CONWAY, S.C. (AP) – Warren Gillis scored 22 points and Elijah Wilson had 14 of his 19 in the second half to lead Coastal Carolina to its second consecutive NCAA berth with an 81-70 victory over Winthrop in the Big South Conference tournament championship on Sunday.

SLIDESHOW OF COASTAL’S BIG SOUTH TITLE WIN

The Chanticleers (24-9) defeated Winthrop in the finals for a second straight year, using a 15-4 run at the start of the second half to take control of a game tied at 38-all.

Coastal Carolina’s victory brings the 10th NCAA tournament appearance for coach Cliff Ellis, the only Division I coach with 150 or more victories at four separate schools. Ellis last year joined the club of 11 coaches who have taken four teams to the NCAAs. Now, he’s done it multiple times at each of his four stops: South Alabama, Clemson, Auburn and Coastal Carolina.

Keon Johnson led Winthrop (19-13) with 18 points.

Josh Cameron dribbled out the clock, then threw the ball into the air when the horn sounded as he and the team were quickly swarmed by Coastal Carolina students and fans celebrating the team’s fourth NCAA tournament appearance (1991, 1993 and 2014).

The Eagles came up short in the Big South finals for the second straight season in coach Pat Kelsey’s three years.

Coastal Carolina finished with four players in double figures as Cameron had 13 points and Badou Diagne 11.

The Chants earned their first NCAA tournament trip in 21 years with a 76-61 victory last year. These teams came from back in the field — and got plenty of help along the way —to set up the conference tournament’s first ever rematch.

Coastal Carolina, the third seed, topped UNC Asheville and Gardner-Webb (a seventh seed that upset No. 2 High Point on Friday) to advance. Winthrop was seeded fifth and moved on with wins over No. 4 seed Radford and ninth-seeded Longwood, a quarterfinal winner over regular-season champion and No. 1 seed Charleston Southern.

Coastal Carolina, with a large, loud home crowd at the HTC Center, opened a 30-21 lead on Wilson’s basket with 5:30 remaining. That’s when the Eagles took off on a 14-5 run to tie things up. Xavier Cooks started the run with a three-point play and added another basket while Keon Moore’s inside basket made it 35-all.

Cameron looked like he might send the Chanticleers into the locker room with the lead after his 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds to go, but Andre Smith banked home a long 3 as time ran out to tie the game once more.

But the Chants hit four of their first five shots in the second half to move in front.

TIP INS

WINTHROP: Eagles were a mid-major power from 1999-2010 with nine Big South Conference tournaments and NCAA appearances under Gregg Marshall and Randy Peele. … Winthrop missed out on consecutive 20-win seasons for first time since posting four straight from 2004-08. … Winthrop is just the second No. 5 seed to reach the Big South title game, joining 2003 UNC Asheville, which won the league tournament championship.

COASTAL CAROLINA: Coastal Carolina and Winthrop have played 80 times, the Chants holding a 41-39 edge.