College basketball roundup
March 9, 2010 at 5:34AM
Rundles, Dahlman get in with Wofford AUTOMATIC BIDS
• WOFFORD 56, APPALACHIAN STATE 51: Cameron Rundles scored 20 points and the Terriers (26-8) used stifling defense to overcome a long second-half scoring drought and beat the Mountaineers (22-12) on Monday in Charlotte, N.C., for the Southern Conference title and their first NCAA tournament berth.
Wofford, a school in Spartanburg, S.C., features three Minnesotans on its roster. Braham's Noah Dahlman, who added 10 points and eight rebounds, was voted tournament MVP. Rundles and Jamar Diggs are from DeLaSalle.
Wofford won its 13th game in a row despite going nearly 10 minutes without a point. The Terriers, who moved up to Division I in the mid-1990s, also got 13 rebounds from Tim Johnson to overcome 35 percent shooting.
Wofford defeated Georgia and South Carolina early in the season before winning the league regular-season title.
• ST. MARY'S 81, NO. 18 GONZAGA 62: Mickey McConnell scored 26 points, Ben Allen added 20 and the Gaels (26-5) upset the Bulldogs (26-6) in Las Vegas to win the West Coast Conference tournament title game. St. Mary's earned the sixth NCAA tournament berth in the small Bay Area school's history with a remarkable shooting performance vs. the Zags, who are also NCAA-bound but won't get the WCC's automatic bid for only the third time in 12 years.
• OLD DOMINION 60, WILLIAM & MARY 53: The regular-season champion Monarchs (26-8) took control early in the Colonial Athletic Association final in Richmond, Va. The losing Tribe (22-10), which has victories at Maryland and Wake Forest this season, is one of five original Division I programs never to have been included in an NCAA field.
• SIENA 72, FAIRFIELD 65 (OT): Edwin Ubiles had 27 points and Alex Franklin added 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Saints (27-6) rallied from a double-digit halftime deficit and defeat the Stags (22-10) in overtime in Albany, N.Y., to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament for the third year in a row.
WOMEN'S HIGHLIGHTS
NATION
• NO. 5 XAVIER 57, TEMPLE 55 (OT): Conference player of the year and tournament MVP Amber Harris scored 23 points, and Ta'Shia Phillips had 21 rebounds for the Musketeers (27-3), who beat the Owls (24-8) in the Atlantic-10 final. Xavier won its 18th game in a row, third conference title in four years and an automatic NCAA bid, joining 2004-05 Temple as the only A-10 teams to make it through both without a blemish.
• NO. 9 WEST VIRGINIA 56, RUTGERS 49: Sarah Miles scored 18 points to lead the Mountaineers (28-4) over the Scarlet Knights (19-14) in the Big East semifinals in Hartford, Conn.
• NO. 18 GONZAGA 76, PEPPERDINE 48: Courtney Vandersloot scored 19 points and the Zags (27-4) earned their 17th consecutive victory and an NCAA bid by beating the Waves (20-11) for the West Coast Conference title.
• CHATTANOOGA 72, SAMFORD 67: The Lady Mocs (24-8) rallied vs. the Bulldogs (22-10) for their eighth conference Southern Conference title in 10 years.
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