TOURNAMENT RESULTS
NCAA
Round 1
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (24-5)—97, UC Irvine—80 (The Golden Lions scored 61 points in the first half and their 2nd half lead grew to 26 points before UC Irvine cut into it a little toward the end of the game. Arkansas-Pine Bluff hit 52% of their FG’s, 50% of their 3’s, and were +18 on the boards. SG Albert Taylor put in 23 points, C Trent Harris had 17 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks, SF Dan Jefferson scored 15 points, and PF Andrew Richardson had 13 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists.)
West Virginia—67, Alcorn State (19-12)—62 (West Virginia controlled the action in the first half and took a 30-22 lead to the locker room. But the Braves fought back to go ahead by as much as 6 points in the 2nd half. The final 7 minutes were exceptionally close, but the Mountaineers got ahead and forced the Braves to foul repeatedly in the final going. C Mikko Stallings had 14 points and 7 rebounds. “We gave it all we had against a very tough team,” said coach Ramon Montez.)
Duke—71, Maryland-Eastern Shore (21-10)—48 (The Hawks kept the game close throughout the first half and trailed 37-33 at the break. Duke maintained a small lead until MD-Eastern Shore’s shooting went ice cold in the final 7 minutes and Duke rapidly pulled away. SG Lataryl Brown was the Hawks’ leading scorer with 9 points. Duke’s only player to score in double figures was SG Trey Cramer who dropped in 28 points. Coach Mike McMillan said, “Duke just wore us down at the end of the game. But we put up a helluva fight for the first 33 minutes.”)
Round 2
Illinois—83, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (24-6)—78 (The Golden Lions trailed throughout the first half and were down by 9 points at the break. But they fought back so that the two teams exchanged the lead 8 times midway through the 2nd half. But the talented Illini gained a small lead and gamely held onto it to the end. SF Dan Jefferson scored 14 points and had 6 assists, C Trent Harris scored 12 points, SG Jerome King had 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and a block, and PF Andrew Richardson scored 11 points. Coach Dontell Spencer said, “I’m really proud of how we did against the #2 seed, 15th ranked team.)
Championship game: Gonzaga—77, Oregon--63
NIT
Round 1
UC San Diego (22-7)—68, Fairleigh Dickinson—52 (The Tritons gained control early and ran away with this game by playing strong defensively (holding the Knights shooting to just 35% and forcing 24 turnovers). The Tritons offense was carried by PF Brad Sanders (24 points and 8 boards) and super-6th man Jeremiah Mason (17 points on 8 for 11 from the field).
Round 2
UC San Diego (23-7)—81, Cleveland State—62 (There were 10 lead changes in the first 9 minutes of the game, but the Tritons then began pulling away. By the end of the half they were ahead 48-34. They expanded their lead to 25 points midway through the 2nd half and won with ease by combining a potent offense (hitting 53% of their FG’s and 40% of their 3’s) and a stingy defense (32% shooting by the Vikings). SG DeVante Botts had 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Reserve forward Jeremiah Mason again came up big with 16 points during his 15 minutes on the court. SF Jared Keating added 12 points.)
Round 3
UC San Diego (24-7)—73, Sam Houston State—71 (The Tritons got on top early and were ahead 30-27 at halftime. They held onto a small lead early in the 2nd half but the lead flip-flopped during the entire final 13 minutes with 15 lead changes. With the Tritons trailing by a point, DeVante Botts knocked down a 3 with 8 seconds remaining. The Tritons then hounded the Bearkats so that they could only get off a desperation shot from near the mid-court line as time was running out. SG DeVante Botts poured in 31 points, hitting 9 of 14 FG’s, 6 of 9 from beyond the arc, and 7 of 8 at the line. Reserve forward Jeremiah Mason added 14 points. “Phew! The Bearkats gave us a real run for the money. DeVanta saved us with a tremendous effort,” said coach Ken Yamoto.)
Round 4 (Semifinals)
Texas—77, UC San Diego (24-8)—70 (This game went back-and-forth throughout the first half (with the Tritons holding a 2 point advantage at the break) and during the first 6 minutes of the 2nd half. But then the Longhorns edged ahead and never gave up the lead. 27 fouls were called on UC San Diego and just 11 against Texas with the Longhorns going to the line 27 more times and scoring 23 more points on free throws than the Tritons. SG DeVante Botts and 6th man Jeremiah Mason both scored 15 points with Botts also getting 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. PF Brad Sanders had 10 points and 8 boards. “It was all I could do to keep from getting a 2nd T and getting tossed outta the game. But our players outshot and out-rebounded the Longhorns and fought through the adversity to almost pull off a big upset,” said coach Ken Yamoto.)
Championship Game: Texas—84, Saint Josephs—64
CBI
Championship Game: Davidson—69, Arkansas--66
CIT
Round 1
Missouri—63, Western Illinois (17-12)—55 (The Leathernecks got off to a great start, leading for the first 15 minutes. But they had fallen behind by 12 at the break and things didn’t improve in the 2nd half. SF James Johnson scored 15 points and PG Ty Wilfork hit for 12 points. “Missouri was just too tough for us, but our guys never quit,” said coach Terry Morillo.)
Championship Game: Yale—67, Stanford—56