Headed back to NCAAs
Chong Qui scores 21 as Mountaineers defeat Bulldogs in NEC final
SMITHFIELD, R.I. — Damian Chong Qui scored 21 points as the Mount St. Mary’s men’s basketball team stunned Bryant 73-68 on Tuesday night in the Northeast Conference tournament championship game and clinched an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
It’s the sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament for Mount St. Mary’s (12-10) and its first since 2017.
Bryant (15-6), which entered Tuesday’s game undefeated at home this season, has yet to make an appearance in the big dance.
The Mount was NEC’s No. 4 seed and Bryant was seeded second.
Chong Qui scored nine straight points, but Bryant cut into the Mountaineers’ lead and drew to within 54-53 on Charles Pride’s layup with 7 minutes, 20 seconds left. Mount St. Mary’s proceeded to go on an 11-2 run for a 10-point advantage with 3:27 left.
Pride later buried consecutive 3-pointers, and his layup with 18 seconds left reduced Bryant’s deficit to 70-68. But Nana Opoku, a 45% free-throw shooter on the season, sank a pair and sealed the Bulldogs’ fate.
Opoku scored 18 points, Mezie Offurum added 16 and Malik Jefferson chipped in 10 points and 15 rebounds for the Mountaineers.
Chong Qui, a McDonogh graduate shot 7-for-17 from the field, including 3-for-8 from 3-point range, and added eight rebounds and five assists. The Mountaineers star had accounted for 43% of all Mount St. Mary’s field goals over the previous five games.
Pride scored a career-high 33 points and finished a point away from scoring half of Bryant’s 68 points. He made 8 of 12 3-point attempts, but the rest of the team went 0-for-13 from beyond the arc.
NFL free agency begins in a week and the draft is seven weeks away, two critical junctures for player movement in the offseason.
But as Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta prepares to rebuild the team over the next few months, there’s no timeline to find a trade partner for offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who has publicly stated his desire to play left tackle going forward.
“I think Orlando’s a competitive guy,” DeCosta said Tuesday of the 24-yearold who has reportedly been given permission to explore trades. “I had a dream when I was 6 years old to be general manager of an NFL team. I think Orlando’s dream has always been to be a left tackle in the NFL. … That’s just how he sees himself and that’s how he envisions his career playing out. We’re blessed to have him on the team. He’s a great kid. He’s an outstanding player. He’s played very well for us, very selfless guy. He’s bounced around and played two different positions at a very high level. And he’s under contract and he understands that.”
DeCosta said he’s had discussions with Brown, as well as his representatives, but was noncommittal when asked if he expected Brown to be on the roster to begin the 2021 season.
“We’ll do what’s best for Orlando and we’ll do what’s best for the Ravens,” DeCosta said. “These things take time sometimes. A lot of different scenarios on how this thing could play out.”
Coach John Harbaugh said he doesn’t foresee an issue on the team should Brown have to return to play out the final year of his rookie contract at right tackle.
“We have a great relationship,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a guy that wants to win, very competitive player. Has a lot of pride in his game, so to speak, and works really hard, competes. I love him
as a player, love him as a person. And whatever the situation dictates, however it plays out, I’m sure he’ll be at his best next year and I’d be counting on that and I’d trust him to do that.”
‘Preliminary discussions’ with Andrews
While DeCosta said he hasn’t entered definite contract negotiations with quarterback Lamar Jackson, the team has had “preliminary discussions” with tight end Mark Andrews, who is slated to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2021 season.
“Mark has the same agents as Orlando,” DeCosta said, “so we’ve spent some time talking to those two guys — Joe Panos and Justin Schulman. They’re outstanding agents and we’ve started discussions on all these types of things. We try to be as aggressive and proactive as possible with our players, looking forward, pushing things out and I think that’s a part of it.
“Mark’s a very good player. I love everything about Mark: his personality. His ability, work ethic, demeanor, competitiveness. Got a great family. And again, he’s the type of guy we want to keep.”
DeCosta also said running back Gus Edwards, who is a restricted free
agent, will be on the roster in 2021 “one way or the other.” If the team cannot reach a contract extension with the 25-year-old, Edwards will receive a restricted free agent tender, DeCosta said. Depending on the level of the tender, the designation would give the Ravens the opportunity to match a contract offer from an opposing team or entitle them to a draft pick should Edwards depart.
“He’s a Raven. He played his butt off this year and he had a good season for us,” DeCosta said.
Stanley, Boyle and Young on track to return
Harbaugh said Tuesday that he expects All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley to rejoin team activities by this summer.
Stanley suffered what Harbaugh called a “severe” left ankle injury in a Week 8 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. During a virtual NFL scouting combine news conference Tuesday, Harbaugh said Stanley, who’s undergone two surgeries, has been rehabilitating in the team facility this offseason.
“I expect him to be back,” Harbaugh said. “It sounds good. I saw him in there [the facility] last week, and he said he was doing well. [Head athletic trainer] Ron Medlin tells me he’s doing well, he’s on schedule.”
If Stanley’s recovery is delayed, Harbaugh indicated that the Ravens would turn to Orlando Brown Jr., whose desire to play left tackle will likely result in his departure from Baltimore, either this offseason or when he reaches free agency in 2022. “So we’re in good shape,” Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh also said tight end Nick Boyle, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 10, and cornerback Tavon Young, who tore his ACL in Week 2, are doing “great” in their recovery. All three players, Harbaugh said, are on track “for at least training camp,” and a return for organized team activities, which normally start in April, is “not out of the question, either.”
No franchise tag for Judon or Ngakoue
The 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline to apply the franchise tag passed without the Ravens using the designation on outside linebackers Mathew Judon or Yannick Ngakoue, meaning the two edge rushers will be free to sign deals with other teams unless they reach an agreement with the Ravens before the start of free agency March 17.
Neither player was expected to receive the franchise tag, worth over $17 million in 2021 for a defensive end, with the Ravens’ limited cap room.
Judon played the 2020 season under the franchise tag and would have been due for a sizable increase in salary if tagged for a second straight year. The Ravens traded a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional fifth-round pick for Ngakoue, a former Maryland standout, who recorded three sacks in 11 games.
Depending on the deals they get and whom the Ravens sign, the team could earn a pair of top compensatory picks in 2021 if both leave in free agency.