ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) Winthrop earned its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2010, beating Campbell 76-59 Sunday in the Big South Conference Tournament championship game behind Keon Johnson's 26 points.
The top-seeded Eagles (26-6) scored on the first possession of the game and never trailed. Winthrop won on its home court and snapped its streak of three straight losses in the conference title final.
Winthrop went to the NCAA Tournament in nine seasons from 1999-2010. The Eagles' lone win came in 2007 against Notre Dame.
After two straight 31-point games, the 5-foot-7 Johnson won the MVP award for the tournament. The senior opened the second half with back-to-back 3s, and scored 15 of Winthrop's first 19 points in the second half.
Chris Clemons, who scored 51 points Thursday for Campbell (17-17) in a quarterfinal win and got 33 in the semfinals, had 29.
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