ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- A month after his Winthrop teammate DeAndre Adams was killed in a car accident, Michael Jenkins started saving up for the tattoo.
He finally got enough money to get it done in July, and now his left biceps sports a basketball with Adams' No. 24 over it and the words "RIP Dre" underneath.
Occasionally glancing at the tattoo Saturday, Jenkins fulfilled the other half of his tribute for Adams by leading Winthrop its fourth straight NCAA tournament berth.
Jenkins tied a Big South championship game record with 33 points and Winthrop overcame mammoth 7-foot-7 Kenny George's dominance inside to beat UNC Asheville 66-48 for its fourth straight league title.
"I promised his mom and his family that we were going to dedicate the season to 'Dre," Jenkins said of the energetic Adams, whose wild on-court celebration was the signature moment of the Eagles' upset of Notre Dame in last year's NCAA tournament. "We win championships at Winthrop, and that was the only right way. We keep promises, and we got it done."
Jenkins was 6-of-9 from 3-point range and keyed two second-half spurts that put it away for the Eagles (22-11), whose eighth NCAA tournament berth in 10 years was likely their most difficult to attain.
Playing on UNC Asheville's home court, without Adams, their backup point guard, and in Randy Peele's first season as coach, Winthrop rode its senior class.
Jenkins, Taj McCullough (14 points) and point guard Chris Gaynor, who set the Big South career record for assists late in the game, won their 101st game in four seasons.
"You have a chance when you have seniors," said Peele, who continued Winthrop's postseason tradition a year after his former boss, Gregg Marshall, left for Wichita State.
George had 13 points, but only four rebounds for the Bulldogs (23-9), whose senior backcourt struggled. Bryan Smithson and K.J. Garland combined to shoot 4-for-25 for UNC Asheville, which set a school record for victories.
"We have to swallow this one and it's hard," Smithson said. "K.J. and I don't get this back."
The Eagles finished tied with UNC Asheville for the Big South regular-season title, but the Bulldogs' season sweep earned them home-court advantage throughout the conference tournament.
Jenkins silenced the crowd when he hit three 3s and a long jumper in a 22-10 run to start the second half to put Winthrop ahead 44-28.
After George's two baskets and two free throws cut the lead to seven, Jenkins hit three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. He drilled another 3 less than a minute later and UNC Asheville never recovered.
"This is tough," Bulldogs coach Eddie Biedenbach. "These young man have busted their tails, mentally and physically, for a long time."
Jenkins seemed oblivious to the charged atmosphere in UNC Asheville's tiny gym, which was crammed with people and prompted the public address announcer to plead for fans to "squeeze in and make room" about 15 minutes before tipoff.
Still, many fans ended up standing on a balcony overlooking one basket, and the gym's size seemed to make George look even bigger.
The tallest player in college basketball weighs 360 pounds, and Winthrop immediately had to change its offense when George checked in 3 minutes into the game.
George's lumbering pace forces the Bulldogs to slow down the tempo, but his wingspan is so massive he altered shots all over the court.
George, whose size is due to an overactive pituitary gland, tires easily and is limited to short stretches. He was 4-for-10 from the field and couldn't stop Jenkin's blistering second-half shooting from the perimeter
The win ended a year of pressure for Peele, who dealt with Adams' death a month after he took the job. Peele, who led UNC Greensboro to an NCAA berth in 1996, was able to maintain Winthrop's dominance that started under Marshall.
"What we're gauged on is winning the Big South Conference tournament," Peele said. "I tell you what, boy, they stepped up today. I'm so proud of them."
