Davidson routs Chattanooga to nab Southern title

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- For Davidson, it was the perfect

end to a far-from-perfect Southern Conference season.

Brendan Winters scored a career-high 33 points and the Wildcats

routed Chattanooga 80-55 in the conference tournament championship

game Sunday, sending Davidson to the NCAA tournament for the first

time since 2002.

A trip to NCAAs was the expectation a year ago, when Davidson

entered the league tournament as the favorite with a 16-0

conference record. But the Wildcats were bounced in the semifinals

and had to settle for a NIT bid.

The conference record wasn't as flashy this season, just 10-5

going into the tournament, but Sunday the Wildcats left no doubt

where they would go in the postseason.

"Coming off the bus I felt pretty good and during warmups I

felt pretty good. But I couldn't have done it without my

teammates," said Winters, whose dad, former South Carolina and NBA

star Brian Winters was on hand to see his son's performance. "To

have him at my game tonight, I couldn't have asked for it any other

way."

Winters, the tournament's most outstanding player, had two of

his six 3-pointers in the decisive first half.

"Brendan Winters had perhaps his finest game in a Davidson

uniform," Davidson coach Bob McKillop said. "He has had many,

many illustrious games in his career. But to have that finest one

on championship Sunday is quite a special feat."

The Wildcats (20-10) were helped by dismal shooting from

Chattanooga, the defending conference tournament champs.

Chattanooga shot 25 percent and was 1-for-11 from behind the arc

during the first half, which ended with Davidson up 35-20.

Chattanooga (19-13) improved its shooting in the second half,

but the outcome was never in doubt. Chattanooga shot 35 percent for

the game and 26 percent from 3-point range.

Boris Meno added 12 points for the Wildcats while Ian Johnson

had 10. Keddric Mays led Chattanooga with 13 while Ricky Hood had

10.

The Wildcats also avenged a 65-59 loss to Chattanooga during the

regular season.

"We got outplayed," said Chattanooga coach John Shulman.

"Davidson played like a bunch of seniors that were very hungry to

rid the memory of last year."

"We didn't make shots," Chattanooga's Casey Long said. "I

didn't make shots. We didn't make shots as a team. We missed them

and they made them."

McKillop now has three Southern Conference tournament

championships. Lefty Driesell is the only other Davidson coach with

as many. The loss spoiled Shulman's perfect Southern Conference

tournament record with Chattanooga, leaving him 5-1 over two

seasons in the tourney.