Winthrop Wins 2-OT Thriller Over Liberty

    ROANOKE, VA - Marcus Stewart's rebound bucket with 1:12 left in double overtime put second-seeded Winthrop ahead for good as the Eagles outlasted sixth-seeded Liberty in double overtime, 67-62 in the semifinals of the 2001 Advance Auto Parts Big South Conference basketball tournament.

    Winthrop will now face top seed Radford Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. in the championship game of the 2001 Advance Auto Parts Big South Conference tournament. It was the first double overtime tournament game in league history. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN 2.

    Winthrop (17-12), the two-time defending Big South Conference champions, was pushed to the limit by the upstart Flames (14-14). Liberty for most of the game and by 16 points in the second half before a dramatic Eagle comeback tied the game. A three-pointer by Tywan Harris with four seconds left in regulation tied the game at 54-54.

    Liberty had a golden chance to win the game at the end of the first overtime but two inside shots by Beau Wallace and Nathan Day just missed.

    The Eagles were led by Derrick Knox and Marcus Stewart with 17 points each. Liberty was led by Chris Caldwell's 28 points, while Wallace added 15 points. Day finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

    With the game tied at 62-62 in double overtime, Stewart rebounded a missed Eagle three-point attempt and scored to make at 64-62. Caldwell was fouled with 40 seconds left but missed both free throw attempts. Day rebounded the second miss but missed the inside shot.

    Knox was fouled with 12.9 seconds left and made a free throw to make it 65-62. A Wallace three-point attempt with four seconds left rimmed in and out. Stewart sealed the victory with 0.9 seconds left by hitting both free throws.

    "No one deserved to lose that game," stated Winthrop coach Gregg Marshall. "I have tremendous respect for Liberty and the way they played tonight.

    "I'm very proud of our team. They never believed that they couldn't come back and win," added Marshall. "We executed when it mattered and hit some big shots."