LB State, Monson win Big West crown

Long Beach State coach Dan Monson was confident six weeks ago when he said The Beach had the highest ceiling of any team in the Big West Conference.

After a litany of peaks and valleys since then, Long Beach proved Monson right on Saturday night, winning the Big West Conference Tournament with a 74-70 victory over second-seeded UC Davis in Henderson, Nev.

The victory advanced fourth-seeded Long Beach (21-14) to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.

Monson’s comments regarding his team’s high ceiling followed a 77-68 win against visiting UC San Diego on Feb. 3 and was the second game of a five-game winning streak that put it in prime position to secure one of the top two seeds in the tournament and an automatic bye into the semifinals.

But a five-game losing streak to end the regular season, capped by a 10-point loss to UC Davis last Saturday not only changed those expectations, but likely led to LB State announcing on Monday that the school would be mutually parting ways with Monson following the season.

If there’s any bitterness, Monson isn’t showing his cards.

“God has blessed me with a great career and these kids have been awesome to coach,” Monson said. “When (Los Angeles Chargers coach) Jim Harbaugh says, ‘Who’s got it better than him?’ Somebody needs to tell him, Dan Monson.’ ”

Monson said he doesn’t expect Long Beach to be his final stop.

“I love coaching. I love teams,” he said. “I need a new challenge. It’s life. It’s on to the next chapter.”

UC Davis tried to close the book on Monson by scoring five straight points to pull within 66-65 with 1:58 left.

Long Beach came back with five consecutive points of its own to go up 71-65 with 21 seconds left.

Aboubacar Traore, who went 12 for 13 from the line in the semifinal win against UC Irvine, went 3 for 4 in the final 21 seconds, and Marcus Tsohonis sealed the win with two more free throws with 4 seconds left.

Lassina Traore, coming off a season-high 21 points in the semifinal win against top-seeded UC Irvine, scored a career-high 25 points in the championship game.

Tsohonis also scored 25, including 15 in the first half. — Dan Arritt

OREGON 75, COLORADO 68 >>

N’faly Dante, playing with a bruised tailbone, made all 12 of his shots and scored 25 points, and Oregon (23-11) secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by defeating Colorado (23-10) on Saturday night in the conference tournament title game in Las Vegas to end the Pac12 basketball era.

By winning the conference tournament, fourthseeded Oregon (23-11) extended its postseason because the Ducks weren’t projected to receive an atlarge invitation to the 68team field. This was the Ducks’ sixth Pac-12 Tournament championship and first since 2019.

IN CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES SUNDAY ... YALE 62, BROWN 61 >>

Matt Knowling hit a jumper at the buzzer and Yale closed the game on an 8-1 run to beat Brown in the championship game of the Ivy League Tournament in New York, sending the Bulldogs (22-9) to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time. The Bears are 13-18.

NO. 12 AUBURN 86, FLORIDA 67 >> Johni Broome scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Auburn (277) won the Tigers’ third Southeastern Conference Tournament championship by beating Florida in Nashville, Tenn., in a game marred by a gruesome injury to Gators center Micah Handlogten. The sixthseeded Florida Gators (2411) were playing their fourth game in as many days and trying to win the program’s fifth SEC Tournament title and first since 2014. But they lost Handlogten, who was taken off the court on a stretcher, to a broken lower left leg within the first three minutes.

NO. 13 ILLINOIS 93, WISCONSIN 87 >>Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 34 points on 15for-17 shooting from the free-throw line, helping 13th-ranked Illinois (26-8) past Wisconsin in Big Ten tournament championship game in Minneapolis.

DUQUESNE 51 >> Duquesne (24-11) earned an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in 47 years, beating fifth-seeded seeded VCU (22-13) to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament championship.

UAB 85, TEMPLE 69 >> Alejandro Vasquez sank five 3-pointers on his way to scoring a career-high 29, Yaxel Lendeborg finished with his 19th double-double of the season and UAB (23-11) cruised to a wireto-wire victory over Temple (16-20) in the championship game of the American Athletic Conference Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, earning the Blazers a spot in the NCAA Tournament for a 17th time.

IN OTHER CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES LATE SATURDAY ... NO. 7 IOWA STATE 69, NO. 1 HOUSTON 41 >> Keshon Gilbert wrapped up a spectacular Big 12 Tournament for Iowa State with 16 points, and the Cyclones (27-7) blitzed the Cougars (304) to begin the second half Saturday night in Kansas City, Mo., allowing them to roll to a win and their sixth championship in six appearances

57, VCU

in the title game. Milan Momcilovic had 18 points for the Cyclones, who turned a 30-23 lead at halftime into a blowout with an 18-3 run to start the second half.

N.C. STATE 84, NO. 4 NORTH CAROLINA 76 >> DJ Horne scored 29 points, forward DJ Burns Jr. had 20, including the first 3-pointer of his college career, and the Wolfpack upset the Tar Heels in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title game in Washington.

NO. 2 UCONN 73, NO. 10 MARQUETTE 57 >> Donovan Clingan scored 22 points and Jaylin Stewart gave the top-seeded Huskies (31-3) an unexpected boost with three second-half 3-pointers during a decisive run as they defeated the thirdseeded Golden Eagles (259) at Madison Square Garden to win the Big East Tournament for the first time since rejoining the league four years ago.

NEW MEXICO 68, SAN DIEGO ST. 61 >> Jaelen House had 28 points and Jamal Mashburn Jr. scored 21 to propel the sixth-seeded Lobos to a win over the No. 5 seed Aztecs (24-10) in the championship game of the Mountain West Conference Tournament in Las Vegas.

WESTERN KENTUCKY UTEP 71 >>

78, Don Mchenry scored 25 points with four steals to help the No. 3 seed Hilltoppers (22-11) beat the fifth-seeded Miners (18-16) and win the Conference USA Tournament.

VERMONT 66, UMASS LOWELL 61 >> Shamir Bogues scored 15 points and the top-seeded Catamounts (28-6) beat the No. 2-seeded Riverhawks (22-10) to win their third straight America East Tournament title.

HOWARD 70, DELAWARE STATE 67 >> Jordan Hairston scored 18 points and the fourth-seeded Bison (1816) beat the sixth-seeded Hornets (15-18) in the Mideastern Athletic Conference Tournament championship game.