EL PASO, Texas - Chris Jones made two free throws to push the game into overtime and won it with two more as No. 10 seed North Texas edged 15th-seeded Rice in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament Tuesday.
Rice led 62-58 with 1:51 left in overtime. Then Brandan Walton hit a three-pointer on North Texas’ next possession. Rice missed four consecutive free throws and Jones made both of his with 11 seconds left. Marcus Jackson missed a shot at the buzzer.
Walton scored 17 for North Texas (16-15) and Jordan Williams added 11 and 14 rebounds.
North Texas closed regulation on a 7-0 run, with a Walton three-pointer, a Williams layup and two Jones free throws with 23 seconds left. Rice’s Keith Washington missed a game-winning shot.
Rice (7-23) was led by Austin Ramljak with 17 points, Sean Obi’s 12 and Seth Gearhart’s 11.
In another Conference USA Tournament game Tuesday, Chris Thomas scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds as No. 14 seed Marshall topped 11th-seeded Florida Atlantic 63-59.
MEAC Howard advances
NORFOLK, Va. - Prince Okoroh hit two free throws with 13 seconds left for a four point lead as No. 8 seed Howard beat ninth-seeded North Carolina A&T 53-47 in the first round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday.
Howard will play top-seeded North Carolina Central today.
Solomon Mangham led Howard (8-24) with 14 points and Okoroh had 13.
Lamont Middleton scored 19 points for North Carolina A&T (9-23), the defending MEAC Tournament champions.
NC A&T took its first lead of the second half, 44-43, on a three-pointer by Jeremy Underwood with 5:05 left. Then Howard’s James Miller responded with a trey of his own. With 2:33 left, NC A&T’s Lamont Middleton converted a three-point play to regain the lead - but the Aggies would not score again.
James Daniel’s three-pointer put Howard up for good at 49-47.
In another MEAC Tournament game Tuesday, Michael Murray scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds as No. 7 seed Coppin State beat 10th-seeded Bethune-Cookman 75-68 in first-round action.
SWAC
Rose lifts Grambling
HOUSTON - Terry Rose scored 22 points as No. 10 seed Grambling State upset seventh-seeded Jackson State 84-75 in the first round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday.
Grambling State, 3-15 in conference play this season, avenged two regular-season losses to Jackson State - both by double-digits.
Chandler Thomas added 20 points and 14 rebounds for Grambling State (5-23).
Grambling State pushed ahead after it went on a 14-3 second-half run, with three-pointers by Rose and A’Torri Shine, to take a 67-61 lead.
Jeff Stubbs made a basket to pull Jackson State within 75-73 with 2:19 left, but Jackson State would only make one more field goal for the remainder. Grambling State hit 7 of 8 free throws in the final 34 seconds to secure the victory.
Former Arkansas guard Julysses Nobles had 28 points, on 9-of-23 shooting, for Jackson State (11-20).
In another SWAC Tournament game Tuesday, Demondre Chapman came off the bench to score 17 points and block four shots as No. 8 seed Prairie View A&M beat ninth-seeded Mississippi Valley State 79-63.
Sports, Pages 23 on 03/12/2014