Colonial Athletic Association Tournament: No. 1 UNC-Wilmington advanced to the semifinals with a 69-56 win over No. 9 Delaware to start the day. The Seahawks (23-7) held Delaware (9-21) below 33 percent shooting and had four players score in double figures.
UNC-Wilmington will play No. 5 Northeastern, which ended its game on a 12-1 run to knock off No. 4 Old Dominion 71-63. The Huskies (19-10) got 20 points and nine assists from Jose Juan Barea and shot 56 percent from the field in the second half. The Monarchs (21-9) went just 8-20 from the free throw line and got 14 points and nine rebounds from Alex Loughton.
The evening session began with the first overtime game of the tournament, and No. 2 George Mason survived against No. 10 Georgia State with a 61-56 win. Will Thomas (19 points) scored on consecutive layups to seal the game for the Patriots (23-6), while Georgia State (7-22) battled until the end despite having four players foul out.
The Patriots will play No. 3 Hofstra, which survived a late rally by No. 6 VCU for a 72-66 win. Antoine Agudio put on a show from long range in the first half, scoring 20 of his career-high 34 points, then made a circus shot in the second half along the way to lead Hofstra (23-5). VCU (19-10) was led by Nick George’s 28 points and 12 rebounds, and will now wait and see if they get an NIT bid. [3/04/06]
