UMass handles La Salle

C.J. Anderson scored 21 points and the UMass men’s basketball team kept its NCAA tournament dream alive by holding off La Salle, 69-67, yesterday in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament in Washington. The 13thseeded Minutemen (13-19), who can only reach the big dance by winning the A-10 tournament, will face fifthseeded George Mason (1516) in a second-round game today at 2:30.

Pookie Powell’s 3-point play gave La Salle its last lead, 62-61, before UMass pushed ahead to 68-67 with 44 seconds to play. La Salle’s B.J. Johnson blocked Unique McLean’s jumper with 14 seconds remaining, but Powell missed a jumper and a 3-pointer in the final eight seconds.

Luwane Pipkins added 15 points, Malik Hines had 14 and Carl Pierre 11 for the Minutemen. Anderson and Pipkens both shot 4-of-7 from long range.

Tony Washington scored 20 points to lead 12th-seeded La Salle (13-19). Johnson and Powell chipped in 18 points apiece.

UMass never trailed in the first half, leading since the opening tip until the Explorers grabbed their first lead of the night at 3634 after a pair of free throws and three early Minuteman turnovers. Eight ties in the second half and five lead changes highlighted the second half as both teams scored 39 points during the final 20 minutes.

Pierre knocked in his first 3-pointer of the night to tie it up 40-40 with 13:58 left. The freshman helped spark a 10-0 UMass run that put the Minutemen ahead 52-45 with about 10 minutes remaining, connecting on a jumper off his own miss before five straight Anderson points capped the run.

Bucknell 83, Colgate 54 — Stephen Brown scored 22 points and reserve Nate Sestina added 16 as the topseeded Bison (25-9) won their second straight Patriot League tournament championship by routing the second-seeded Raiders (19-13) in Lewisburg, Pa.

Bucknell is off to the NCAA tournament for the eighth time in program history and sixth time as the Patriot League representative. Four of those six titles have come in the past eight years.

Colgate lost to Bucknell for the third time this season. The Raiders were playing in the league championship game for the first time in 10 years and gunning for their first league championship since 1996.

The Bison finish the year with a 15-1 record at home. They have won 18-of-19 entering the NCAA tournament.

Brown, who made five 3-pointers, was named tournament MVP. Bucknell shot 46 percent from beyond the arc (13-for-28).