Ohio Valley championship
For the first time since Kenneth Faried was hoovering up every rebound across the Ohio Valley, the Morehead State Eagles are headed to the NCAA Tournament.
Johni Broome compiled a Faried-ian stat line with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks to lead the Eagles to an 86-71 win over Belmont in Evansville, clinching the program’s first March Madness bid since 2011.
The freshman big was nearly unstoppable on the block, making 12 of his 19 shots to earn the OVC Tournament MVP. He was joined on the All-Tournament team by teammates DeVon Cooper and Skyelar Potter, fellow freshman Wendell Green Jr. of Eastern Kentucky, and do-it-all Belmont point guard Grayson Murphy.
Payton Youngblood had a career-high 26 points as North Alabama got past Florida Gulf Coast 96-81 in the semifinals of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tourney
Pedro Bradshaw tied his career high with 24 points as Bellarmine stretched its win streak to nine games, narrowly defeating North Alabama 66-64 on Friday night. CJ Fleming had 12 points for Bellarmine (12-5, 9-2 Atlantic Sun Conference). Payton Youngblood had 13 points for the Lions (10-7, 6-5), whose losing streak reached four games.
Isaac Chatman scored 19 points as North Alabama narrowly defeated Jacksonville 82-81 in overtime on Friday night. Mervin James and Jamari Blackmon added 16 points each for the Lions. Chatman shot 11 for 12 from the line.
Indiana hosts North Alabama for second straight season bignewsnetwork.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bignewsnetwork.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.