| Travis Farrell got his shot off in plenty of time to lift Scranton past Middlebury. |
Scranton overcame a long road trip, a hostile crowd and a game-tying shot in the final seconds to defeat No. 4 Middlebury 58-55 on a Travis Farrell three-pointer at the buzzer.
Scranton appeared on its way to upsetting Middlebury when the Royals led 55-50 with 56 seconds left. Joey Kizel completed a three-point play to draw the Panthers within two. After the Royals missed a layup on their next possession, Kizel scored again to tie the game with six seconds left. On Scranton's next possession, Farrell hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer (see video below) and the Royals celebrated.
The Royals will face Cabrini in tomorrow's national quarterfinals. The Cavaliers defeated Eastern Connecticut 72-65 to punch their first ticket ever to the Elite 8 and give Marcus Kahn his 100th victory at Cabrini. The Cavaliers beat Scranton 71-68 back in December. Freshman Aaron Walton-Moss posted his fourth consecutive double-double with 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
Scranton isn't the only Mid-Atlantic team to defeat a highly ranked NESCAC foe. Franklin and Marshall eliminated second ranked Amherst 80-71. Georgio Milligan scored 30 points for the Diplomats who lost their two prior playoff games against the Lord Jeffs.
This year's Final Four will be the first without a NESCAC or UAA team since 2001.
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Wittenberg fought past North Central in Friday
night's sectional semifinals. |
Virginia Wesleyan outlasted Whitworth 74-71 in overtime to advance to the national quarterfinals in Wisconsin. The teams traded buckets in overtime with the Marlins gaining the advantage for good on a Chris Teasley jumper. Teasley finished with 27 points. Virginia Wesleyan will take on host UW-Whitewater on Saturday night. The Warhawks scored 13 of the game's first 15 points and held off Wheaton (Ill.) the rest of the way, 67-56.
Wittenberg battled past North Central (Ill.) 58-55 to advance to the national quarterfinals for the 12th time in program history. The Tigers held the Cardinals to eight points in the final 10:36. In the second game of that double header, the CCIW flipped the result with Illinois Wesleyan beating Wooster 69-67. Eliud Gonzalez's jumper with 18 seconds left was the difference. Victor Davis scored 18 for the Titans.
The highest ranked team left in the tournament is No. 3 MIT. The Engineers defeated Staten Island 83-67 behind Mitchell Kates' 29 points. Jamie Karraker added 25 points for MIT, which improved to 28-1.