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Barton's 'Little Ant' antics spoil Winona State picnic
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The NCAA News
Last year, part of the 100-year anniversary celebration of the NCAA was naming the Top 25 Defining Moments in the Association’s first century.
Anthony Atkinson, who goes by the moniker “Little Ant,” wasn’t on that first list but he has a jump on the next one.
Atkinson, a 5-10 senior point guard for Barton College, strung together an amazing set of late-game heroics in the Elite Eight, capped by scoring his team’s last 10 points in 39 seconds in the championship game to lead the Bulldogs to the 2007 Division II men’s national title.
The one-man avalanche of points also included a game-winning layup at the buzzer to defeat defending national champion Winona State, 77-75, in Springfield, Massachusetts March 24.
The improbable victory set off a wild celebration for Barton and brought a crashing halt of Winona State’s Division II-record 56-game win streak.
Barton, 31-5, rode Atkinson’s heroics in every round of the Elite Eight. In the quarterfinals, Barton trailed Grand Valley State by one point with 4.2 seconds remaining in overtime. To make the predicament more daunting, the Bulldogs had to go the length of the court.
Atkinson received the inbounds pass and dribbled the length of the court and made a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Barton, which is located in Wilson, North Carolina, an 83-81 victory.
In the semifinals against Cal State San Bernardino, Atkinson grabbed a rebound in the waning seconds, raced the length of the court and was fouled with 1.5 seconds remaining. He made one of two free throws to provide the winning margin in an 80-79 win.
The deficit in the final game seemed impossible for Atkinson and his teammates to overcome — Winona State held a 74-67 lead with 45 seconds left. But that’s when Atkinson started his personal 10-1 run to dash Winona State’s hopes of a repeat title.
Atkinson converted a layup and a 12-foot jumper for the first four points of the spurt and cut the score to 74-71. Teammate Errol Frails intercepted an inbounds pass and quickly fed it to Atkinson, who was fouled while converting another layup.
However, he missed the free throw that could have tied the game, and Barton was forced to foul Winona State’s Jonte Flowers, who made one of two from the foul line with 19 seconds remaining.
Atkinson, who finished with 29 points, drove the length of the court and converted a tough reverse layup in traffic to tie the game at 75-75 with 11 seconds remaining.
Winona State’s Zach Malvik tried to dribble up the court for a final shot, but he had the ball stolen from behind by Bobby Buffaloe in the front court. Buffaloe quickly passed it to Atkinson, who again showed his speed by beating the clock with the game-winning layin at the buzzer.
“When Bobby (Buffaloe) tipped the ball away and passed it to me,” Atkinson said. “I had the angle on the clock and saw I had 2.1 seconds. The other night (in the semifinals) I made it the length of the court in 3.5 seconds. This time, I was already at half-court, so I knew I could make it.” Replays showed Atkinson released the ball with two-tenths of a second left on the clock.
“For me, you can’t find a better ending,” said Barton coach Ron Lievense, whose team also defeated West Virginia State, 86-85, in the second round of the tournament. “The way the game was won, who the game was against — I don’t see how any ending could be better.”
The rest of Atkinson’s teammates were in awe of what they saw from their senior point guard.
“I don’t think he’s human,” said freshman forward L.J. Dunn.
Winona State, 35-1, was stunned at how quickly things unraveled in the frantic finish.
“It’s kind of tough to swallow,” said guard Quincy Henderson, who scored 19 points and helped his team lead by as many as 14 points in the game. “I’m still kind of wondering what happened.”
Barton ended the season on a 21-game win streak.
Atkinson was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Winona State’s John Smith, Flowers, Malvik and Central Missouri’s Zack Wright were named to the all-tournament team.
Elite Eight
Barton 83, Grand Valley St. 81 (ot); Cal St. San B’dino 100, Wingate 73; Central Mo. 86, Montevallo 69; Winona St. 64, Bentley 51.
Semifinals
Barton 80, Cal St. San B’dino 79
Cal St. San B’dino: Marlon Pierce 0-3, 2-2, 2, 2; Yoseph Yaisrael 5-7, 0-1, 0, 12; Chet Johnson 3-5, 0-0, 4, 7; Prentice Harris 5-7, 3-3, 0, 17; Ivan Johnson 7-9, 5-10, 6, 19; Greg Williams 0-1, 0-0, 1, 0; Jason Gilzene 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Geoffrey Clayton 2-6, 1-1, 2, 5; Lance Ortiz 1-4, 2-2, 1, 5; David Reichel 4-6, 0-0, 0, 10; Joseph Tillman 1-1, 0-0, 0, 2. Totals: 28-50, 13-19, 19, 79.
Barton: Bobby Buffaloe 6-7, 4-4, 1, 19; Anthony Atkinson 6-11, 7-9, 3, 19; Jeff Dalce 0-0, 0-0, 3, 0; Brian Leggett 1-1, 1-2, 6, 3; Mark Friscone 2-5, 3-3, 2, 8; Alejo Barovero 7-12, 6-8, 6, 22; Bobby McNeil 0-0, 0-0, 1, 0; L.J. Dunn 0-1, 0-0, 2, 0; Errol Frails 1-4, 2-4, 0, 5; David King 2-2, 0-0, 2, 4. Totals: 25-43, 23-30, 30, 80.
Halftime: Barton 37, Cal St. San B’dino 33. Three-point field goals: Cal St. San B’dino 10-20 (Harris 4-4, Yaisrael 2-4, Reichel 2-4, Johnson 1-2, Ortiz 1-2, Clayton 0-2, Pierce 0-2); Barton 7-16 (Buffaloe 3-3, Barovero 2-5, Friscone 1-3, Frails 1-4, Atkinson 0-1). Officials: Mike McCloskey, Gary Tracy, Keith Winfrey.
Winona St. 90, Central Mo. 85 (ot)
Winona St.: Quincy Henderson 0-2, 0-0, 5, 0; Joe Ingvalson 2-2, 0-0, 1, 4; John Smith 10-12, 5-8, 12, 25; Zach Malvik 7-12, 5-8, 4, 19; Jonte Flowers 13-17, 5-5, 4, 32; Travis Whipple 0-0, 2-2, 0, 2; David Johnson 3-5, 0-0, 2, 8; Josh Korth 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0. Totals: 35-51, 17-23, 32, 90.
Central Mo.: Charles Stoker 1-4, 4-4, 8, 6; Theo Jones 4-12, 4-4, 2, 15; Zack Wright 14-26, 3-7, 6, 33; Wadale Williams 4-11, 0-0, 3, 8; Darryl Sommerset 6-13, 3-3, 1, 16; Kevin Wollbrinck 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Fred Dudley 0-1, 0-0, 1, 0; Michael Taylor 1-1, 0-0, 1, 2; Alonzo Brooks 1-2, 3-4, 4, 5. Totals: 31-70, 17-22, 26, 85.
Halftime: Winona St. 37, Central Mo. 36; 78-78 at end of regulation. Three-point field goals: Winona St. 3-8 (Johnson 2-2, Flowers 1-1, Korth 0-1, Henderson 0-2, Malvik 0-2); Central Mo. 6-19 (Jones 3-7, Wright 2-3, Sommerset 1-4, Dudley 0-1, Williams 0-4). Officials: Mike Greenstein, David White, Chris Beaver.
Championship game
Barton 77, Winona St. 75
Barton: Bobby Buffaloe 1-4, 0-0, 1, 3; Anthony Atkinson 13-24, 1-2, 0, 29; Jeff Dalce 2-4, 0-0, 1, 4; Brian Leggett 3-5, 2-2, 10, 8; Mark Friscone 5-7, 3-3, 2, 14; Alejo Barovero 3-12, 3-5, 4, 9; L.J. Dunn 5-11, 0-0, 6, 10; Errol Frails 0-0, 0-2, 1, 0; David King 0-0, 0-0, 1, 0. Totals: 32-67, 9-14, 29, 77.
Winona St.: Quincy Henderson 7-9, 0-0, 5, 19; Joe Ingvalson 1-2, 0-0, 0, 2; John Smith 4-6, 2-3, 5, 10; Zach Malvik 10-16, 6-8, 3, 26; Jonte Flowers 6-11, 1-2, 12, 13; Travis Whipple 1-2, 0-0, 2, 3; David Johnson 0-4, 0-0, 1, 0; Ryan Gargaro 1-1, 0-0, 0, 2. Totals: 30-51, 9-13, 32, 75.
Halftime: Winona St. 41, Barton 31. Three-point field goals: Barton 4-14 (Atkinson 2-7, Friscone 1-2, Buffaloe 1-3, Barovero 0-2); Winona St. 6-13 (Henderson 5-7, Whipple 1-2, Ingvalson 0-1, Malvik 0-1, Johnson 0-2). Officials: Mike Greenstein, Gary Tracy, Mike McCloskey.
Anthony Atkinson, who goes by the moniker “Little Ant,” wasn’t on that first list but he has a jump on the next one.
Atkinson, a 5-10 senior point guard for Barton College, strung together an amazing set of late-game heroics in the Elite Eight, capped by scoring his team’s last 10 points in 39 seconds in the championship game to lead the Bulldogs to the 2007 Division II men’s national title.
The one-man avalanche of points also included a game-winning layup at the buzzer to defeat defending national champion Winona State, 77-75, in Springfield, Massachusetts March 24.
The improbable victory set off a wild celebration for Barton and brought a crashing halt of Winona State’s Division II-record 56-game win streak.
Barton, 31-5, rode Atkinson’s heroics in every round of the Elite Eight. In the quarterfinals, Barton trailed Grand Valley State by one point with 4.2 seconds remaining in overtime. To make the predicament more daunting, the Bulldogs had to go the length of the court.
Atkinson received the inbounds pass and dribbled the length of the court and made a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Barton, which is located in Wilson, North Carolina, an 83-81 victory.
In the semifinals against Cal State San Bernardino, Atkinson grabbed a rebound in the waning seconds, raced the length of the court and was fouled with 1.5 seconds remaining. He made one of two free throws to provide the winning margin in an 80-79 win.
The deficit in the final game seemed impossible for Atkinson and his teammates to overcome — Winona State held a 74-67 lead with 45 seconds left. But that’s when Atkinson started his personal 10-1 run to dash Winona State’s hopes of a repeat title.
Atkinson converted a layup and a 12-foot jumper for the first four points of the spurt and cut the score to 74-71. Teammate Errol Frails intercepted an inbounds pass and quickly fed it to Atkinson, who was fouled while converting another layup.
However, he missed the free throw that could have tied the game, and Barton was forced to foul Winona State’s Jonte Flowers, who made one of two from the foul line with 19 seconds remaining.
Atkinson, who finished with 29 points, drove the length of the court and converted a tough reverse layup in traffic to tie the game at 75-75 with 11 seconds remaining.
Winona State’s Zach Malvik tried to dribble up the court for a final shot, but he had the ball stolen from behind by Bobby Buffaloe in the front court. Buffaloe quickly passed it to Atkinson, who again showed his speed by beating the clock with the game-winning layin at the buzzer.
“When Bobby (Buffaloe) tipped the ball away and passed it to me,” Atkinson said. “I had the angle on the clock and saw I had 2.1 seconds. The other night (in the semifinals) I made it the length of the court in 3.5 seconds. This time, I was already at half-court, so I knew I could make it.” Replays showed Atkinson released the ball with two-tenths of a second left on the clock.
“For me, you can’t find a better ending,” said Barton coach Ron Lievense, whose team also defeated West Virginia State, 86-85, in the second round of the tournament. “The way the game was won, who the game was against — I don’t see how any ending could be better.”
The rest of Atkinson’s teammates were in awe of what they saw from their senior point guard.
“I don’t think he’s human,” said freshman forward L.J. Dunn.
Winona State, 35-1, was stunned at how quickly things unraveled in the frantic finish.
“It’s kind of tough to swallow,” said guard Quincy Henderson, who scored 19 points and helped his team lead by as many as 14 points in the game. “I’m still kind of wondering what happened.”
Barton ended the season on a 21-game win streak.
Atkinson was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Winona State’s John Smith, Flowers, Malvik and Central Missouri’s Zack Wright were named to the all-tournament team.
Elite Eight
Barton 83, Grand Valley St. 81 (ot); Cal St. San B’dino 100, Wingate 73; Central Mo. 86, Montevallo 69; Winona St. 64, Bentley 51.
Semifinals
Barton 80, Cal St. San B’dino 79
Cal St. San B’dino: Marlon Pierce 0-3, 2-2, 2, 2; Yoseph Yaisrael 5-7, 0-1, 0, 12; Chet Johnson 3-5, 0-0, 4, 7; Prentice Harris 5-7, 3-3, 0, 17; Ivan Johnson 7-9, 5-10, 6, 19; Greg Williams 0-1, 0-0, 1, 0; Jason Gilzene 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Geoffrey Clayton 2-6, 1-1, 2, 5; Lance Ortiz 1-4, 2-2, 1, 5; David Reichel 4-6, 0-0, 0, 10; Joseph Tillman 1-1, 0-0, 0, 2. Totals: 28-50, 13-19, 19, 79.
Barton: Bobby Buffaloe 6-7, 4-4, 1, 19; Anthony Atkinson 6-11, 7-9, 3, 19; Jeff Dalce 0-0, 0-0, 3, 0; Brian Leggett 1-1, 1-2, 6, 3; Mark Friscone 2-5, 3-3, 2, 8; Alejo Barovero 7-12, 6-8, 6, 22; Bobby McNeil 0-0, 0-0, 1, 0; L.J. Dunn 0-1, 0-0, 2, 0; Errol Frails 1-4, 2-4, 0, 5; David King 2-2, 0-0, 2, 4. Totals: 25-43, 23-30, 30, 80.
Halftime: Barton 37, Cal St. San B’dino 33. Three-point field goals: Cal St. San B’dino 10-20 (Harris 4-4, Yaisrael 2-4, Reichel 2-4, Johnson 1-2, Ortiz 1-2, Clayton 0-2, Pierce 0-2); Barton 7-16 (Buffaloe 3-3, Barovero 2-5, Friscone 1-3, Frails 1-4, Atkinson 0-1). Officials: Mike McCloskey, Gary Tracy, Keith Winfrey.
Winona St. 90, Central Mo. 85 (ot)
Winona St.: Quincy Henderson 0-2, 0-0, 5, 0; Joe Ingvalson 2-2, 0-0, 1, 4; John Smith 10-12, 5-8, 12, 25; Zach Malvik 7-12, 5-8, 4, 19; Jonte Flowers 13-17, 5-5, 4, 32; Travis Whipple 0-0, 2-2, 0, 2; David Johnson 3-5, 0-0, 2, 8; Josh Korth 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0. Totals: 35-51, 17-23, 32, 90.
Central Mo.: Charles Stoker 1-4, 4-4, 8, 6; Theo Jones 4-12, 4-4, 2, 15; Zack Wright 14-26, 3-7, 6, 33; Wadale Williams 4-11, 0-0, 3, 8; Darryl Sommerset 6-13, 3-3, 1, 16; Kevin Wollbrinck 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Fred Dudley 0-1, 0-0, 1, 0; Michael Taylor 1-1, 0-0, 1, 2; Alonzo Brooks 1-2, 3-4, 4, 5. Totals: 31-70, 17-22, 26, 85.
Halftime: Winona St. 37, Central Mo. 36; 78-78 at end of regulation. Three-point field goals: Winona St. 3-8 (Johnson 2-2, Flowers 1-1, Korth 0-1, Henderson 0-2, Malvik 0-2); Central Mo. 6-19 (Jones 3-7, Wright 2-3, Sommerset 1-4, Dudley 0-1, Williams 0-4). Officials: Mike Greenstein, David White, Chris Beaver.
Championship game
Barton 77, Winona St. 75
Barton: Bobby Buffaloe 1-4, 0-0, 1, 3; Anthony Atkinson 13-24, 1-2, 0, 29; Jeff Dalce 2-4, 0-0, 1, 4; Brian Leggett 3-5, 2-2, 10, 8; Mark Friscone 5-7, 3-3, 2, 14; Alejo Barovero 3-12, 3-5, 4, 9; L.J. Dunn 5-11, 0-0, 6, 10; Errol Frails 0-0, 0-2, 1, 0; David King 0-0, 0-0, 1, 0. Totals: 32-67, 9-14, 29, 77.
Winona St.: Quincy Henderson 7-9, 0-0, 5, 19; Joe Ingvalson 1-2, 0-0, 0, 2; John Smith 4-6, 2-3, 5, 10; Zach Malvik 10-16, 6-8, 3, 26; Jonte Flowers 6-11, 1-2, 12, 13; Travis Whipple 1-2, 0-0, 2, 3; David Johnson 0-4, 0-0, 1, 0; Ryan Gargaro 1-1, 0-0, 0, 2. Totals: 30-51, 9-13, 32, 75.
Halftime: Winona St. 41, Barton 31. Three-point field goals: Barton 4-14 (Atkinson 2-7, Friscone 1-2, Buffaloe 1-3, Barovero 0-2); Winona St. 6-13 (Henderson 5-7, Whipple 1-2, Ingvalson 0-1, Malvik 0-1, Johnson 0-2). Officials: Mike Greenstein, Gary Tracy, Mike McCloskey.
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