No. 20 Yeshiva won its second straight Skyline title and the automatic bid that comes with it. Photo by Yeshiva University athletics

The final automatic bids to the NCAA Division III basketball tournaments were awarded on Sunday, including to former No. 1 Yeshiva and current No. 1 Randolph-Macon. 

• Who's going dancing: Men | Women
• Sunday scoreboard: Men | Women
• Championship Saturday coverage: Men | Women
• More headlines: Men | Women

Most men’s finals went according to their seedings.

No. 1 Randolph-Macon wrapped up the ODAC tournament title and its automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 74-59 win over Virginia Wesleyan. The Yellow Jackets led by one at the break but pulled away with a 12-0 run early in the second half. Randolph-Macon shot 54 percent from the field with Daniel Mbangue shooting 6 for 8 and Miles Mallory 6 for 10.

No. 11 Wesleyan defeated No. 21 Williams 78-75 in overtime to win the NESCAC’s automatic bid. (Photos from this game.) The teams traded leads multiple times in the extra period until Preston Maccoux hit a free throw and Nicky Johnson made a running layup to give the Cardinals a 75-72 lead. Wesleyan made enough free throws to leave the Ephs with just a desperation three to tie at the buzzer, which they missed. Maccoux scored 18 points for Wesleyan which took two of three from its Little Three rival this season. Williams is a lock for an at-large bid. 

No. 20 Yeshiva avoided any drama over its low strength of schedule by crushing Manhattanville 74-40 in the Skyline title game. The Maccabees led wire-to-wire and held the Valiants to 30 percent shooting. Yeshiva's dramatic seaoson will continue into the NCAA Tournament for the second time. "Nobody knows what goes on in practice or in a locker room throughout the course of a season," Yeshiva coach Elliot Steinmtez said. "What guys battle with, what a team goes through. So proud of our guys for ignoring the noise and just playing for each other. Happy to see them succeed."

No. 12 St. Joseph (Conn.) was similarly dominant in the GNAC championship as the Blue Jays blasted Albertus Magnus, 94-67. Jaecee Martin poured in 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in 38 minutes for USJ. The Blue Jays will make the NCAA Tournament for the second time after starting its varsity program three seasons ago.

In other men's finals:

• St. John's denied Macalester its glass slipper. The Johnnies knocked out the sixth-seeded Scots 75-71 on the strength of a 12-point, 14-rebound game from center Zach Hanson.
   
• Stevens seized the MAC Freedom automatic bid on Maguire Sweeney's free throws with 11 seconds left, edging Lycoming, 71-68. Ducks' center Alec Dipietrantonio posted 21 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out while Dyson Harward had another double-double for Lycoming (16 points, 12 rebounds).

The women's action started with a surprising result as someone other than Amherst, Tufts or Bowdoin won the NESCAC’s automatic bid. Bates went up big and held on to beat No. 8 Amherst, 51-42, on a neutral court in the tournament final. The Bobcats built a 40-20 lead entering the final period which Amherst cut down to five in the final minute. But Meghan Graff capped her 20-point day with six free throws in the final minute to seal the victory. Bates won the tournament as the fifth seed without playing any games at home.

DeSales defeated Stevens 68-54 and continued its dominance in the MAC Freedom Conference. Megan Bealer scored 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting with seven rebounds for the Bulldogs. Jess Broad scored 22 for Stevens, which should be the first team up for at-large bid consideration from Region 4. DeSales has won 10 MAC Freedom titles, including four in a row.

No. 19 Messiah also continued its mastery in the MAC Commonwealth, taking care of Widener, 69-55. Leah Springer had 22 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks for the Falcons who have been in the NCAA Tournament every season but one since 2000.

In other women’s finals:

• No. 17 Smith completed its romp through the NEWMAC tournament with a 68-46 blowout win over Babson. The Pioneers led 60-29 entering the fourth quarter. Jessie Ruffner tallied 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Smith, which won its three NEWMAC tournament games by an average of 30 points.
• No. 22 Ithaca pulled away from St. Lawrence 70-58 for the Liberty League championship. Grace Cannon notched 26 points, five rebounds and five steals for the Bombers who outscored the Saints 19-9 in the fourth quarter.
• Emmanuel will enter the NCAA Tournament at 25-1 and riding a 21-game winning streak as the Saints got past St. Joseph (Maine) 78-70. Loredana D'Agostino scored a game-high 19 points.