The Bears, won also won a share of the regular-season crown, won their first SAC Tournament since the 1994-95 season.  L-R, who automatically qualifies for the NCAA Division II Playoffs, moves to 22-7 on the season while the Blue Hose fall to 25-8.

Roman Davis, the tournament MVP, lead the way with 16 points and eight rebounds for Lenoir-Rhyne while Marcus Springs hit for 16 as well.  Springs hit seven-of-eight from the free throw line in the last 70 seconds of the game to seal the deal.  Randy Mauldin (11 points) and Tony Connelly (10 points) scored in double figures as well for the Bears. Connelly joined Davis on the All-Tournament team

Presbyterian’s Chuck Rayford led all scorers with 22 while Rod Isom poured in 18 including 10-for-12 from the free throw line. Both were named to the All-Tournament team.

“It’s been 10 years since we got this far,” said Lenoir-Rhyne head coach John Lentz. “It’s great.”

“We played pretty good defense,” Lentz said. “We were patient enough to get the ball down to Roman Davis and Ryan Pitts, and Tony Connelly made some good drives. The kids really played hard. We shot 50-something percent (51.7)  in the second half and that’s pretty good against Presbyterian.”

The game was tied at 46 with 6:42 left, when Connelly scored on a jumper to ignite a 7-0 run. Presbyterian was never able to cut the lead to less than four the rest of the way.

“In the second half, Roman Davis made some great shots. They got some big offensive rebounds. Us not being able to stop them from scoring in the second half was the key,” said Presbyterian head coach Gregg Nibert. “Us not scoring and not stopping them from scoring was a deadly combination.”

Presbyterian must now wait for word on a possible at-large bid into the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Region Tournament.

“I hope we’re not done playing. That would be tragic,” Nibert said. “That would be tragic.”

Also making the All-Tournament team was Titus Miller of Wingate.