| Hope is still perfect against
Division III opponents after edging Adrian. File photo |
No. 1 Hope edged Adrian in an overtime thriller 65-62 to win the MIAA tournament. The Flying Dutchmen will enter the NCAA Tournament as the only team without a loss to a Division III opponent.
Hope and Adrian battled back and forth throughout the MIAA title game with neither team ever leading by more than six. Colton Overway gave the Flying Dutchmen a three-point lead with 28 seconds left in regulation with a fastbreak dunk, but Adrian's Cody Barnes answered with a three-pointer to tie the game. In overtime Hope didn't make a field goal but it made five free throws and held Adrian to two points.
Denison's Cinderella run through the NCAC playoffs fell just short of a conference title. No. 19 Wooster stopped the Big Red 53-51 to win its fourth consecutive NCAC tournament. The Scots had just a two point lead on Denison with 1:39 to play but neither team scored the rest of the game.
Buena Vista snared the IIAC title by beating Coe 54-52 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the second time this year. Coe missed a potential game-tying jumper and a game-winning three-point shot in the final five seconds.
That wasn't Saturday's only dramatic finish. Joe Joseph hit a three pointer at the buzzer to lift Westminster (Mo.) over MacMurray 58-56 in the SLIAC title game. Staten Island nipped CUNYAC sixth-seed Megar Evers 82-81 to capture the conference title. The Cougars had the ball with 22 seconds left but could not get a shot off. T.J. Tibbs scored 31 points for Staten Island.
Skidmore beat Hobart 66-63 to win its second consecutive Liberty League title. Terron Victoria hit the game-winning three-pointer with a little over a minute left. The Thoroughbreads set a new program record for victories in a season (19).
In the final game of the night, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps defeated rival Pomona-Pitzer 60-54 to secure the SCIAC title. The Staggs made only 18 field goals but 10 of them were three-pointers.
Final Fours
| Sean Rossi will be one tired -- but happy -- guy Sunday after logging 40 minutes. |
Three teams seeded fourth in their conference playoffs were the final teams standing after Saturday's title games.
Carroll needed help last weekend just to make the MWC playoffs, but the Pioneers won the conference title easily this weekend. Carroll led by as many as 33 points en route to a 87-65 win over St. Norbert. The Pioneers shot 59 percent (32-for-55) from the floor.
York (Pa.) is writing a fairy tale ending to head coach Jeff Gamber's coaching career. The Spartans topped Mary Washington 59-51 to secure the Capital Athletic Conference's automatic bid. Gamber announed before the season started that this would be his last as head coach.
One night after knocking top-seed Hartwick out of the Empire 8 playoffs, Ithaca dumped Nazareth 71-55 in the title game. The Bombers, who were 12-13 before the playoffs began, only played eight players on Saturday. Point guard Sean Rossi played 40 minutes for Ithaca.
Most of Saturday's title winners were the top seeds in their conference. So far Edgewood and Endicott are the only other teams seeded lower than second to win a title. The Eagles beat Lakeland 80-72 to clinch their third trip to the NCAA Tournament. Kent Faurote had 25 points for the Northern Athletics Conference champions. Endicott blasted top seed Salve Regina 90-66 to win the CCC championship.
| Albertus Magnus senior Ray
Askew throws one down in the Falcons' GNAC championship game win
against Anna Maria. Photo by Ron Waite, Photosportacular |
Rankings? What rankings?
Several teams with high winning percentages and low regional rankings won't have to worry about landing an at-large bid.
Albertus Magnus, which was only slotted ninth in the most recent NCAA regional rankings, crushed Anna Maria 88-54 to win its second GNAC title in three years. Becker was picked 11th in those same rankings and they rolled over Elms 66-45 for the NECC title.
Medaille, which isn't ranked at all, won its 13th game in a row and the AMCC title with a 65-52 victory over Penn State-Behrend. The Mavericks improve to 25-2 on the season. Bethany, which is slotted fifth in those same rankings, topped Thomas More 58-53 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference final.
Franklin and Marshall, which has worked its way up the Mid-Atlantic rankings, took care of Muhlenberg 71-55 to clinch another Centennial Conference title. The Diplomats held the Mules to 32 percent shooting (19-for-60) while hitting 46 percent of their own shots (26-for-56). Georgio Milligan flirted with a triple-double, logging 21 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds.
North Central (Ill.) handled Wheaton (Ill.) 75-58 to win the CCIW tournament title. The Cardinals, who lost the previous two meetings with the Thunder, used a 26-5 run to blow the game open. Kevin Gillespie spoke with D3hops.com after the game; scroll down for the video.
Eastern Connecticut was ranked behind Rhode Island College coming into the Little East Conference tournament. The Colonials eased past the Anchormen 82-60 to win their first conference title since 2000.
Rewriting history
| Miseri loves the company it will have in the NCAA tournament. |
Misericordia clinched its first bid to the NCAA men's tournament on the same day that former head coach Dave Martin led the Cougars' women's team to their first NCAA tournament bid. Steve Artzerounian scored 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting and added 10 rebounds as Misericordia dominated Wilkes in the second half of a 69-42 victory in the MAC Freedom championship game. The Cougars outscored the Colonels 45-15 in the second half.
Salem State returned to the top of the MASCAC by beating Bridgewater State 83-71. The Bears won the previous three titles, twice beating the Vikings along the way. Salem State won eight of nine titles before Bridgewater State's run.
Oswego State dropped Cortland State 66-57 to win its first SUNYAC title since 1965. The Lakers went 21-0 against conference opponents this season. William Paterson has earned a chance to change the NJAC's fortunes in the NCAA tournament. The Pioneers beat Richard Stockton 67-63 to clinch the automatic bid. The NJAC has not won a game in the NCAA Tournament since Stockton lost to Washington U. in the 2009 national title game, with two of its teams being eliminated by the GNAC champ.
Of course, not all history is bad. Scranton is happy to continue its history of winning the Landmark Conference. The Royals held off Juniata 78-70 to win the title for the fourth time in the Conference's short five-year history. Northwestern (Minn.) grabbed the UMAC's second ever automatic bid with a 60-44 win over Bethany Lutheran.
Semifinal action
Centre upset SCAC tournament host Birmingham-Southern 77-58. The loss was just the second of the season for the Panthers, both coming against the Colonels. Centre will meet the winner of Trinity (Texas) for the conference title Sunday. Centre is also the only team to beat Cabrini.
Playing in its final season as a member of Division III, McMurry upset No. 5 Mary Hardin-Baylor 77-69 to stay alive in the ASC tournament. No. 7 Virginia Wesleyan nearly met the same fate in the ODAC semifinal but the Marlins rallied to beat Hampden-Sydney 67-65. Virginia Wesleyan will play Randolph for the title after the Wildcats surprised Randolph-Macon 58-51.
No. 2 Amherst and No. 4 Middlebury dispatched their NESCAC semifinal opponents by similar margins. The Lord Jeffs beat Bates 97-74 and the Panthers handled Wesleyan 74-52.