Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
N. Kentucky earns NCAA bid
HORIZON MEN NORTHERN KENTUCKY 59,
WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE 53
DETROIT — LaVone Holland scored 20 points and Drew McDonald had 14 points and 12 rebounds to help Northern Kentucky hold off Wisconsin-Milwaukee 59-53 on Tuesday for a victory in the Horizon League final, putting the school in the NCAA Tournament in its first season of eligibility.
The fourth-seeded Norse (24-10) are in their fifth season of Division I basketball, but didn’t have a shot to earn a spot in college basketball’s showcase until this year.
Tenth- seeded Wisconsin-Milwaukee (11-24) was a victory away from having the most losses in NCAA Tournament history. Brock Stull scored 19 points and Brett Prahl had 12 for the Panthers, who won nine in a row, including three in the tournament, before their run ended against Northern Kentucky.
The Norse were in control for much of the game, which had only one tie and one lead change, but they couldn’t pull away from the pesky Panthers.
Wisconsin- Milwaukee pulled within three points with 1:11 left and again with 32 seconds to go, but McDonald made a jumper and Holland made a free throw on the ensuing possessions to keep a relatively comfortable cushion.
An improbable run ended in part because Wisconsin-Milwaukee simply struggled to make shots. Wisconsin-Milwaukee made just one-third of its shots in the second half and shot 36 percent overall.
By making the NCAA Tournament, the Norse made this a special season and any success they have will be a bonus for the program. The team will have a chance to celebrate for the rest of the week before finding out Sunday where it’s seeded in the NCAA Tournament.
NORTHEAST MEN MOUNT ST. MARY’S 71,
ST. FRANCIS 61
EMMITSBURG, Md. — Elijah Long scored 24 points, Junior Robinson added 22 and Mount St. Mary’s rallied past Saint Francis University to win the Northeast Conference championship and earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Down 31-23 at halftime, the top-seeded Mountaineers opened the second half with a 22-3 run that included two three-pointers from Long.
Mount St. Mary’s (19-15) coasted from there. After the final buzzer sounded, the team piled over each another at midcourt to celebrate its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2014.
Fourth- seeded St. Francis ( 16- 16) reached the title game with a 71- 70 semifinal victory over No. 3 seed Wagner, a game decided by Keith Braxton’s three-point shot at the buzzer.
There were no such heroics this time for the Red Flash, who got only seven points from Braxton in their bid to earn a place in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991.
Isaiah Blackmon led St. Francis with 17 points.