GC Earns Bid into NCAA Tournament, VWC Likely Too

SALEM, Va. --- It took an extra five minutes to decide the 2008 ODAC Men’s Basketball Tournament champion, but Guilford College made amends for giving up a late lead in regulation with a 91-80 win over Virginia Wesleyan College to win the program’s first conference men’s hoops crown.

With their first ODAC men’s basketball crown, the Quakers (24-4) earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs. The pairings for the 59-team field will be announced Monday, March 3 at noon (EST) on www.ncaa.com. 

Guilford needed extra time to win its 16^th straight game after the Marlins (22-6) erased an 18-point second-half deficit.  After Caleb Kimbrough made one of two free throws with 21 seconds remaining for a 72-68 Guilford lead, Stephen Fields drained an off-balance three-pointer and drew a Kimbrough foul with 13.6 seconds left.  Following a Guilford timeout, Fields made the free throw to force the game’s first tie since the opening basket.

The Quakers scored the first nine points in overtime before a Fields basket marked Virginia Wesleyan’s first overtime points 2:34 into the period.  Strong (8-8) and Henson (4-4) combined to make all 12 free throws in overtime and never let the Marlins closer than seven points the rest of the way.

Strong scored a team-high 28 points with 10 coming in the overtime period.  He added a game-high 15 rebounds for his league- and career-high 21^st double-double. The two-time ODAC Player of the Year captured the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Award after averaging 23 points and 12.3 boards in three tourney games. Clay Henson added 19 points and Kimbrough matched his season high with 18 points, 12 after halftime.  Both students joined Strong on the all-tournament team. The Quakers shot 53.4 percent from the floor and made 24-of-27 free throws.

The Marlins’ Ton Ton Balenga scored a game-high 30 points thanks to a game-high seven three-point baskets.  He and Tyler Fantin (21 points, eight rebounds) represented Virginia Wesleyan on the all-tournament team.  Fantin and Balenga combined for 25 of their team’s 42 second-half points. The Marlins shot 53.6 percent from the floor in the second half, including six-of-13 from three-point land. Virginia Wesleyan’s record falls to 22-6. The Marlins will tune in to see if they receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

2008 All-Tournament Team
Ben Strong, Guilford (MOP)
Clay Henson, Guilford
Caleb Kimbrough, Guilford
Ton Ton Balenga, Virginia Wesleyan
Tyler Fantin, Virginia Wesleyan