Wingate, N.C.----Brevard College junior guard Josh Roper (Charlotte, N.C.) hit one free throw with six seconds remaining, lifting the visiting Tornados to an 88-87 South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball victory over Wingate University Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena on the Wingate campus.

With the victory, Brevard improves to 11-5 overall and 4-2 in the SAC. Wingate slips to 10-6 overall and 3-2 in the SAC. The Bulldogs visit Mars Hill College Wednesday night for an 8 p.m. contest. The BC Tornados return home to host Carson-Newman College Wednesday at the same time.

Roper hit a career-high 33 points to lead all scorers. Brevard senior forward Jonathan Whitson (Clyde, N.C.) posted a double-double with 30 points and 10 rebounds. The Tornados used only seven players Saturday afternoon. The other five Brevard players combined to score 25 points.

Five players hit double digits for the host Bulldogs. Senior guard Larry Staley (Charlotte, N.C.) had 20 points and a game-high five steals. Sophomore guard Jaime Vaughn (McDonough, Ga.) had 18 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Wingate freshman guards Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) and Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) contributed 13 points each. Matilus led the ‘Dogs with eight rebounds, while Kincaid dished out a game-high seven assists. Freshman forward Quan Alexander (Charlotte, N.C.) added 12 points and six rebounds for the hosts. 

The contest featured eight lead changes and 12 ties. The Tornados led 55-40 on a lay-up by Roper with 18:17 remaining in the contest. The 15-point advantage was Brevard’s biggest of the evening.

Wingate chipped away at the deficit, cutting the margin to 63-61 on a three-point field goal by Staley at the 11:01 mark. The Staley hoop completed a 23-6 run for the Bulldogs. Six different Bulldogs scored during the flurry, led by Staley’s nine points.

Brevard kept the lead for the next seven minutes until Vaughn hit a fade-away three-point field goal with 4:20 to play, giving Wingate an 80-78 edge. Roper answered with back-to-back jumpers to give the Tornados an 82-80 lead they would not relinquish.

Another Roper hoop put Brevard up 87-80 with 2:20 to play and capped a 9-0 run. Roper provided six of the crucial nine points. Wingate answered, as Matilus collected a steal and fed sophomore guard Tracy Parks (St. Petersburg, Fla.) for a lay-up at the 1:44 mark.

Matilus hit a jumper after another Brevard turnover to make the score 87-84 Tornados with 1:37 remaining. After the two teams traded turnovers and Roper missed a jumper, Matilus nailed a trifecta on a feed from Vaughn to tie the score at 87 with 24 seconds left.

Roper hit the winning free throw with six ticks left on the clock. After two Wingate time-outs, the Bulldogs went to work. Matilus got a good look from 12 feet, but Brevard senior point guard Darin Dellinger (Stanley, N.C.) got a piece of the potential game-winning shot to clinch the victory. The buzzer sounded during the scrum for the rebound and the Bulldogs could not get another shot.

Brevard hit 24-of-26 free throws (92.3 percent). Whitson converted 14-of-15 charity tosses, including his 14 in a row. Both Whitson (eight-of-14) and Roper (13-of-20) hit better than 50 percent from the floor as the Tornados shot 51.7 percent (30-of-58) for the game. Brevard registered 56.5 percent in the crucial second half (13-of-23).

Wingate’s bench outscored Brevard’s reserves 22-9, thanks to Kincaid’s 13 markers. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Tornados 34-31. Wingate shot 49.3 for the afternoon (36-of-73).

Brevard led 48-38 at intermission, thanks to 19 points from Whitson and 16 points from Roper. A transfer from Pfeiffer, Roper hit six-of-seven field goals in the opening frame. Kincaid had 11 first-half points for the Bulldogs. He hit five-of-seven field goals in the first stanza.