Wingate, N.C.----The fourth-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs overcame an 11-point second half deficit Wednesday night, prevailing 76-75 in overtime in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference men's basketball tournament in Cuddy Arena. Wingate improves to 15-14 overall, advancing to the SAC Tournament semifinals to face top-ranked Lincoln Memorial Saturday in Greenville, S.C. Coker ends its season at 12-17 overall.

"Our bench was so important tonight, with us being short-handed," head coach Brian Good says. "I thought it was a very gritty, tough-nosed win. Really proud of the winning plays that our guys made with the game on the line late in regulation and in overtime."

Senior forward Devarious Christian (Charlotte, N.C.) had 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Wingate offense, while sophomore guard Jeremy Williams (Salem, Va.) added 15 points on six-of-10 shooting. Senior forward Neico Robinson (Easley, S.C.) had 13 points and five rebounds, while junior guard Emarius Logan (Columbia, S.C.) contributed 11 points and four assists for the Bulldogs. Junior guard Marco Haskins (Fredericksburg, Va.) had seven points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals, while freshman Kendrick Tucker (Roanoke, Va.) had six points, four rebounds and three steals.

Khalil Halls had 27 points to lead the Coker attack, knocking down five triples on the night. Donte Samuels added 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Demarco Jackson also had 12 points for the Cobras.

A Christian layup put the 'Dogs on top by five with 11 minutes left in the first half, but a pair of Samuels free throws tied it four minutes later. A pair of Robinson free throws and a Tucker jumper put Wingate on top by six, but Jackson's three-point play tied it in the final minute. A Quantra Taylor (Indian Land, S.C.) bucket at the buzzer gave Wingate a 35-33 halftime lead.

A Williams layup put the 'Dogs on top by four early in the second half, but Coker scored the next 12 points, taking a 45-37 lead on Jake Barrett's bucket with 16 minutes left. A Halls triple at the 14:40 mark gave the Cobras an 11-point advantage. A Christian three-point play and Haskins layup cut the lead to six, but a Halls bucket stretched the lead back to nine with 12 minutes left. Wingate scored the next seven points, with a Williams bucket getting the Bulldogs within two at 55-53 with 8:45 left.

Coker countered with a 10-2 run, taking a 65-57 lead with 5:49 remaining. Logan answered with a triple, while a Logan bucket got Wingate back within three. Haskins tied the game with a minute left with a three-point play. Christian gave the Bulldogs the lead with a pair of free throws with 20 seconds to go, but a Halls tip-in in the final seconds tied it, sending it to overtime.

Jackson put Coker on top early in overtime, but Williams gave Wingate the lead with a layup. A pair of Samuels free throws put the Cobras on top by one with three minutes left, but two free throws from Christian gave the 'Dogs a 74-73 lead with 56 seconds to go. A Samuels jumper put Coker back on top with 43 seconds left, but Logan had the answer, knocking down a jumper with 22 seconds left to make it 76-75. Each team turned it over in the next 15 seconds, while a Halls jumper in the final seconds was off the mark, with Taylor grabbing the rebound to secure the Wingate victory.

The Bulldogs shot 41.9 percent from the field, hitting four-of-15 shots from three-point range (26.7 percent). Coker shot 41 percent from the field, connecting on seven-of-20 shots from beyond the arc (35 percent). The Cobras held a 47-34 rebounding advantage, but Wingate had a 14-12 edge in second-chance points. The Bulldogs converted 22 Coker turnovers into 18 points.

The Bulldogs are on to the SAC Tournament semifinals Saturday evening, taking on top-ranked Lincoln Memorial University at 5 p.m. at Timmons Arena. LMU swept the regular season series against Wingate, going 20-0 in SAC play.