Illinois is Round 4 winner in Pontiac competition

Four finalists announced in Pontiac Game Changing Performance

Winning school to receive $100,000 scholarship award from Pontiac

[MARCH 30, 2005]  DETROIT -- It's down to the Final Four! The fans have voted and the four finalists have been selected in the Pontiac Game Changing Performance competition of the 2005 NCAA Basketball Tournament.

After each round leading up to the Final Four, CBS selected four plays that had the greatest impact on the game and characterize the excitement and intensity of NCAA sports. Fan voting determined the winning Pontiac Game Changing Performance from each round.

• University of Vermont, from Round 1
  T.J. Sorrentine's five 3-pointers and 17 points led the Catamounts to their first-ever NCAA tourney win, upsetting the Syracuse Orangemen 60-57 in overtime. Vermont became the first No. 13 team to win a first-round game since Tulsa upset Dayton in 2003.

• West Virginia University, from Round 2
  The West Virginia Mountaineers took two overtime periods to pull off the upset over the No. 2 seed, Wake Forest, thanks to Mike Gansy's career-high 29 points, 19 of them in overtime.

• University of Arizona, from the Sweet 16
  The Wildcats hit an off-balance jump shot with 2.8 seconds left for a thrilling 79-78 victory over Oklahoma State, sending the Wildcats to the Elite Eight against No. 1-seeded Illinois.

• University of Illinois, from the Elite Eight
  The top-seeded Illini battled back from a 14-point deficit with less than four minutes to play against Arizona before prevailing in overtime 90-89.

Finalists earn a $5,000 general scholarship contribution and the chance to be voted the Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Tournament. Fans can vote now through midnight on Saturday at NCAASports.com/Pontiac.

The overall winning performance, along with a $100,000 scholarship award from Pontiac, will be announced and the check presented at the Dasani Fest in St. Louis on Sunday. Fans nationwide can tune into to the CBS broadcast of the NCAA basketball championship game on Monday to find out.

"The Pontiac Game Changing Performance scholarship award program focuses on recognizing the most dramatic and emotional moments in NCAA athletic competition," said Dino Bernacchi, Pontiac advertising manager. "NCAA basketball is certainly one of the most intense and exciting of all college sports. And, the connection to Pontiac as the performance division of GM is unmistakable."

The Pontiac Game Changing Performance competition is one of the components of the partnership between Pontiac, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, CBS and ESPN, and follows a similar, very successful effort earlier this year centering on NCAA football.

By the end of this year's tournament, Pontiac, a leading sponsor of NCAA sporting events and collegiate athletics, will have contributed nearly $305,000 to NCAA institutions over the past year.

Pontiac is a division of General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM) and markets the G6, GTO, Grand Prix, Vibe and Montana SV6. Pontiac sold more than 474,000 vehicles in 2004, ranking third among GM divisions in total sales. The V8-powered Grand Prix GXP and the Solstice roadster will be available this year, along with the G6 coupe GT and G6 GTP. More information on Pontiac and its products can be found at www.pontiac.com and in Spanish at www.pontiac.com/espanol.

[Pontiac news release]

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