Colonial Athletic Association Tournament Quarterfinals: No. 1 Virginia Commonwealth beat No. 9 Georgia State 73-60 to move into the semifinals Sunday. The Rams led from tip-off to the final horn. But VCU needed a 12-0 run in the second half to seal the game after the Panthers had pulled within three points. T.J. Gwynn led a balanced scoring attack with 14 points. The Rams will play No. 4 Drexel, a showdown between two teams hoping to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament if they don’t win the conference’s automatic berth. The Dragons beat No. 5 Northeastern 64-50 as Frank Elegar scored 23 points to lead Drexel. The Dragons started hot and led 35-18 by halftime.
Junior guard Brian Henderson hit six three-pointers en route to 24 points to lead No. 2 Old Dominion to a come-from-behind victory against No. 7 Towson. The Monarchs trailed by five at halftime but rallied in the second half to win 58-55. Henderson’s performance overshadowed another sensational night from senior guard Gary Neal, who led the Tigers with 22 points.
Cinderella is warming up the dancing shoes again. No. 6 George Mason pulled off the only upset of the day by beating No. 3 Hofstra 64-61. Last year’s most shocking Final Four participant, George Mason stormed to a 43-28 halftime lead and held off the Pride’s second-half rally. Hofstra had an opportunity to tie the game on its final possession but didn’t even get a three-point attempt off before the buzzer. [3/03/07]
