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SALEM — Sophomore guard Ton Ton Balenga sparked a second-half rally and hit the game-winning shot as Virginia Wesleyan edged Wittenberg 59-56 Saturday.

Balenga hit a layup, stole the ball and then canned a short jump shot with 1:54 left to tie the game 52-52. Wesleyan grabbed its first lead when Brandon Adair got a layup with 1:20 to push the Marlins (30-3) ahead 54-52.

Adair also tied the game 56-56 when he hit a pair of free throws with 49.3 seconds left. After Wittenberg’s Daniel Russ was called for traveling, Balenga sent a 3-point shot whistling through with 2.1 seconds left for the game-winning shot.

It was the first NCAA team championship by an Old Dominion Athletic Conference school of any sort and kept Wittenberg from snaring the second Division III basketball title in the school’s history. The Tigers claimed the 1977 crown.

Balenga and Adair combined for most of the Marlins’ points. Balenga hit a game high 22 followed by his teammate’s 21-point effort.

Wittenberg (30-4) was paced by Dane Borchers with 15 points. The Tigers, who led by 10 points at the half, hit 21-of-44 shots from the field and held a 29-26 edge on the boards as Russ collected nine rebounds.

Wesleyan is one of the younger teams to win the NCAA Division III title. The Marlins had only one senior starter. The Tigers had four senior starters.


2006 NCAA Division III All-Tournament Team
Keelan Amelianovich-Illinois Wesleyan
Dane Borchers – Wittenberg
Dan Russ – Wittenberg
Brandon Adair – Va. Wesleyan
Ton Ton Balenga – Va. Wesleyan (Most Outstanding Player)