Texas: 2019 National Invitation Tournament Champions

NEW YORK -- Texas can hook its horns to an NIT championship.

Dylan Osetkowski had 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead Texas to the NIT championship with an 81-66 win over Lipscomb on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.

"It's great to win a championship," coach Shaka Smart said.

The Longhorns (21-16) beat South Dakota State, Xavier, Colorado and TCU to reach the final, and survived a few late shots at the lead to win their first NIT title since 1978.

Smart, just 71-66 in four seasons with the Longhorns, got Texas to cut down the nets the same time he is reportedly on the short list of candidates to take the UCLA vacancy. Texas has not won an NCAA Tournament game under Smart and few Texas fans would weep if he left for the Bruins.

Texas fans at the Garden enjoyed the title and held up the "hook em" hand gesture as the final seconds ticked off.

Smart was doused with water in the locker room and had a towel with him as he walked to a press conference.

"There have been teams that have come and won the NIT and used it as an unbelievable springboard," Smart said. "And there's teams that haven't."

Jase Febres held off the pesky Bisons -- don't call it a comb-back -- with 3s in the second half that extended the lead to 13 points each time and kept the Longhorns firmly in charge. He finished with 16 points and Kerwin Roach II had 16.

Smart shared a moment with the troubled Roach on the court, an emotional time for a senior in his final game who has been suspended three times over his career. Roach was named the NIT's most outstanding player.

"He's had some phenomenal moments," Smart said. "I don't think he thought he'd be in college this long."

Long enough to go out a champion.

Texas won in front of about 3,000 spectators, and not one sitting above the lower bowl.

Penn State about packed MSG last year, in large part because of a substantial alumni base and rapper Flavor Flav in the house rooting on his cousin.

But this year?

Well, there were a few hundred fans in burnt orange and that was about it.

So why come to this game?

Hours after the Mets won their home opener against the Washington Nationals, the train hub at Penn Station was packed with fans in Mets jerseys. Some even decided to make it a day-night doubleheader and hit MSG.

There was a small group that had made NIT games a tradition for the last 10 years. In a StubHub era in which tickets are grossly inflated from their face value cost, one fan said there wasn't anywhere else u can sit in the front row and watch basketball for a reasonable price.

StubHub had tickets in the prime 100 level going for $11 bucks 24 hours before tip -- which is at least cheaper than a concession stand burger. When one fan yawned toward the end of the first half, a security guard chirped, "it's too early for that."

Eh, not really.

Osetkowski hit three 3s for 15 points in the first half and the Longhorns raced out to a 41-27 lead. The Longhorns will take their shorn nets back to Texas -- with Smart's fate yet to be determined.

Garrison Mathews, named an Associated Press All-America honorable mention, scored 15 points for the Bisons (29-8). He made all 10 free throws but missed 8 of 10 shots from the floor. With their best player in a funk, Lipscomb was doomed.

"They took Garrison for the large part out of the game," Casey Alexander said. "The only thing to be sad about is that it's over."

Buffalo: 2018-19 Mid-American Men's Basketball Champions

CLEVELAND – The University at Buffalo men’s basketball team completed the championship sweep Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena.

Jeremy Harris scored 31 points to help the Bulls to an 87-73 win against Bowling Green for the MAC Tournament championship. The Bulls clinched their fourth MAC Championship and their fourth NCAA Tournament berth since 2015. UB won conference titles and received auto bids in 2015, 2016 and 2018.

The Bulls improve to 31-3, a MAC record for wins in a season in men's basketball. The Bulls enter the  NCAA Tournament on a 12-game winning streak, and will learn their tournament destination when the NCAA announces the 68-team field Sunday night. The NCAA Tournament begins Tuesday with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio.

The Bulls also made Nate Oats’ bank account a little more robust. Under the terms of Oats’ new contract, which began Thursday, the fourth-year Bulls coach will receive a bonus of $75,000 for winning the MAC Tournament championship.

Third-seeded Bowling Green finishes the season 22-12. Saturday was the first meeting between the two teams in the MAC tournament

The Bulls took a 12-8 lead less than five minutes into the game, with the help of 3-pointers by Davonta Jordan and Jayvon Graves, and held the Falcons without a shot from the perimeter – Bowling Green opened 0-3 on 3-pointers, and finished 2 for 10 in the first half.

Then, the Falcons hit a drought from the floor. Bowling Green went without a successful shot form the floor for a span of nearly six minutes. In that time the Bulls went on a 9-0 run, and at one point the Falcons called a 30-second timeout with 9:04 left in an attempt to regroup, trailing 24-13.

It didn’t work. UB built its lead to 28-13 less than a minute after the timeout, and led by as many as 12. The Bulls also didn’t allow Bowling Green to hit its first 3-pointer until less than four minutes remained in the half, but Daeqwon Plowden’s shot cut UB’s lead to 36-31, part of a 14-3 run in the final 4:13 that cut UB’s lead to 39-38 with 1:30 left in the half. The Falcons also grabbed 25 rebounds to Bowling Green’s 17 in the first half, including 18 defensive rebounds to UB’s 13.

The Bulls and the Falcons traded leads five times in the first 2:09 of the second half, before Jeremy Harris’ 3-pointer 3:17 into the half tied the game at 50-50, but Dylan Frye hit only his second 3-pointer to break a scoreless drought of 2:31 that gave the Falcons a 53-50 lead.

The Bulls and the Falcons traded the lead six more times in more than two minutes midway through the second half, and UB used an 11-3 run to open its lead to 74-68 with less than five minutes left.

But Nick Perkins fouled out, a fourth foul plus a technical foul, and Justin Turner and Demajeo Wiggins made three of four free throws to cut UB’s lead to 74-71 with 4:26 left. The Bulls didn’t panic, though. Eighteen seconds later, Graves’ 3-pointer opened UB’s lead back to seven points, kicking off a decisive 13-2 run that closed the game for the Bulls.

Colgate: 2018-19 Patriot Men's Basketball Champions

HAMILTON, N.Y. -- Jordan Burns had a career-high 35 points and Will Rayman added 18 to lead top-seeded Colgate to a 94-80 victory over No. 2 Bucknell in the championship game of the Patriot League Tournament, giving the Raiders their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1996.

The victory before a standing-room only, overflow crowd, avenged last year's championship game loss at Bucknell. The Bison won last year's title matchup 83-54.

Rapolas Ivanauskas added 12 points for the Raiders (24-10, 14-5 Patriot League), who have now won a school-record 11 straight games.

Kimbal Mackenzie led Bucknell (21-12, 13-6) with 23 points. Nate Sestina had 21 before fouling out.

Burns hit 6 of 9 from 3-point range and 10 of 16 overall. Colgate hit 12 of 21 on 3s and 30 of 52 from the field for 58 percent.

Colgate held a 43-30 halftime lead, but Mackenzie almost single-handedly brought Bucknell back early in the second half. He hit his first four 3s and scored 16 of Bucknell's first 18 points after intermission to bring the Bison to 50-48 with just under 16 minutes to go.

Colgate answered with an emphatic run, scoring six straight as part of a 23-10 spurt to take a 73-58 lead with 8:25 remaining. Burns scored 11 points during the spurt, including consecutive 3s in a 40-second span. A hook shot by Rayman gave Colgate its biggest lead at 78-59 with 6:50 to go and the Raiders were never headed.

Colgate raced to the 13-point halftime lead thanks to Burns and Ivanauskas, who scored 19 and nine points, respectively. The Raiders held a 21-15 lead with a little more than 10 minutes to go in the half when Burns, who averaged 15.1 points during the season, went to work.

The sophomore guard scored 13 of Colgate's next 15 points in less than a three-minute span, nine of those points coming on three 3s as the Raiders extended to a 36-19 margin with less than six minutes to go. Burns shot 4 of 6 from beyond the arc.

Colgate hit 6 of 13 from 3 and held Bucknell to just 4 of 15 from deep and 11 of 32 shooting overall. The Raiders also dominated on the boards in the period, outrebounding Bucknell 23-15.

BIG PICTURE

Bucknell: It was a disappointing ending for the Bison, who seemed to have all the momentum after climbing to within two. They now await an invitation to the postseason.

Colgate: Euphoria is the word in Hamilton and Jordan Burns is the toast of the town as the Raiders await their first-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament.

UP NEXT

NCAA Tournament bracket announcement Sunday.

Texas: 2019 Sugar Bowl Champions

NEW ORLEANS -- Bevo's pregame strategy was to run right at the Bulldogs.

Once the football started, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger took the same approach with outstanding results.

Ehlinger ran for three touchdowns, the Texas defense largely held Georgia's offense in check, and the Longhorns earned their first 10-win season since 2009 by beating the Bulldogs 28-21 in the Sugar Bowl on Tuesday night.

"We're back!" Ehlinger shouted to a raucous contingent of Texas fans after winning the game's Most Valuable Player award.

Ehlinger was the star of a gritty win, running for a 2-yard touchdown in the first quarter, a 9-yard score in the second, and a 1-yard TD in the fourth. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound sophomore finished with 64 yards rushing on 21 carries and also threw for 169 yards.

The quarterback's impressive performance came after a startling pregame display from Bevo, the team's huge longhorn steer mascot. About an hour before kickoff, he charged through a barricade and toward Georgia's red sweater-clad bulldog mascot Uga X.

A few people, including photographers, were knocked to the ground, but there were no reported injuries and Bevo was quickly restrained.

No. 14 Texas (10-4) continued its quick rise under coach Tom Herman, capping his second season with a Sugar Bowl win that will surely send expectations soaring after nearly a decade of mostly mediocrity.

During the postgame celebration, some Texas players were making snow angels in the confetti on the field. The different position groups -- like receivers and linebackers -- stayed on the field to take pictures together as the Longhorns obviously relished every moment.

"It is incredible," Ehlinger said. "We are on the way. This was a stepping stone for Texas to get back to the elite level. This is going to give us great momentum headed into the offseason, and I am really excited for what we are going to do next year."

Texas stretched its lead to 28-7 with 11:49 left in the fourth quarter on Ehlinger's 1-yard run, finally scoring on fourth down after his first three attempts at running for the score fell just short of the end zone.

"We pride ourselves in our physicality," Herman said. "At this point in our program, that is how we are going to win games. That is always how we are going to win games.

"I'm just so proud of how hard our guys played. They played hard early. They played hard late. They overcame some adversity. It was a complete team effort."

No. 6 Georgia (11-3) was a 12 1/2-point favorite and claimed it would be ready for the Sugar Bowl despite just missing a spot in the College Football Playoff after a loss in the Southeastern Conference championship game. But a sloppy opening sequence indicated otherwise.

Texas jumped out to a 17-0 lead by early in the second quarter, largely because of Georgia's mistakes on special teams and offense.

The most costly was when D'Andre Swift fumbled deep in Georgia's own territory, giving Texas possession at the 12. Three plays later, Ehlinger deftly escaped trouble in the pocket and scored on a 9-yard run to give the Longhorns a 17-point advantage with 14:53 left in the second quarter.

Georgia got back into the game with a methodical 12-play drive that ended with Jake Fromm finding Brian Herrien for a 17-yard touchdown, but Texas still took a 20-7 advantage into halftime.

"They played more physical than us and it showed to me that they wanted it more than we did," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "And you've got to give them credit for that."

Fromm completed 20 of 34 passes for 212 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The Bulldogs scored a touchdown with 14 seconds left to pull within 28-21 but Texas recovered the ensuing onside kick.

"They did a really good job game planning for us," Fromm said of the Texas defense. "They had an entire month to do so. They were showing a lot of different looks. They were constantly mixing stuff up."

TEXAS IS BACK? HERMAN'S NOT SO SURE

Ehlinger's "We're back!" comment on the Sugar Bowl stage certainly revved up Texas fans. His coach wasn't as big of a fan.

The coach was asked if his heart dropped when Ehlinger made the statement, the coach responded with a good-natured "Yes," while Ehrlinger, who was seated next to him, tried to stifle a grin.

"I'll never know what that means, `Is Texas back?' so I'm never going to comment on that," Herman said. "It can mean a lot of different things so I'll never comment on that. I know we're headed in the right direction. I don't ever want to give any kind of finality on where we're at, because we're always making progress."

THE TAKEAWAY

Texas: It's a validating win for Texas, which was the physically dominant team while playing one of the SEC's best programs. It's fair to say the Longhorns are ahead of schedule under Herman and expectations will skyrocket going forward.

"I'm going to speak for the Big 12," Texas defensive back P.J. Locke said. "There's a misconception saying the Big 12 is soft. We played more physical than an SEC team. That's clear cut."

Georgia: A very good Bulldogs' season ended with a huge thud after back-to-back losses to Alabama and Texas. Georgia made far too many mistakes against the Longhorns and Fromm didn't have one of his best games.

UP NEXT

Georgia is a set to be very good again in 2019, especially on offense where most of the starters should return. The Bulldogs open next season with an SEC game on the road against Vanderbilt on Aug. 31.

Texas returns several key pieces, including Ehlinger, but loses several key contributors on defense. Texas will host Louisiana Tech in the season opener on Aug. 31.

Northwestern; 2017 Music City Bowl Champions

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Go ahead and question Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald's decisions to go for it over and over on fourth down, even late in a move that nearly cost the Wildcats dearly.

His defense had their coach's back.

The Wildcats broke up Kentucky's 2-point conversion, and No. 21 Northwestern held off Kentucky 24-23 on Friday in a Music City Bowl that might be remembered more for injuries, ejections and a wild finish.

"I'm not sure words can describe that game," Fitzgerald said. "Wow. What a great job by our young men. We had to persevere through so much."

Justin Jackson ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns as Northwestern (10-3) finished off back-to-back bowl wins in consecutive years for the first time in program history. The Wildcats notched their second 10-win season in three years and third in six under Fitzgerald. The senior class also won its 27th game for the best stretch in more than a decade.

Both starting quarterbacks left in the first half with injuries, though Kentucky's Stephen Johnson returned early in the third quarter. Kentucky lost running back Benny Snell Jr. to an ejection for contact with an official early in the second quarter, and Northwestern lost leading tackler and linebacker Paddy Fisher before halftime when he was ejected for targeting.

Kentucky (7-6) still had a chance to win after Fitzgerald tried to convert his fifth fourth down of the game only to turn it over for the fourth time on downs -- this time at his own 39 with 2:31 left.

"Go for the win," Fitzgerald said of his decision. "We got it did you see the replay? I did. It is what it is, and somebody had to make a play. We went for the win right there."

Johnson ran for his second TD of the second half with 37 seconds left. Kentucky coach Mark Stoops went for the 2-point conversion rather than play for overtime. Johnson couldn't connect with Tavin Richardson on the pass. That cost Kentucky a chance at its best season since 2007 and a second straight bowl loss.

"We just lost a heartbreaker by inches," Stoops said.

With quarterback Clayton Thorson knocked out early in the second with an injured right knee , Northwestern outran Kentucky 333-65. Safety Kyle Quiero provided the winning margin taking Northwestern's second interception 26 yards for a TD with 7:49 left.

TAKEAWAYS

Northwestern: Losing Jackson won't be easy. He finished his career 10th among the NCAA's leading rushers with 5,440 yards. But Jeremy Larkin is a redshirt freshman who ran for 112 yards, and he will be back in 2018. Thorson already planned to return for his senior season too. Fitzgerald said he told Jackson he'd better get a lot of yards.

"He's coming for you, you know he's coming for you," Fitzgerald said.

Kentucky: Snell, who came in leading the SEC in rushing TDs, capped the opening drive of the game with a 3-yard TD that was his 19th this season and 32nd of his career. Both are school records, and he'll be back for his junior season.

QUESTIONABLE EJECTIONS

Both teams lost key players in a wild second quarter. The Wildcats lost Snell when he was ejected with 13:01 left in for contact with referee Chris Coyte. Snell had just lost 7 yards on a run, and Coyte appeared to be trying to give Snell a hand up. Replays showed Snell perhaps pushing Coyte's hands away as he got up. The referee then threw the flag immediately. Kentucky trailed 10-7 at the time.

"I was on top of the play," Coyte told a pool reporter. "And the player got up and grabbed my arms and pushed them away and contacted me. That's a foul."

UGLY INJURY



Thorson hurt his right knee as he was tackled after making a 24-yard catch early in the second quarter. After handing off to Larkin, Thorson ran down the left sideline and was wide open for the catch before being tackled by Kentucky linebacker Jordan Jones. But Thorson, in his 38th career start, immediately grabbed at his right knee. He was carted off the field and replaced by senior Matt Alviti.

Fitzgerald said Thorson will have an MRI exam when they return home.

UP NEXT

Northwestern: The Wildcats have to replace Jackson.

Kentucky: Replacing Johnson at quarterback will be Stoops' challenge.

North Dakota: 2016-17 Big Sky Men's Basketball Champions

RENO, Nev. -- North Dakota senior guard Quenton Hooker remembers how tough it was to lose to Weber State as a freshman in the 2012 Big Sky Conference Tournament.

He also remembers it as a sophomore and as a junior.

"Ever since my freshman year, they've always been the team to knock us out," Hooker said. "I remember seeing them celebrate in their home gym. I remember leaving and thinking, `I want that. We want that. This program deserves that.' It took some ups and downs. but to do that (win the championship), it really is special."

Top-seeded North Dakota beat Weber State 93-89 in overtime night to win the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship and get the program's first NCAA Tournament berth.

Since joining the Big Sky in 2012, North Dakota (22-9) has had its chances to win the tournament and make the NCAA Tournament, but Weber State (19-13) always stood in the way.

North Dakota rallied with a 20-9 run to force overtime after falling behind 72-61 with 7:26 left.

Geno Crandall's layup with 7 seconds tied the game at 81.

In the extra period, Crandall and Hooker combined for 10 of North Dakota's 12 points.

"They've knocked us out of this tournament every year, so it's just a day for us to exercise our demons," North Dakota coach Brian Jones said.

Center Conner Avants added 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting, and Corey Baldwin scored 10 points. Jeremy Senglin led the third-seeded Wildcats with 26 points. Kyndahl Hill added 21 points and 12 rebounds.

"It's exciting," Weber State coach Randy Rahe said. "It's what you play for. You play all season to try to get there (the championship game). We've won our share. We've lost our share. If you get there enough times, you're not going to win them all."

Senglin passed Bruce Collins (1976-1980) for the most points in Weber State history (2,030).

UP NEXT

Weber State: The Wildcats hope to get into the NIT or another lesser tournament.

North Dakota: The Fighting Hawks are headed to their first NCAA Tournament.

Northwestern: 2016 Pinstripe Bowl Champions

NEW YORK -- Justin Jackson has the last name made for the bright lights at Yankee Stadium.

He had the kind of postseason game worthy of the setting.

"Big city. Big stage," he said. "We walked into Yankee Stadium and everything kind of really hit us."

Jackson made his case in the home of the Yankees to become Northwestern's Mr. December.

Unlike Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson, the Wildcats' stud running back did his damage one step at a time instead of one swing. Jackson ran for 224 yards and three touchdowns to power Northwestern to only its third bowl victory, 31-24 over No. 22 Pittsburgh in the Pinstripe Bowl on Wednesday night.

"Justin's day will go down as one of the great performances by a Northwestern running back," coach Pat Fitzgerald said.

Jackson was the straw that stirred Northwestern's offense in the Bronx and helped etch this performance alongside the 1948 Rose Bowl and 2012 Gator Bowl victories in the program's oft-futile history.

Jackson, the game's MVP , was awed by the lights and monuments at the stadium. But it was a more discreet spot in the locker room Northwestern borrowed from the Yankees that really bowled over Jackson.

"Like, Derek Jeter has peed in that urinal," he said.

Jackson had TD runs of 8 and 16 yards in the second quarter, then went deep on a 40-yard burst in the third that left one defender face down on the turf following a fantastic fake and gave the Wildcats (7-6) a 21-17 lead.

Rallying without injured quarterback Nathan Peterman and running back James Conner, Pitt yanked the lead away in the fourth on a short TD pass before it collapsed the rest of the quarter.

The Wildcats turned a fourth-and-1 into a 21-yard play-action TD pass that made it 28-24 and a hit late field goal for a seven-point lead.

The Panthers (8-5), who had wins over No. 2 Clemson and Big Ten champion Penn State, still had time to spoil Northwestern's upset bid with a late drive for the tying score. Scott Orndoff failed to hang on to backup quarterback Ben DiNucci's strike in the end zone on third down. DiNucci had his fourth-down pass picked off by Jared McGee, who helped bust up the previous pass play, to clinch the win for the Wildcats.

Northwestern's defense made the stops late. Jackson carried the Wildcats to a celebration on a purple-glittered baseball field .

"We didn't tackle a really good tailback," Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said.

Jackson stiff-armed one defender, then bowled over a second for a 16-yard score that helped Northwestern take a 14-10 lead into halftime.

After some confusion over his final rushing total, Jackson fell just shy of setting the Pinstripe Bowl mark of 227 yards by Indiana's Devine Redding.

"We'll go over every yard," Fitzgerald said.

Peterman, who threw for 253 yards, gave Pitt a 17-14 lead on a 5-yard scamper in the third. Peterman's solid outing ended late in the quarter when he was sandwiched between two defenders and his head slammed the turf.

DiNucci was picked on Pitt's final drive with 30 seconds left in the game and the Wildcats would get their kicks from storming the field in a frenzy.

Conner, who capped a triumphant return from Hodgkin lymphoma, suffered a brutal helmet-to-helmet blow to the head late in the first half and did not return. Unlike some draft prospects, Conner played the bowl game even though he decided to skip his senior season and declare for the NFL draft. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Conner, who had 1,060 yards rushing and 20 total touchdowns entering the game, was far from a sure-fire early NFL pick.

"One of the defenders turned around and went for him, I guess, instead of going for the ball. Kind of interesting," Narduzzi said.

Conner was stuffed when he tried to go over the top on a failed fourth-down try in the first quarter.

THE TAKEAWAY

Northwestern: The Wildcats were stout all around. Clayton Thorson was 23 of 36 for 214 yards passing and had the winning TD pass. Garrett Dickerson caught the go-ahead TD and had five catches for 46 yards. The Wildcats can chalk this one up to a fantastic four: 4 for 4 on fourth-down conversions.

Pittsburgh: The Panthers may have pulled out a victory had their offensive stalwarts not been sidelined late with injuries. Losing to a 6-6 Big Ten definitely ends the year on a down note.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Pitt will fall out of the Top 25 and failed to finish the season ranked and with nine wins for the first time since 2009.

UP NEXT


Northwestern can only hope Jackson's latest breakout game in the national spotlight will propel the program to great heights in the loaded Big Ten.

Jackson led the Big Ten with 1,300 yards rushing and became the first Wildcat to rush for 1,000-plus yards in three straight seasons. He said he would return for his senior season. "You don't come here and not get a degree," he said.

Fitzgerald cracked: "There's no way. Your dad will kill you."

Pitt has to replace Conner in the backfield and find a new offensive coordinator. Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Canada called the shots for the final time before packing up for the same position at LSU.

Louisiana Tech: 2016 Armed Forces Bowl Champions

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Louisiana Tech senior quarterback Ryan Higgins was bawling like a baby even before Jonathan Barnes' game-ending kick went through the uprights to win the Armed Forces Bowl.

"As soon as (the holder) put the ball down, I felt like the kick was money," Higgins said. "Each person that I hugged after that, it was just getting worse and worse. .... I just couldn't be happier to send my class and this team out on a high note."

Higgins threw for 409 yards and four touchdowns, two each to Trent Taylor and Carlos Henderson, and Barnes' 32-yard field goal broke the game's fourth tie as the Bulldogs beat Navy 48-45 on Friday.

"Excellent win would be an understatement," coach Skip Holtz said.

"If you want to be a kicker, you live for that," Barnes said. "I'm lucky to be able to share it with a bunch of guys that are like my brothers."

The Bulldogs (9-5) drove for the winning score after Navy freshman quarterback Malcolm Perry ran 30 yards for a touchdown on his only play. Higgins was then 4 -for 4 for 58 yards on the final drive.

Navy (9-5), which was trying for its first consecutive 10-win seasons, instead ended with its third straight loss. The Midshipmen lost the American Athletic Conference title game before its first loss to Army since 2001.

"They made a few more plays than we did," coach Ken Niumatalolo said.

Taylor, the 5-foot-8 senior, set an Armed Forces Bowl record with his 12 catches for 233 yards, including a 51-yard TD just before halftime for a 31-24 lead, and joined Troy Edwards as the only Bulldogs with more than 4,000 career receiving yards. Henderson, a junior had 10 catches for 129 yards and finished this season with 19 TDs.

Perry, whose TD with 3:46 left tied the game at 45-45, came in after Zach Abey took a shot to the ribs on a play that led to a targeting ejection by Tech defensive tackle Jordan Bradford.

Abey, who made only his second start, ran for 114 yards and two scores and threw for 159 yards and another touchdown.

TAKEAWAY

Louisiana Tech: The Conference USA runner-up Bulldogs won their third straight bowl and reached nine wins for the third consecutive season, the first time as a Division I team to do that. After falling behind 21-17 early in the second quarter, the Bulldogs regained the lead on Henderson's 3-yard TD and never trailed again.

Navy: After being held to 270 yards rushing in the previous two losses, this was more like the Midshipmen triple-option offense. They had 459 total yards, 300 on the ground. Even so, it was a bitter end for Navy, which had won three straight bowl games -- a streak that started with an Armed Forces Bowl victory three years ago.

PENALIZED NAVY

The Midshipmen's 70 yards on penalties (seven) were their most under Niumatalolo. "We've been coaching nine years and we led the country in the least amount of penalties. I told those (officials) after this game we would be leading the country," he said. "I thought there were a lot of bad calls." Jarid Ryan had an apparent third-down interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter that was instead called pass interference.

HENDERSON HIGHLIGHTS

Both of Henderson's TDs were short (3 and 4 yards) and impressive. On his 3-yarder in the first half, he made a two-handed grab over the defender and got both feet in bounds. With just over 4 minutes left in the game, he had a leaping 4-yard catch when he reached around with his right hand for the catch in the back corner of the end zone.

HIGH MARKS

The 93 combined points made for the highest-scoring Armed Forces Bowl, surpassing California's 55-36 win over Air Force last year. ... Navy's Chris High twice had tying TD runs (24 yards and 9 yards ) on long Navy drives in the second half.

UP NEXT


Louisiana Tech: After Higgins became the third senior Bulldogs QB in as many seasons to throw for more than 3,000 yards, sophomore J'Mar Smith could be starting when the Bulldogs open next season against Northwestern State. WR Taylor will be gone, but Henderson has another season of eligibility and could be a prime target.

Navy: The Midshipmen go into the offseason with their first losing streak since they had a three-game slide in the 2014 season. They have a long wait before their first chance to snap that streak, in the 2017 opener at Florida Atlantic on Sept. 2.

Memphis: 2014 Miami Beach Bowl Champions

The athletic directors at Memphis and BYU are expressing regret over the fight following the Tigers' 55-48 overtime victory over the Cougars in the Miami Beach Bowl on Monday.

Memphis athletic director Tom Bowen said he and coach Justin Fuente will review video over the next few days and take "appropriate disciplinary measures." He added in a statement Tuesday: "Hopefully, it will be a learning lesson for both teams."

"I don't know what happened at the end, first of all, so I don't know how upset I am," Fuente said after the game. "I'm sure I'll see it eventually. It's not who we are, it's not what we want to represent. I hope it doesn't take away from an incredible football game, for both sides."

BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe apologized to fans via Twitter.

After DaShaughn Terry's game-clinching interception in overtime Monday, dozens from both sidelines headed toward the middle of the field, with many punching and grabbing.

Cameras showed blood streaming from the face of BYU defensive back Kai Nacua as he came from behind to punch Memphis tight end Alan Cross, who was being restrained by someone from the Tigers' staff, in the head.

"You want them to rise above that and have fantastic sportsmanship," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "I'm sure if you go back and look, there'll be an instance or two that ignited. Probably the majority wanted to handle it really well."

Memphis president M. David Rudd also issued a statement Tuesday in response to the fight.

"We will provide another statement after the completion of that inquiry," Rudd said. "We have the highest expectations of sportsmanship for all of our student-athletes at the University of Memphis. I am very confident in Tom Bowen and Coach Fuente's leadership and know that working together we will be able to ensure incidents like this do not happen in the future."

American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco released a statement saying he has been in contact with Memphis officials and the league will work with the school in determining violations of the conference's code of sportsmanship.

"Needless to say, we are extremely disappointed that this happened, as we expect the highest standard of conduct from our student-athletes," Aresco said in the statement.

Memphis is a member of the American. BYU is an independent in football.

Pompeii

I was left to my own devices

Many days fell away with nothing to show

And the walls kept tumbling down

In the city that we love

Great clouds roll over the hills

Bringing darkness from above

But if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

Nothing changed at all?

And if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

You've been here before?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

We were caught up and lost in all of our vices

In your pose as the dust settled around us

And the walls kept tumbling down

In the city that we love

Great clouds roll over the hills

Bringing darkness from above

But if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

Nothing changed at all?

And if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

You've been here before?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

Oh where do we begin?

The rubble or our sins?

Oh oh where do we begin?

The rubble or our sins?

And the walls kept tumbling down (oh where do we begin?)

In the city that we love (the rubble or our sins?)

Great clouds roll over the hills (oh where do we begin?)

Bringing darkness from above (the rubble or our sins?)

But if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

Nothing changed at all?

And if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

You've been here before?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

If you close your eyes, 

does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?

Australia to the ASEAN Football Federation...finally!

April 9 (Reuters) - Australia will continue to compete in future editions of the East Asian Cup despite their impending membership of Southeast Asia's ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), officials told Reuters on Tuesday.

 The Socceroos will have their AFF invite affiliation upgraded at the federation's Extraordinary Congress in August but have no plans to compete in its biennial Suzuki Cup against teams more than 100 places below them in the FIFA rankings.

 "Australia was invited to participate in this year's EAFF Cup. If invited again we will continue to accept and participate in this competition," a Football Federation of Australia spokesman said.

 "At this point we would not seek to enter senior national teams into the Suzuki Cup, however, Australia is committed to entering underage and Futsal teams into AFF competitions."

 Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006 after moving from the less competitive Oceania Federation where they routinely racked up double-digit victories over largely amateur sides in the Pacific Islands.

 The Socceroos, ranked 39th by world governing body FIFA, were then made invite members of the AFF and have routinely competed in youth competitions in the 11 nation federation.

Last week at an AFF meeting in Malaysia they had their entry 'unanimously supported' by members, the spokesman said.

Australia will make their debut in the EAFF Cup in July after coming through qualifiers against North Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Guam undefeated with a largely youthful side in December.

The four team finals also feature Japan, China and hosts South Korea. (Reporting by Patrick Johnston in Singapore)