Postgame Press Conference

Harrogate, Tenn.----Wingate University freshman Mike Baez (Huntersville, N.C.) knocked down a three in the final seconds of regulation in Saturday's NCAA regional quarterfinal contest, sending the game to overtime where the third-seeded Bulldogs rallied for a thrilling 89-88 victory over sixth-seeded Montevallo to advance to the NCAA Southeast regional semifinals.

"That was a couple of really good teams going at it," head coach Brian Good says. "I thought our guys gave a really gutty performance. There were instances a few different times down the stretch when our guys kept fighting even when they were behind. We got some key stops and made some big shots. I'm really proud of the fight our guys had in them."

The Bulldogs are now 23-9 overall, the most wins since the 2007-08 season when the 'Dogs went 24-7. Wingate has now won at least one NCAA Tournament game in each of its last four appearances. The Bulldogs will take on the winner of the Lenoir-Rhyne vs. King game in Sunday's regional semifinal contest at 5 p.m. in Harrogate, Tenn.

All-SAC forward Isiah Cureton (Waxhaw, N.C.) piled up 25 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Wingate attack. Baez added 16 points and five boards, hitting four-of-eight shots from beyond the arc. Junior center Keith Griffin (Concord, N.C.) contributed 13 points, and seven rebounds, going five-of-six from the line including the game-winning free throw in the final seconds of overtime. Junior guard Anthanee Doyle (Holly Springs, N.C.) knocked down three triples to score 11 points. Sophomore guard Kerigan Farley (Hickory, N.C.) contributed 10 points, while senior guard Xavier Griffin (Marshville, N.C.) added eight points and five assists.

Bryant Orange had 26 points and seven rebounds to lead the Montevallo attack, adding four assists. Terrell Lipkins had 22 points for the Falcons, while Malik Fields contributed 16 points and 10 boards. Tevin Worthy had 10 points and seven rebounds for Montevallo.

A Cureton three gave Wingate an early 10-9 lead, but a Lipkins triple and Orange bucket gave the Falcons a four-point edge five minutes in. Baez and Doyle answered with threes, while another triple from Doyle gave the 'Dogs a 19-18 advantage with 13:26 to go. Doyle added another lead to stretch the lead to four, while a Farley layup made it 27-20 at the midway point of the first half.

A pair of Lipkins layups, followed by a Kevin Kelly three got Montevallo within one at 30-29. Xavier Griffin countered with a triple, but a Worthy bucket and Orange layup put the Falcons on top with five minutes left in the half. A Keith Griffin bucket and two Farley free throws put Wingate back in front by four, but two free throws from Bryant in the final seconds tied the game at 43 heading to halftime.

A three from Lipkens eight minutes into the second half gave the Falcons a 59-55 lead, while Bryant's layup extended the lead to six. Another Fields jumper, followed by a Lipkins three gave Montevallo a 70-59 lead with nine minutes to go. Wingate answered with an 8-1 run, with a Keith Griffin bucket at the 5:40 mark getting the 'Dogs within four at 71-67.

"The key was staying to our principles," Cureton says about erasing the 11-point deficit. "Keeping faith in each other and keeping our heads up. We knew if we could get a couple of stops we would be in the game."

Orange put Montevallo back on top by eight with a jumper and two free throws at the 2:34 mark. Baez answered with a three, while a Cureton jumper made it 79-76. Two free throws put Montevallo back on top by five with under a minute to play, but a Keith Griffin dunk trimmed the lead to three with 50 seconds left. Keith Griffin rebounded a Montevallo miss with 24 seconds left to get the Bulldogs the ball back. Baez knocked down the huge triple on the other end with nine seconds remaining, tying the game at 81. Montevallo then turned it over, sending the contest to overtime.

Montevallo scored the first five points in overtime, taking an 86-81 lead on a Bryant jumper with 2:25 to go. Cureton responded with a bucket, but a Fields jumper on the other end put the lead back to five with 1:37 remaining. Xavier Griffin buried a pair of free throws to cut it to three. After a stop, Cureton came down and tied the game with a three-point play with 55 seconds to go. Wingate got another stop and Keith Griffin rebounded a Xavier Griffin miss and was fouled. He hit one of two free throws with 11 seconds left to give the 'Dogs their first overtime lead. Montevallo missed a pair of shots in the final seconds as Wingate claimed the victory.

Wingate shot 45.8 percent from the field in the game, hitting 10-of-27 shots from three-point range (37 percent). The Falcons shot 44.6 percent from the field, connecting on seven-of-18 shots from beyond the arc (38.9 percent). Montevallo held a 40-34 rebounding advantage and a 21-10 edge in second-chance points.

"We're all going to enjoy the win, but enjoy it shortly," Baez says. "It's back to business tomorrow. We've just got to keep working hard. Today was a test, we played to our highest capability and worked hard to battle back but we have to keep working hard."