Winona extends streak to 57 games

The Barton Bulldogs advanced to the title game by winning their 20th straight.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Winona State needed overtime to reach the NCAA Division II final and run its division-record winning streak to 57 games.
John Smith scored seven of his 25 points during overtime to spark top-ranked and unbeaten Winona State to a 90-85 victory over Central Missouri Thursday night in an NCAA Division II semifinal.
No. 1 and defending champion Winona (35-0) will meet No. 15 Barton (30-5) Saturday for the championship.
The Warriors overcame an 11-point second-half deficit to force overtime. After Theo Jones' 3-pointer gave Central Missouri a 78-76 lead, Smith scored on a layup to even the score at 78-78.
Winona outscored the Mules 12-7 during overtime on Smith's strong inside play. After Jones tied the game at 83-83, the Warriors went on a 7-0 run to lead 90-83. Zack Wright closed the scoring in the waning seconds.
Wright led the Central Missouri (32-4) with 33 points. Jonte Flowers led Winona with 32 point,s and Zach Malvik added 18.
A 14-2 run gave the Mules a 54-43 lead after Wadale Williams' field goal. But Flowers led Winona on a 5-0 to cut Central Missouri's lead.
With 5:18 remaining, Flowers scored to put Winona ahead 68-67. Wright hit a jump shot and the ensuing free throw for a three-point play with 40 seconds left in regulation to give Central Missouri a 78-74 advantage. Smith hit a jumper 10 seconds later and sank a layup with 18 seconds left to force overtime.
Central Missouri trailed by as many as 10 points during the first half but pulled to 37-36 at halftime. Wright had 17 of his points in the first half as Central Missouri scored 16 points off turnovers.
Barton 80,Cal State-San Bernardino 79
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Anthony Atkinson made a free throw with 1.5 seconds remaining for Barton.
The Bulldogs (30-5) won their 20th straight game to advance to the title game.
Alejo Barovero led Barton with 22 points, and Atkinson and Bobby Buffaloe had 19 apiece.
Ivan Johnson scored 19 points for the Coyotes (26-6), and Prentice Harris added 17.
Trailing by as many as seven points during the second half, Barton took a 75-73 lead on Barovero's 3-pointer with 3:06 left. Geoffrey Clayton's three-point play with 2:49 remaining tied the score at 76-76. The teams exchanged baskets before Johnson's free throw gave the Coyotes a 79-78 lead.
Brian Leggett's free throw for the Bulldogs tied the game with 25 seconds left. Following a defensive stop on Clayton, Atkinson grabbed the rebound with 4.6 seconds left, raced up court and was fouled. He made the first of his two foul shots.
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