Montana: 2024-25 Big Sky Men's Basketball Champions

 

BOISE, Idaho -- Kai Johnson scored six of his 23 points late to help No. 2 seed Montana pull away and beat top-seeded Northern Colorado 91-83 in the Big Sky Championship title game on Wednesday night.

Montana lead by as many as 14 points early in the second half, but Northern Colorado later used an 18-9 surge to pull within 74-73 with 3:35 remaining. Johnson answered with a three-point play and a 3-pointer to stretch the Grizzlies' lead to 80-73 with 2:24 left. The Bears got within five points twice but didn't get closer.

Montana (25-9), which has won 14 of its last 15 games, collected its first NCAA tournament bid since 2019 and its 12th overall to extend its conference record. The Grizzlies also won their 51st Big Sky Tournament game, surpassing Weber State for the most in league history.

Brandon Whitney added 18 points for Montana, which shot 65% (30-of-46) overall and 24-of-28 (86%) from the free throw line. Joe Pridgen chipped in with 17 points and Malik Moore had 15.

Jaron Rillie scored 24 points and had six assists to lead Northern Colorado (25-9). Langston Reynolds added 18 points, Brock Wisne had 15 and Isaiah Hawthorne had 14.

Montana took the lead for good midway through the first half and led 48-39 at the break. Moore scored seven points during an 11-6 spurt to give the Grizzlies a 59-45 advantage with 16:22 to play.

Northern Colorado's last NCAA tournament appearance was in 2011.

FFXIV/Honkai Star Rail: Wire (2nd Take)

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American: 2024-25 Patriot Men's Basketball Champions

The American University men’s basketball team (21-12) defeated the Colgate Raiders (14-19) 72-62 on March 9 in the Patriot League Tournament semifinal in Bender Arena.

This was an all-around strong team performance for the Eagles. Five different players scored in double-digits to lift American over the top.

After the Navy Midshipmen defeated No. 1 Bucknell 83-77, the No. 2 Eagles earned the right to host the championship game on March 12 at 7 p.m. Navy was the only team in the Patriot League to defeat the Eagles twice during the regular season.

The Eagles defeated Colgate, which has dominated the Patriot League for the last four years, for the third time this season. No team since the 2017-18 Bucknell Bison has beat Colgate three times in a season.

The Eagles got off to a slow start, going down 7-0 in the first two minutes. Graduate student forward Matt Rogers got the Eagles back on track with a quick layup to tighten the score down 7-2 with 18:03 remaining.

Senior guard Elijah Stephens followed that up by losing his defender for a nice open scoop layup to bring the score to 7-4 with 17:07 left to go in the half.

As the Eagles tried to cut into the Colgate lead, they displayed more intensity on defense. The Eagles forced a shot clock violation and two Colgate air balls in a row.  

Rogers then scored a mid-range pull up to take the Eagles’ first lead of the game, 13-12, with 8:58 remaining.

But the Eagles couldn’t create much separation on the scoreboard just yet and found themselves down 22-14 off an 8-0 Colgate scoring run with just under six minutes left.

Graduate student guard Lincoln Ball sparked the rally by getting a tip-in bucket. On the other side, sophomore forward Greg Jones got the steal and scored a 3-pointer. On the next possession, Jones hit another 3-pointer to cut the lead to 24-22 with 3:39 remaining.

With 43 seconds left in the half, Stephens scored a layup to tie the game up at 26-26, forcing Colgate to call a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Colgate hit a 3-pointer to end the half leading 29-26.

Entering the second half, American took over and never looked back. Graduate student guard Colin Smalls kicked off the scoring by getting a steal and taking it downhill for a quick bucket. 

Stephens retook the lead for the Eagles, hitting back-to-back wide open 3-pointers. The score was 34-31 with 17:13 left to go.

With 13 minutes remaining, Jones drove through the lane and pushed through traffic for the bucket and the foul call to take 43-36 while the Eagles had all the momentum.

Sophomore forward Matt Mayock cashed in a transition shot from behind the arc to extend the  lead to 10, forcing Colgate to call a timeout. The Eagles led 48-38 with 11:58 to go.

With two minutes left, Smalls iced the game, hitting two huge 3-pointers down the stretch that sealed Colgate’s fate. His second 3-pointer gave the Eagles a 66-52 lead, their largest of the game.

The Eagles went on to win 72-62. Stephens led the team in scoring and assists, dropping 16 points and 4 assists. Rogers followed in scoring with 15 points, as well as 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

Though American’s students were on spring break, Bender was still rocking with a strong turnout of 1,908 people — the fourth largest crowd in Bender this season.

Eagles head coach Duane Simpkins appreciated the crowd and the community’s support.

“They want to see winners,” Simpkins said. “It’s cool to see that we’re getting people excited about coming out because we’re winning basketball games.”

Simpkins was also extremely proud of his team for beating such a successful program in the tournament.

“To be able to beat Colgate, a program that has been dominant for the past five or six years in route to our first championship in some time, is big time,” Simpkins said.

Rogers has matched up against Colgate All-Patriot League Second Team graduate center, Jeff Woodward, many times in his career, and shared his praise for one of his rivals after his final collegiate game.

“He’s a great player. He’s made me better. I’ve hopefully made him better,” Rogers said. “I respect him and I wish him the best going forward.”

Rogers, who had a bounce back game after only scoring 5 points against Lafayette on March 9, talked about the importance of creating smart shots in the offense.

“Just letting the game come to me, not forcing anything, not changing anything that I do and creating other shots for open guys. I’m not trying to be the guy that shoots 30 times in a game. I’m trying to get smart shots, get shots for everybody, even myself,” Rogers said.

Smalls is excited about the opportunity to play in a Patriot League Championship game against Navy on his home court. 

“Me and Matt, our first college game was actually against Navy at Navy. So for our last college game at Bender to be against Navy, and to be able to get a win for a Patriot League Championship, it feels amazing. It’s a super amazing opportunity,” Smalls said.

The Patriot League champion will be crowned following Wednesday’s game. The winner of the final will automatically advance to play in the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles have a chance to be in the tournament for the first time since 2014.

McNeese State: 2024-25 Southland Men's Basketball Champions

 

LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Quadir Copeland scored 18 points and McNeese defeated Lamar 63-54 in a cold-shooting, defensive battle on Wednesday, giving the Cowboys back-to-back Southland Conference Tournament championships.

The top-seeded Cowboys (27-6) will be making their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

The Cowboys led wire-to-wire. The lead was 31-22 with two minutes remaining in the first half before 3-pointers by second-seeded Lamar's Andrew Holifield and Alexis Marmolejos sparked an 8-2 run. McNeese led 33-30 at halftime.

The defensive battle continued in the second half as McNeese went 5-for-15 and Lamar 5 for 23 in the first 12-and-a-half minutes after halftime. McNeese led 47-41 at the under-8 timeout.

Sincere Parker made four free throws to help the Cowboys maintain their lead over the next several minutes and they finally got their next made field goal on a dunk by Christian Shumate to lead 53-46 with three minutes remaining. Shumate's dunk was the Cowboys' last field goal attempt and they finished off the win with a series of 10 made free throws.

Lamar made two field goals in the last seven minutes, both in the final 47 seconds. McNeese made one shot in the final seven minutes.

For the game, McNeese shot 42% and Lamar made 31%.

DJ Richards had 10 points for McNeese before fouling out with 1:42 remaining on a double technical with Lamar's Errol White, who also fouled out.

Marmolejos scored 18 points, Holifield 15 and Adam Hamilton 11 for Lamar.

Lamar has made seven trips to the NCAA Tournament, the last in 2012.

Robert Morris: 2024-25 Horizon Men's Basketball Champions

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Josh Omojafo scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and Robert Morris beat Youngstown State 89-78 on Tuesday night to claim the Horizon League Tournament championship and clinch an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Robert Morris (26-8) will make its ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, most recently in 2015 when the Colonials beat North Florida in the First Four before losing to No. 1 seed and eventual champion Duke in the first round.

Omojafo led all five RMU starters in double figures in the scoring column. Kam Woods scored 17 points, Alvaro Folgueiras had 14, Amarion Dickerson 13 and DJ Smith 11.

Robert Morris led the whole way.

Juwan Maxey scored 23 points and Nico Galette added 21 for Youngstown State (21-13).

Robert Morris built an 11-0 lead before the Penguins responded with a 14-6 spurt to get back in it. Maxey’s 3-pointer with 2:22 left before halftime reduced Youngstown State’s deficit to 30-29 and the Colonials led 34-29 at halftime.

Cris Carroll made a 3 to get Youngstown State again within two at 54-52 with 11:23 remaining, but Folgueiras countered with a 3 almost two minutes later and the Penguins never got closer.

Robert Morris created safe distance outscoring the Penguins 11-5 in a four-minute stretch in which Folgueiras, Ryan Prather Jr. and Omojafo each made 3s.

Folgueiras’ 3 with 2:33 left gave Robert Morris its largest lead at 78-65.

Youngstown State is 0-4 in conference tournament championships.

Saint Francis: 2024-25 Northeast Men's Basketball Champions

 

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. -- Daemar Kelly hit a go-ahead jumper with nine seconds left and Chris Moncrief made 1 of 2 free throws after he stole the ball to help St. Francis (Pa.) stun top-seeded Central Connecticut State 46-43 on Tuesday night to win the Northeastern Conference tournament championship.

It ended the nation's longest active win streak at 14 and earned the Red Flash their second trip to the NCAA tournament.

No. 3 seed St. Francis (16-17) had lost five in a row to the Blue Devils (25-7), including twice this season by a combined 31 points. The Red Flash won their only other conference tournament in 1991. The fourth time was the charm for head coach Rob Krimmel, who lost in three previous trips to the title game in 2017, '19 and '20.

St. Francis freshman Juan Cranford Jr. and Blue Devils' junior Devin Haid both scored 14 and were the only players to reach double figures.

According to ESPN Research, the last time a Division I team won its conference tournament championship without reaching 50 points was Georgia State in the 2015 Sun Belt Conference championship game, when it beat Georgia Southern 38-36.

The two teams played to a 20-20 tie in a cold-shooting first half.

Cranford opened the second half with a 3-pointer, and he hit a jumper to give the Red Flash a 37-33 lead with 9:50 left. Central Connecticut State scored the next four points, but Riley Parker answered with a 3-pointer to put St. Francis up three with 7:20 left.

The Red Flash led by four when Haid made two free throws to end a five-minute scoring drought for the Blue Devils. He missed his next two shots before sinking a jumper to tie it at 41 with 1:42 left. Valentino Pinedo had a go-ahead basket but missed a chance at a three-point play. Joe Ostrowsky tied it for the final time with 17 seconds left. Haid missed a 3-pointer to end it.

UNC Wilmington: 2024-25 Colonial Men's Basketball Champions

 

With his team's season at stake, UNCW basketball point guard Donovan Newby went for reassurance.

Ahead of his two trips to the free-throw line in the final 13 seconds in the CAA championship game on Tuesday night, Newby could be seen talking to himself as he set up for each pair of critical shots.

"I was telling myself, 'You're built for this,'" he said.

Newby coolly drained all four shots, finally pushing back the last chances at an upset by Delaware and sending UNCW back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years. The Seahawks grabbed a 76-72 victory at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., and head back to the Port City, ready to create even more March Madness.

"We could have wilted at any point," coach Takayo Siddle said. "We got through any adversity that was in front of us and got the job done.

"We've experienced two of these where it didn't work out. But we always talk about learning life lessons."

Led by Newby, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, UNCW returns to the NCAA field for the first time since their back-to-back trips in 2016-17. It will learn its opponent during Sunday's NCAA Selection Show, which begins at 6 p.m.

This was the Seahawks' third CAA final in four seasons under Siddle, and they finally broke through.

"We are a program that is prideful," Siddle said. "We have a championship culture, and we always feel like if we don't win it all, we fail. At least I do. ... To be back up top is very special."

No. 2 seed UNCW had as much as a 15-point lead in the first half, but the 12th-seeded Blue Hens ― playing their fifth game in five days ― refused to give in and took a four-point lead with 13:23 to play.

The Seahawks (27-7) were led in scoring by Newby with 17 points as four Seahawks finished in double figures. Newby finished the tournament 18-for-18 from the free-throw line over three games.

Noah Ross had 14 points, Bo Montgomery had 13 and Khamari McGriff had 10. Newby had six of the final seven points for UNCW in the final 35 seconds. Newby was joined on the all-tournament team by Ross and McGriff.

Reigning CAA Freshman of the Year Izaiah Pasha was excellent for Delaware, finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Delaware (16-20) was attempting to become only the third team to win five games in a conference tournament, and the highest seed to ever win a conference tournament.

UNCW outscored Delaware 32-0 on bench points, as the Hens played only their starters for nearly all of the final 30 minutes of the game.

For the postgame press conference, Siddle was joined by McGriff, the program's only four-year player, as well as Ross, Newby and Nolan Hodge, who've all been here three years. One reporter noted that three of them weren't even starters.

"Our depth is a big weapon for us," Ross said. "Anyone can deliver for us. That's everyone's mindset going into the game."

Gonzaga: 2024-25 West Coast Men's Basketball Champions

 

LAS VEGAS -- Braden Huff scored 18 points and Gonzaga avenged two regular-season losses to Saint Mary's, beating the 19th-ranked Gaels 58-51 in the West Coast Conference tournament championship Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs (25-8) secured the WCC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, though both teams were safely in the field regardless of the outcome.

They got some measure of revenge for losing to the Gaels in last year's title game, which ended Gonzaga's run of four conference championships and 10 of 11. Gonzaga also extended its national record to 18 consecutive 25-win seasons.

"We've had an inordinate amount of one-possession games," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "I think that's why we're such an interesting seed going into this NCAA tournament. I think we were 350th in luck in Kenpom. We've had more banked 3s on us than I could ever, ever remember in my entire career.

"Whether it's law of averages coming through or just a little resiliency ... or maybe it's just desperation by some seniors who don't want this thing to end."

Saint Mary's (28-5) had its seven-game winning streak stopped. But the Gaels, who had won 17 of 18 games, went cold from long range at the wrong time. According to ESPN Research, Saint Mary's finished 0-16 from 3-point range, the first time in 787 games under coach Randy Bennett that the team failed to make a 3-pointer.

Khalif Battle scored 14 points for the Zags, Graham Ike added 11 and Ryan Nembhard had 10.

Mitchell Saxen led Saint Mary's with 20 points but scored only six after halftime. Two-time WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis finished with 12 points.

"We've had a great year," Bennett said. "We did not play well tonight."

Saint Mary's was attempting to become the first team since San Diego in 1996-97 to beat Gonzaga three times in a season. But Gonzaga entered the game with the higher Kenpom rating, ninth to 22nd for the Gaels, and was a 3½-point favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook.

And the Bulldogs played like favorites. They committed just four turnovers while forcing 18 that included two shot-clock violations in the closing minutes, as they put themselves back on familiar ground.

In fact, according to ESPN Research, Gonzaga has now won the WCC tournament 22 times, including 20 times under Few. Only Kentucky (32), Duke (27) and North Carolina (26) have won more Division I conference tournaments.

Both teams will find out their NCAA tournament seeds and destinations Sunday.

Zenless Misadventures, Day 16

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