Box Score Greenville, S.C.----The sixth-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs erased a 17-point first half deficit Saturday night, taking a six-point lead in the second half but second-seeded Catawba College responded and held on down the stretch for a 76-74 victory in the semifinals of the 2019 South Atlantic Conference men's basketball Tournament in Timmons Arena. The Indians advance to the SAC title game, improving to 23-7 overall, while the Bulldogs fall to 17-13 on the season.

THOUGHTS FROM BRIAN GOOD

"Honestly, I'm heartbroken for our guys. This team has persevered through everything that has been thrown at them. We didn't' play very well in the first half, but we really responded after halftime. We just needed to make one more play to get the win."

KEY STATS

- Catawba shot 49 percent from the field, hitting seven-of-24 threes (29 percent)
- Wingate shot 43 percent from the field, connecting on five-of-20 from beyond the arc (25 percent)
- The 'Dogs shot 49 percent from the field in the second half
- The Indians held a 40-31 rebounding advantage and a 19-10 edge in second-chance points
- Each team scored 38 points in the paint
- Wingate turned 13 Catawba turnovers into 14 points

KEY BULLDOGS

- Jarren Cottingham scored a career-high 22 points, adding four steals and three rebounds
- Frankie Johnson had 14 points, four assists and three rebounds
- Marco Haskins contributed 13 points, seven boards and three steals
- Francis Sio added nine points on four-of-six shooting
- Quantra Taylor had six points and six rebounds

FIRST HALF

- Cottingham gave Wingate an early 5-2 lead with a triple at the 17:27 mark
- Catawba scored the next eight, taking a 10-5 lead on two Marcell Haskett free throws with 15 minutes left
- A Daquan Lilly three and Malik Constantine bucket gave the Indians a 19-9 lead at the 11:35 mark
- A Cottingham layup and two Johnson free throws got WU within nine, but Jameel Taylor's free throws put Catawba up 11 with 6:36 to go
- Constantine's layup at the 5:33 mark put the Indians on top 33-17
- Ben Zemonek gave Catawba its largest lead of the night with a layup at the 2:50 mark, making it 40-23
- A Johnson three and Haskins dunk quickly got WU back within 12
- Jeremy McLaughlin's layup at the buzzer gave the Indians a 45-32 halftime lead

SECOND HALF

- Wingate scored 14 of the first 21 points in the second half to get within six just four minutes in
- Cottingham had eight points in the flurry; a Jakob Dawkins three capped the spurt
- A Marcell Haskett jumper put Catawba on top 58-50 with 13 minutes remaining
- Wingate scored the next 12 points to take the lead
- Sio started the spurt with a three, while a Joshua Strozier dunk got WU within one at the 10:50 mark
- Sio's layup gave Wingate the lead, while a Haskins three at the 9:55 mark gave the 'Dogs a 62-58 advantage
- A dunk and a layup from Taylor put the Bulldogs on top 66-60 with seven minutes remaining
- Catawba scored the next seven, regaining the lead on Haskett's three at the 6:37 mark
- Sio's bucket on the next trip put Wingate back on top by one
- A three from Jordan McElveen gave the Indians a three-point lead with 3:55 to go
- Cottingham made three free throws a minute later to tie it at 72
- A Constantine dunk put Catawba back on top by two with 2:37 left
- Johnson answered with a layup to make it 74-74 with two minutes remaining
- A McElveen dunk on the next possession put the Indians back on top by two
- The 'Dogs had their chances in the final minute, but missed a pair of threes and had a turnover