Hoopville - Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Race Might Have Factored in Iona Assistant's Firing: The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan has reinstated a lawsuit brought against Iona by former assistant coach Craig Holcomb. The appeals court said Holcomb should have the chance to prove that Iona was motivated by his interracial marriage at the time of his termination. Iona has denied the allegations and stands firm that Holcomb was fired on the basis of the poor performance of the team. Holcomb was hired in 1995 and promoted to assistant head coach in 1998. He helped lead the team to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in 1998, 2000, and 2001 before being fired along with another coach in 2004. [4/03/08]

Midwest Region - Second Round: No. 10 Davidson outscored No. 2 Georgetown 35-20 in the final 11 minutes to win 74-70 and earn a trip to the Sweet 16. Sophomore guard Stephen Curry was sensational with 30 points despite going 8-of-21 from the field and 5-of-15 from three-point range. He scored 20 in the second half, however, to help the Wildcats eliminate a 17-point hole and overcome the Hoyas' 63.4 percent shooting. Georgetown also hit 10 three-pointers. However, the Hoyas struggled to control the ball, committing 20 turnovers to Davidson's four. Davidson also won the free throw battle, hitting 24-of-30 to Georgetown's 8-of-17.

No. 12 Villanova's young guards continue to deliver for the Wildcats as sophomore Scottie Reynolds had 25 points and freshman Corey Fisher scored 20 points to lead Villanova to an 84-72 win against No. 13 Siena. Reynolds also had eight rebounds and five assists, and he hit four three-pointers. Villanova shot 53.6 percent from the field while the Saints were only 35.7 percent. Villanova moves in to the Sweet 16 to play Kansas. [3/23/08]

Midwest Region - First Round: No. 2 Georgetown shut down No. 10 Maryland-Baltimore County 66-47 to move into the second round against Davidson. The Hoyas' defense held the Retrievers to 32.7 percent shooting from the field. UMBC hit eight three-pointers to avoid an embarrassing blowout, but the Retrievers could not handle Georgetown's experience and height. Seniors Jonathan Wallace and Roy Hibbert scored 13 apiece to lead Georgetown, which had four players reach double figures in scoring. Georgetown also hit three-pointers and shot 51 percent from the field.

No. 13 Siena became the second 13-seed to win in Tampa today, following in the footsteps of San Diego against Connecticut earlier this afternoon. The Saints squashed No. 4 Vanderbilt 83-62 by preventing the Commodores from hitting three-pointers. Vanderbilt was only 4-of-20 from three-point range, and senior guard Shan Foster was only 1-of-5 from long range to finish with 13 points. Junior guard Kenny Hasbrouck led the Saints with 30 points on 9-of-14 shooting. He was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line, and Siena was 22-of-25 from the line to help the Saints hold off a Vanderbilt team that struggled at times to score. Siena will play Villanova next.

Tampa Turmoil delivered the final surprise of the day as No. 12 Villanova erased an 18-point first-half hole to upset No. 5 Clemson 75-60, the fourth double-digit seed to upset a team in Tampa today. Coach Jay Wright coined the term Tampa Turmoil after the game to explain the madness occurring in Florida. Sophomore sharpshooter Scottie Reynolds caught fire at the right time to lead the Wildcats with 21 points and hit four three-pointers. Clemson's free throw shooting woes helped Villanova come back as the Tigers hit only 14-of-23 attempts.

No. 10 Davidson and sophomore sharpshooter Stephen Curry ousted No. 7 Gonzaga 82-76, rallying from an 11-point hole behind Curry's 40 points. Curry broke a tie with a three-pointer in the final minute, and the Wildcats held off the Bulldogs at the free throw line. Gonzaga contained Curry in the first half, holding him to 10 points, but he exploded in the second half for 30, finishing 8-of-11 from three-point range. [3/21/08]

NCAA Tournament - Opening Round: No. 16 Mount St. Mary's hit 26-of-32 free throws to overcome a poor shooting night and beat No. 16 Coppin State 69-60 and move into the first round of the NCAA Tournament against No. 1 North Carolina. The Mountaineers will play the Tar Heels Friday evening in Raleigh. Sophomore guard Jeremy Goode led the Mountaineers with 21 points. Senior guard Tywain McKee led the Eagles with 15 points but was 6-of-17 from the field. Coppin State set a record by entering the NCAA Tournament with 20 losses, more losses than any other tournament team in history. [3/18/08]

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament Championship: No. 1 Siena returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002 after beating No. 2 Rider 74-53. Senior guard Tay Fisher led the Saints with 21 points. The Broncs stayed close in the first half, but Siena used a 21-11 run to help build an 11-point halftime lead. The Saints held Rider to 41.8 percent shooting from the field and pulled away in the second half. [3/10/08]

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals: No. 1 Siena overcame a late six-point hole to win 65-63 against No. 4 Loyola. Junior forward Josh Duell hit the game-winning layup with 20 seconds remaining, breaking a 63-63 tie with his only points of the game. Sophomore forward Alex Franklin led Siena with 22 points and 12 rebounds. The Saints held the Greyhounds without a point for nearly the final four minutes. No. 2 Rider will take on Siena for the MAAC championship after the Broncs overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to beat No. 6 Marist 76-71. Senior forward Jason Thompson was dominant with 32 points and 18 rebounds against the Red Foxes. [3/09/08]

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinals: No. 4 Loyola held off No. 5 Fairfield 64-59 to move into the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals. Senior guard Gerald Brown led Loyola with 18 points. The Greyhounds will take on No. 1 Siena in search of a season sweep of the Saints. Siena beat No. 8 Manhattan 66-58, as sophomore forward Alex Franklin had 26 points and nine rebounds to lead the Saints.

No. 2 Rider slipped past No. 10 Canisius 75-71 to move into the semifinals. Senior forward Jason Thompson had his 21st double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Rider has the most NBA-ready player in the conference, and the Broncs hope he'll carry them to an NCAA berth. Rider will play No. 6 Marist in the semifinals. Senior forward Ryan Stilphen made two free throws with about a minute remaining to give Marist the lead against No. 3 Niagara, and the Red Foxes held on for the 66-62 victory. [3/08/08]

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament Opening Round: No. 8 Manhattan dominated No. 9 St. Peter's in a 73-59 opening-round victory that sends the Jaspers into the quarterfinals against No. 1 Siena. Junior forward Devon Austin led Manhattan with 26 points, including six three-pointers. No. 10 Canisius beat No. 7 Iona 64-59 to earn a quarterfinals match up with No. 2 Rider. Junior guard Bob Bevilacqua and freshman forward Rishawn Johnson had 14 points apiece as the Golden Griffins' high scorers. [3/07/08]

Former Golden Griffin Point Guard Gets Help From Coach: Former Canisius point guard Brian Dux is in the midst of a difficult recovery from a severe head injury he suffered in a November car accident in England, and he's getting some assistance from his former college coach, Mike McDonald. A professional player in England, Dux had severe head trauma in the accident, and doctors needed to put him in a medically induced coma to help cure some of the injuries. He has no feeling in his left side but good movement in his right side. McDonald has helped lead some of the fundraising efforts to help Dux cover his medical bills. McDonald is now the coach at Medaille College, a Division III program. [12/29/07]

Ruland to Leave Iona: Iona has decided to part ways with coach Jeff Ruland and will buy out the final two years of his contract. In nine years at Iona, the former NBA All-Star led the Gaels to three MAAC titles and NCAA Tournament appearances in 2000, 2001 and 2006. He had a 139-135 record. Ruland played in the NBA from 1981 to 1987 and averaged 17.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game for his career. Iona finished a dismal 2-28 this past season. [4/01/07]

Mihalich Rewared New Deal: Niagara coach Joe Mihalich has been rewarded a new multiyear contract to remain with the Purple Eagles. This season, Niagara earned an automatic spot in the NCAA Tournament by winning the MAAC Tournament. Mihalich is happy to be returning to the program, and looks forward to not only a winning season but also building character in his players. [3/30/07]

West Region - First Round: No. 1 Kansas delivered one of the most impressive first-round performances in slapping around No. 16a Niagara, the winner of Tuesday's play-in game against No. 16b Florida A&M. The Jayhawks sprinted to a 107-67 victory by placing five players in double figures, led by sophomore Mario Chalmers with 19 in only 21 minutes. Kansas' defense frustrated the Purple Eagles and held them to 31.8 percent shooting from the floor and 10.5 percent from three-point territory. Kansas lit it up from everywhere, shooting 54.1 percent overall and 59.1 percent from three-point range. The Jayhawks had a higher shooting percentage from long range than at the free throw line.

No. 4 Southern Illinois continued to win with superior defense in a 61-51 slugfest with No. 13 Holy Cross. The Salukis forced 20 turnovers and held the Crusaders to 33.3 percent shooting, allowing only one three-pointer. The teams committed 44 fouls, leading to 61 free throws. Sophomore Tony Boyle came off the bench for Southern Illinois to score a career-high 14 points and lead the team. He filled in for junior Matt Shaw, who injured his ankle and could not return.

No. 5 Virginia Tech ended the game against No. 12 Illinois with a 12-0 run in the final four-plus minutes to erase a 10-point hole and win 54-52. Junior Deron Washington hit a driving jumper in the final minute to break a tie and give the Hokies the decisive lead. He led Virginia Tech with 14 points, most of which came in the final 10 minutes. Senior Warren Carter led the Illini with 15 points.

No. 8 Kentucky shut down everyone on No. 9 Villanova not named Scottie Reynolds or Curtis Sumpter and won 67-58. Villanova did not have an answer in the interior for junior Randolph Morris, who had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Kentucky held Villanova to 32.7 percent shooting from the floor. Reynolds had 23 points and Sumpter had 19 to lead Villanova. [3/16/07]

NCAA Tournament Opening Round: No. 16a Niagara and No. 16b Florida A&M officially started the 2007 NCAA Tournament with the opening-round game in Dayton. The Purple Eagles led most of the game in a 77-69 victory that gives Niagara the opportunity to play No. 1 Kansas Friday in Chicago. The Purple Eagles, who had an eight-day break, looked much crisper than the Rattlers did after playing a fourth game in seven days. Clif Brown led Niagara with 32 points, including six three-pointers. [3/14/07]

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament Championship: The No. 2 Niagara Purple Eagles defeated No. 4 Siena 83-79 Monday night to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship, clinching an NCAA tournament bid in the process. Tyrone Lewis led Niagara with 26 points and was 3-of-6 from three-point range. Lorenzo Miles also added 21 points with 3-of-5 shooting from downtown. Siena's Alex Miller led all scorers with 27 points. [3/05/07]

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals: No. 4 Siena overcame a six-point deficit to end No. 1 Marist's NCAA Tournament aspirations. The Saints completed the 86-78 upset by scoring 52 points in the second half. Sophomore guard Kenny Hasbrouck was unstoppable, scoring 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including four three-pointers. As a team, the Saints shot nearly 60 percent from the field. Siena will play No. 2 Niagara in the MAAC championship. The Purple Eagles beat No. 3 Loyola, Md., 89-79, becoming the favorite to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Freshman guard Tyrone Lewis scored 23 points and senior guard Lorenzo Miles had 22 points to lead the Purple Eagles. [3/04/07]