Appalachian State earns NCAA berth

Michael Almonacy scored a career-high 32 points with six three-pointers and Appalachian State upset two-time defending champion Georgia State 8073 on Monday night to win the Sun Belt Conference championship and return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2000.

It was an improbable run for the fourth-seeded Mountaineers (17-11), who upset the top-seeded Panthers (16-6) after they lost six of their final seven regular-season games before winning four games in four nights — including two in overtime.

Kane Williams had 18 points and eight rebounds for Georgia State.

UNC Greensboro clinches spot

Isaiah Miller scored 25 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had six assists as UNC Greensboro (21-8) clinched its fourth NCAA tournament berth with a 69-61 win over Mercer (18-11) in the Southern Conference championship.

Elsewhere

Kevin Obanor tipped in a miss at the buzzer as Oral Roberts edged past South Dakota State 90-88 in the semifinals of the Summit League Conference tournament. North Dakota State beat South Dakota 79-75 in the other semifinal.

Cleveland State defeated Milwaukee 71-65 in the Horizon League semifinals. Cleveland State advanced to play Oakland, a 69-58 winner against Northern Kentucky.

In the Colonial Athletic Assn., Darius Burford had 19 points as eighth-seeded Elon upset fourth-seeded Hofstra 76-58 in the semifinals. Elon will face Drexel, which upset second-seeded Northeastern 74-67.