Dayton, OH (Sports Network) - Sharp shooting performances from Jeremy
Underwood and Bruce Beckford put them in control, but the North Carolina A&T
Aggies needed a stop on the last possession to preserve their first-ever NCAA
Tournament victory, a 73-72 triumph over a Cinderella Liberty squad. In the
final seconds, North Carolina A&T's Austin Witter forced a driving John Caleb
Sanders into a layup attempt he couldn't finish, vaulting the Aggies (20-16)
to their fifth straight win and into a Midwest Region second-round matchup
with top-seeded Louisville Thursday in Lexington, KY. Underwood's team-leading
19 points on 6-of-6 from the field was a part of N.C. A&T's 51.9 percent
shooting percentage for the game. Beckford followed with 16 points and shot 8-
for-10 in the victory. An improbable and incredible run through the Big South
Tournament provided the Flames (15-21) with a trip to the Big Dance, but
they saw their late-season five-game winning streak come to an end when
Sanders' layup fell just short. Sanders had 21 points with nine assists, while
teammate Davon Marshall buried six 3-pointers for a game-high 22 points.
Tavares Speaks added 17 for Liberty, which was just the second 20-loss team to
ever reach the NCAA Tournament.
Final Score: Saint Mary's 67, Middle Tennessee 54
Dayton, OH (Sports Network) - Matthew Dellavedova carried Saint Mary's to a
first-round win in the NCAA Tournament Tuesday with a 22-point effort as the
Gaels upended Middle Tennessee, 67-54, at University of Dayton Arena. The
meeting pitted questionable at-large teams from smaller conferences as No. 11
seeds, and Dellavedova made sure the Gaels proved they belonged in the
Midwest Region's round-of-64. The program's all-time leader in scoring,
assists, 3-pointers and games played connected of 5-of-7 from behind the arc
and added six rebounds and four assists. Stephen Holt chipped in 18 points
for Saint Mary's (28-6), which advanced to face sixth-seeded Memphis in
Auburn Hills, MI on Thursday. Marcos Knight paced Middle Tennessee (28-6)
with 16 points, while Kerry Hammonds and Neiko Hunter each had 10 for
the Sun Belt Conference regular season champs.
The Sports Network