Conference tournament scores: No surprises as top seeds advance
The Big South, the Ohio Valley and the Patriot League tournaments are underway, with no big upsets in the early going.
Winthrop 77, Liberty 65: The Flames will not make their second straight NCAA Tournament, falling to Winthrop on Wednesday. The Eagles had four double-digit scorers, with Keon Johnson's 15 leading the way. Winthrop will play top-seeded High Point on Friday.
Radford 78, Presbyterian 73: Radford nearly blew a 15-point second-half lead, allowing the Blue Hose to pull within one in the final minutes. But five Highlanders finished in double digits, just enough to hang on for the win. Jordan Downing scored 32 points for Presbyterian. Radford will face UNC-Asheville in the quarterfinals.
Gardner-Webb 81, Longwood 65: Gardner-Webb bowled over Longwood, riding Jerome Hill’s 12 points and 16 rebounds to advance to the quarters. The Runnin’ Bulldogs built a 13-point halftime lead, then coasted over the Lancers. Gardner-Webb takes on VMI in the next round.
Charleston Southern 81, Campbell 71: In the only matchup of sub-.500 teams in the Big South, Charleston took care of Campbell behind 20 points from Arlon Harper. Campbell hit 13 threes, but couldn’t compete with the Buccaneers down low. Charleston won the rebounding battle 41-26. The Bucs get Coastal Carolina next.
Ohio Valley
Transforming Harvard
Tennessee Tech 74, SIU Edwardsville 67: Tech held off the Cougars, who made a late second-half charge. Tennessee was led by guard Jeremiah Samarrippas, who notched a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Eagles will play Morehead State, who received a first-round bye as the No. 4 seed in the tournament.
Southeast Missouri State 79, Eastern Illinois 61: Tyler Stone carried the Redhawks, scoring 27 points and grabbing 11 boards. Missouri finished the first half on a 7-0 run and never looked back. The Redhawks will now take on third-seeded Kentucky in the quarterfinals.
Patriot League
Boston 91, Lafayette 54: Top seed Boston won in a romp, riding 21 points from Maurice Watson. The Terriers hit 66 percent of their shots, scoring over 40 points in both halves. Boston will play Army in the semi-finals.
American 59, Colgate 50: John Schoof had a wildly efficient day for American, propelling the Eagles past Colgate. The guard scored 16 on 6-7 shooting, dishing three assists and committing just one turnover. American gets Holy Cross in the next round.
Holy Cross 54, Lehigh 48: The Crusaders built a 12-point lead early in the second half, and did just enough after that to advance to the semi-finals. Malcolm Miller had 19 points and eight rebounds, while Dave Dudzinski chipped in 12. Holy Cross faces No. 2 seed American in the semis.
Army 72, Bucknell 71: The only upset in the quarters, Army rallied past Bucknell in the final minutes. The Bison managed just one point in the final three minutes, with Army’s Kyle Wilson sinking the game-winning bucket with 13 seconds left in the game. The Black Knights will ride their big win into the semis against Boston.
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