SFA rallies for Southland title over SLU, 59-55

Published 8:50 am Sunday, March 11, 2018

KATY (AP) — Ty Holyfield had 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Stephen F. Austin rallied for a 59-55 win over Southeastern Louisiana in the Southland Conference championship on Saturday night to send the Lumberjacks to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in the last five years.

Ivan Canette added 10 points for SFA (28-6), which earned its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance after last going in 2016. The Lumberjacks shot 42 percent from the field and hit seven of 15 3-pointers.

Joshua Filmore had 14 points, and Marlain Veal added 12 points, six rebounds and five assists for Southeastern Louisiana (22-11), which had its nine-game winning streak snapped. The Lions are still looking for their second NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2005.

After two free throws by Veal gave the Lions a 51-49 lead, Kevon Harris hit a 3-pointer to give SFA a one-point lead with 3:21 left. Filmore missed a 3-pointer on the Lions’ next trip down the floor, and John Comeaux hit one of two free throws to give the Lumberjacks a 53-51 lead with 2:24 left.

Southeastern Louisiana committed turnovers on its next two possessions, and Holyfield hit a layup with 1:08 remaining to up the Lumberjacks’ lead to four. Filmore hit two free throws with 54 second left to cut the lead to two.

Canette missed a free throw but got his own rebound and hit a layup with 39 seconds left to up the lead back to four, but Veal hit a layup eight seconds later to cut the lead to two. Ty Charles connected on two free throws with 20 seconds remaining, and after Eddy Polanco missed a jumper with 10 seconds left, the Lumberjacks got the rebound to seal it.

Trailing by 14, the Lions responded with a 22-2 run to take a 49-43 lead on a Joshua Filmore 3-pointer with 5:45 left. Filmore hit three 3-pointers during the run. The Lumberjacks responded with six straight points to tie it at 49 on a layup by John Comeaux with 3:51 remaining.

The Lumberjacks took a 32-25 lead into halftime behind seven points apiece from Shannon Bogues and Holyfield.

BIG PICTURE

Stephen F. Austin: The Lumberjacks had a chance to put it away early in the second half when they took the 14-point lead, but SFA went cold from the field, hitting one field goal over a 12-minute span. The Lumberjacks responded with a 16-6 run to end the game and claim the championship. SFA out-rebounded the Lions 34-27 and held a 16-2 edge in second-chance points.

Southeastern Louisiana: The Lions had the momentum with five minutes left and a six-point lead, but they could not keep it up. The Lions got eight points from their bench — all from Jordan Capps — and cooled off in the second half, shooting 37.5 percent after shooting 55 percent in the first half. The Lions also committed 15 turnovers.

UP NEXT

Stephen F. Austin: Await their NCAA Tournament opponent.

Southeastern Louisiana: Earned an automatic berth into the NIT after winning the regular-season championship.

UT-ARLINGTON 71, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 68

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Kaelon Wilson scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half and No. 4 seed UT-Arlington upset top-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette 71-68 on Saturday in a Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinal.

The 2017 regular-season champion Mavericks (21-12) have won five straight and advanced to their first Sun Belt championship.

Louisiana-Lafayette (27-6) had its last lead, 68-67, with 1:54 to play. Wilson and Kevin Hervey made two free throws apiece while the Ragin’ Cajuns missed their last four field goals, including a pair of 3-pointers in the last five seconds.

Erick Neal had 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting and five assists to lead UT-Arlington. He made his first nine shots and scored 37 points in the Mavericks’ quarterfinal over Appalachian State. Hervey had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Johnny Hamilton chipped in with 12 points.

Frank Bartley IV scored 19 points and Justin Miller had 14 for ULL. Bryce Washington and Malik Marquetti each added 11 points, with Washington grabbing 10 rebounds.

NO. 1 VIRGINIA 71, NO. 12 NORTH CAROLINA 63

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Guy, Devon Hall and No. 1 Virginia completed one of the most successful seasons in the storied history of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball, beating No. 12 North Carolina 71-63 in the tournament championship game Saturday night to finish 20-1 against league competition.

The top-seeded Cavaliers (31-2) set a school record for victories and won the ACC Tournament for the second time in five seasons under coach Tony Bennett, and third time overall. With plenty of their fans packing Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the Cavaliers beat sixth-seeded North Carolina (25-10) for the second time this season and snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Tar Heels in ACC Tournament play.

Guy, the tournament MVP, scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half and Hall added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists. Ty Jerome had 12 points, six assists and six rebounds for Virginia, which will certainly enter the NCAA Tournament as the top overall seed.

Not bad for a bunch that started the season unranked and was picked to finish sixth in the ACC.

Luke Maye led North Carolina with 20 points.

NO. 2 VILLANOVA 76, PROVIDENCE 66

NEW YORK (AP) — Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and hit two 3-pointers in overtime to lift Villanova over Providence in the Big East Tournament championship game.

The Wildcats (30-4) won their second straight Big East Tournament and third in four years (losing in the 2016 final). They put the bow on a fantastic season that should have them earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Villanova had rolled to a pair of dominant victories in the tourney and held off a pesky Providence team that played its third straight overtime game.

The fifth-seeded Friars (21-13) rallied in the second half from yet another double-digit hole and seemed set to pull off one more upset and earn the automatic NCAA berth. Providence erased a 17-point hole in the second half to beat top-seeded Xavier to reach the final. With one stunning rally on its resume, Providence nearly made it two. But the Friars ran out of gas in OT.

NO. 8 CINCINNATI 70, MEMPHIS 60

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Jarron Cumberland scored 18 points and Gary Clark had 17 points and 12 rebounds to rally Cincinnati past Memphis in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.

Kyle Washington added 11 for the Bearcats (29-4), who advanced to meet No. 21 Houston in Sunday’s final.

Jamal Johnson led Memphis with 17 points but didn’t score in the second half, when the Tigers squandered a 13-point lead. Kyvon Davenport had 12 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis (21-13), which is hoping for an invitation to the NIT.

NO. 21 HOUSTON 77, NO. 11 WICHITA STATE 74

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Rob Gray had a key steal and scored 33 points, including two free throws with 5 seconds remaining, as Houston held off Wichita State in an American Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal.

Corey Davis Jr. scored 19 points for the Cougars (26-6), who advanced to play No. 8 Cincinnati in the championship game.

Houston led by as many as nine points in the first half before the lead changed hands or was tied eight times in the final seven minutes.

With the Cougars trailing 74-73, Gray intercepted a pass near midcourt and drove to the basket, handing off to Galen Robinson for a layup with 1:27 remaining. Houston sealed the victory when Robinson intercepted an inbounds pass with 5 seconds left and a foul by the Shockers sent Gray to the free-throw line.

Landry Shamet led Wichita State (25-7) with 19 points while Shaquille Morris had 12, including 10 in the final seven minutes to keep the game close.

NO. 13 TENNESSEE 84, ARKANSAS 66

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Bone scored 19 points to help spark a hotshooting first half for Tennessee, which beat Arkansas in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals.

The win is the sixth straight and 13th in the last 15 games for the second-seeded Volunteers (25-7), who will try to win their first SEC Tournament championship in almost 40 years when they face Kentucky on Sunday.

Bone scored 17 of his points in the first half, hitting 7 of 7 from the field and all three of his 3-point attempts. Admiral Schofield added 16 points for Tennessee, while Grant Williams, Kyle Alexander and James Daniel III finished with 12 points apiece.

Daryl Macon scored 19 points to lead the sixth-seeded Razorbacks (23-11), who had won eight of their previous 10 games.

NO. 25 RHODE ISLAND 80, SAINT JOSEPH’S 87

WASHINGTON (AP) — Andre Berry scored 18 points, Fatts Russell made two crucial 3-pointers in the final six minutes and Rhode Island rallied past Saint Joseph’s in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament semifinals.

The Rams (25-6) are the first No. 1 seed in the Atlantic 10 to reach the conference championship game since Saint Louis in 2013.

Jeff Dowtin added 16 points and 10 assists for Rhode Island, Russell scored 14 points and E.C. Matthews had 11 of his 14 points in the second half for the defending tournament champions.

Shavar Newkirk had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the fourth-seeded Hawks (16-16), who drubbed Rhode Island 78-48 last week. Saint Joseph’s appeared poised to deliver another upset while trying to extend its season, building an 11-point lead early in the second half.