Top-seeded Virginia Wesleyan started the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship tournament with a flourish Saturday, defeating eighth-seeded Franciscan 73-51.
Omari DeVeaux had 20 points, Amari Moorer 14 and Khai Seargeant 13. DeVeaux had eight steals, and Amarion Wilson had eight points, six rebounds and two blocks.
Sawyer Butler scored 18 for Franciscan’s Barons, based in Steubenville, Ohio. But VWU scored 10 consecutive points for a 10-3 lead and was in control throughout.
The game was held at McDaniel’s gym in Westminster, Maryland, where four of the event’s eight teams are competing. The ECAC tourney is for squads that had good seasons but did not receive one of the 64 bids to the NCAA championship tournament.
VWU will play in a semifinal at 2 p.m. Sunday against fifth-seeded McDaniel, which ousted fourth-seeded Pitt Greensburg 72-63.
Sunday’s winner will advance to the championship game against the four-team group in Jersey City, New Jersey. There, No. 2 Salisbury beat No. 7 Maine Presque Isle 77-63 before No. 3 New Jersey City University faced No. 6 Alvernia.
BIG SOUTH SEMIFINAL
High Point 76, Radford 73: Kimani Hamilton had 18 points in the top-seeded Pointers’ victory against the fourth-seeded Highlanders in a Big South semifinal in Johnson City, Tennessee.
High Point is on an 11-game winning streak and will play Sunday for an NCAA Tournament automatic bid against third-seeded Winthrop, which downed second-seeded UNC Asheville 86-67.
Hamilton added seven rebounds for the Panthers (28-5). Juslin Bodo Bodo scored 10 points and added nine rebounds.
Jarvis Moss and Truth Harris led the Highlanders (20-13) with 15 points each. David Early had 14 points and five assists.
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINAL
VMI 64, UNC Greensboro 57: Rickey Bradley Jr. scored 23 points as the seventh-seeded Keydets (15-18) stunned the second-seeded Spartans (20-12) in Asheville, North Carolina.
Bradley scored VMI’s last 10 points in the final 2:20 as the Keydets broke away from a 54-52 game. VMI will face Wofford on Sunday in a semifinal.
Ronald Polite scored 18 for UNCG, which trailed almost throughout the game.
REGULAR SEASON
George Mason 64, Richmond 60: Darius Maddox had 18 points at Robins Center as the Patriots captured a share of the Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season title, overcoming a 32-24 halftime deficit. George Mason (24-7, 15-3) shares the title with VCU, but the Rams earned the top seed by virtue of a 70-54 win over the Patriots in Richmond in their only matchup this season.
George Mason earned two byes and won’t play until Friday’s quarterfinals at Capital One Arena in Washington. The Spiders (10-21, 5-13) placed 13th and will play No. 12 seed Davidson in Wednesday’s first round.
B. Artis White led UR with 16 points and four assists. Mike Walz and Collin Tanner scored 10 points apiece, with Walz adding six rebounds.
Liberty 90, Western Kentucky 61: Jay Maughmer and Taelon Peter both had 21 points in a road victory that clinched the regular-season Conference USA title for the Flames.
Maughmer also contributed 15 rebounds and six assists for the Flames (25-6, 13-5). Peter added nine rebounds. Khristian Lander led the Hilltoppers (17-14, 8-10) with 18 points.
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