[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 53 (Tuesday, March 27, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S3831]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       COLLEGE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

  Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate a college 
basketball team that this past weekend won a national title.
  I am speaking of Barton College in Wilson, NC, which beat the 
defending champion Winona State to win the Division II Basketball 
Championship.
  Through their win, Barton College also ended Winona State's Division 
II record 57-game winning streak.
  Now I have seen a lot of college basketball games over the course of 
my life, especially representing the State of North Carolina, where 
basketball is not just a game but a way of life, but this one ranks 
close to the top when it comes to exciting endings.
  With only 45 seconds left to play in the game, Barton down by 7 
points--a deficit that would be extremely difficult to overcome by any 
team--and assisted by the stellar performance of his teammates, 
Barton's Anthony Atkinson scored an unbelievable 10 points in the 
remaining 39 seconds, included a buzzer-beating lay-up, to win the 
Division II national title by a score of 77 to 75.
  If you didn't see the game live, I would suggest you go on the 
Internet and watch the ending to this fantastic game.
  It is simply unbelievable and is reminiscent of Christian Laettner's 
game-winning last-second jump shot in Duke's dramatic 104 to 103 
victory over Kentucky in the East regional final of the 1992 NCAA 
Tournament.
  For Barton College, a small private school with a student body of 
only 960 students, this win over Winona State, a relatively large 
school with an enrollment of over 8,000 students, represents a ``David 
and Goliath'' story for a smalltown North Carolina basketball team.
  Again, I congratulate the NCAA Division II National Champion Barton 
Bulldogs and head coach Ron Lievense on an extremely exciting end to an 
extraordinary season.

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