SFA, Nicholls St. reach Southland title game

KATY — Stevi Parker scored 22 points, Imani Johnson had 14, and Stephen F. Austin defeated Central Arkansas 70-60 on Saturday at the Merrell Center to advance to the Southland Conference tournament championship game.

Chanell Hayes added 12 points and eight rebounds for the second-seeded Ladyjacks (25-5), who will face No. 4 seed Nicholls State, a 74-68 winner over top-seeded Lamar in the other semifinal, in the title game at noon Sunday.

SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC

Shakyla Hill had 27 points, and third-seeded Grambling State had two critical steals in the final minute to defeat topseeded Southern 72-68 in the title game at Delmar Fieldhouse to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 19 years.

COLONIAL ATHLETIC

Malaya Johnson scored 14 points to lead third-seed Elon to a 57-45 win over top-seeded Drexel in the championship game at Philadelphia.

MID-EASTERN ATLANTIC

Jade Scaife had two offensive rebounds and scored four points in the final minute of overtime, and North Carolina A&T scored the last eight points to win the championship 72-65 over Hampton in Norfolk, Va., and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.

BIG SKY

Savannah Smith scored 34 points, and top-seeded Northern Colorado won the title and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament with a 9169 win over Idaho in Reno, Nev.

WESTERN ATHLETIC

Kamira Sanders scored 20 points to lead Seattle past Cal State Bakersfield 57-54 at Las Vegas for its first Western Athletic Conference tournament championship.

CONFERENCE USA

Tashia Brown scored seven of her 25 points in less than two minutes, and Western Kentucky went on to claim its 20th NCAA Tournament berth with a 72-57 victory over UAB in the championship game at Frisco.

BIG WEST

Channon Fluker had 24 points and 17 rebounds, and No. 5 seed Cal State Northridge upset No. 1 seed UC Davis 63-55 in the final at Anaheim, Calif. MID-AMERICAN

Micaela Kelly and Presley Hudson scored 26 points apiece, and Central Michigan earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament with a 96-91 win over Buffalo in the title game at Cleveland.