OT win gives LIU spot in NCAA Tournament
Long Island's Kyle Johnson kisses the trophy after LIU defeated Robert Morris 85-82 in overtime to win the Northeast Conference Championship NCAA college basketball game. (March 9, 2011) Credit: AP
Jamal Olasewere scored seven of his 31 points in overtime as host Long Island University earned its first NCAA Tournament bid in 14 years with an 85-82 overtime win over two-time defending champ Robert Morris Wednesday night in the Northeast Conference title game.
Jason Brickman made two free throws with 7 seconds left to give top-seeded LIU (27-5) an 85-82 lead. Russell Johnson, who made a three-pointer with 16.8 seconds left for the Colonials to send the game to OT, missed a potential tying three with the clock winding down.
But the rebound bounced out of bounds with 0.6 of a second left, and third-seeded Robert Morris (18-14) had one more chance. Johnson's catch-and-shoot three-point try at the buzzer from the left wing hit the front of the rim.
Within seconds, Blackbirds fans sprinted on to the court to celebrate the school's first NEC championship since 1997.
After having a career game in the biggest game of his career, Olasewere had a warning for the Blackbirds' NCAA opponents -- yes, he expects there to be more than one. "They better watch out the way we've been playing,'' he said. "We're taking this to a national stage." N. Colorado tops Montana
Devon Beitzel scored 13 of his 27 points in the final 5 minutes, helping top-seeded Northern Colorado (21-10) earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history with a 65-60 win over Montana in the Big Sky final.
Pride's Jenkins honored
Hofstra's Charles Jenkins can add All-American to his basketball resume. The senior guard, who is seventh in the nation with 22.9 points per game, was selected third-team All-American by both Sports Illustrated and CBS sports.com.
Manhattan fires coach
Barry Rohrssen was fired as Manhattan coach after five seasons in which the Jaspers went 58-95. He was dismissed less than a week after a 6-25 season ended with an overtime loss to Siena in the first round of the MAAC Tournament.
