DJ Armstrong Jr. scored 33 points as top-seeded UMBC beat second-seeded Vermont 74-59 on Saturday in Baltimore to earn its first America East Conference tournament title since 2018 and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
UMBC (24-8) ended the contest on a 26-8 run to post the third conference tournament title in program history.
Armstrong Jr. went 9 of 11 from the field, including a championship-game record seven 3-pointers, to earn the Most Outstanding Player honors in the tournament while he averaged 17.6 points per game and shot 64% from the floor.
Jose Roberto Tanchyn grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and Ace Valentine added 13 points for the Retrievers, who have won 12 straight games.
UMBC led 30-28 at halftime against Vermont (22-12), which got a team-high 17 points off the bench from TJ Long plus 11 apiece from Gus Yalden and TJ Hurley.
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Bryce Harris had 14 points with 10 rebounds and Cedric Taylor III finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds to lead top-seeded Howard to a 70-63 victory over No. 3 seed North Carolina Central in the title game at Norfolk, Va.
The Bison (23-10), who have won eight games in a row, advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time. Their most recent appearance was in 2024.
Dionte Johnson had a team-high 14 points for the Eagles (14-18).
Mountain West Conference
Top-seeded Utah State downed second-seeded San Diego State 73-62 in Las Vegas in a tournament championship game between two programs headed to the Pac-12 after this season.
MJ Collins Jr. scored 20 points to lead the Aggies (28-6), who earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will make their fourth consecutive appearance. Conference player of the year Mason Falslev added 16 points and six assists, and Drake Allen contributed 13 points and six rebounds. Garry Clark added 11 points off the bench on 5-of-8 shooting from the field.
Reese Dixon-Waters paced the Aztecs (22-11) with 20 points, BJ Davis scored 14 as a reserve and starter Magoon Gwath added 12 points and eight boards. San Diego State took nearly twice as many free throws, going 17-for-24 to 7-for-13 for Utah State.
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Prairie View A&M, which finished eighth in the regular-season standings, won its seventh straight, beating Southern 72-66 in the tournament championship in College Park, Ga.
The Panthers (18-17) were led by Lance Williams with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range as the team was 9-of-18 from outside the arc. Cory Wells had 16 points, Dontae Horne 15 and reserve Ta’Reon Joseph 10. Corey Dunning pulled down nine rebounds as Prairie View earned the SWAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Jaguars, who placed second during the regular season (11-7), fell to 17-17 on the season after seeing their four-game winning streak snapped. AJ Barnes recorded a double-double with 18 points and a game-high 10 boards. Michael Jacobs scored a team-high 19 points off the bench, and starter Cam Amboree added 10 points.
Mid-American Conference
Shammah Scott hit a 3-pointer with 6 seconds left to lift Akron to its 10th straight victory, 79-76 in the title game against Toledo in Cleveland.
The Zips (29-5), who went 17-1 in the conference regular-season slate to finish second behind Miami (Ohio), earned the MAC’s automatic bid. Miami (Ohio) is expected to get an at-large bid after going 31-0 in the regular season and 18-0 in the league before losing its tournament opener to UMass 87-83 on Thursday.
The Rockets (19-15) had led 76-74 on Austin Parks’ 18-foot jumper with 2:23 left in the game but didn’t score again. Tavari Johnson tied the game for Akron on a layup with 1:13 remaining. Johnson and Amani Lyles (16 rebounds) led the Zips with 15 points apiece, and Bowen Hardman and Scott had 12 each.
Leroy Blyden Jr. poured in a game-high 21 points to lead four Toledo players in double-figure scoring.
Conference USA
Kennesaw State won its first Conference USA tournament crown and was the first No. 6 seed to accomplish the feat with a 71-60 win over Louisiana Tech for the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
RJ Johnson, playing in his native Huntsville, Ala., collected 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Owls (21-13). He was selected as the tournament’s most valuable player. Reserve Jaden Harris scored a game-high 18 points and all-tournament selection Amir Taylor added 17.
The Bulldogs (20-14), seeded fourth, made only 2 of 28 from beyond the arc and 22 of 72 overall shots. Avery Thomas II and reserve Scooter Williams Jr. were the only Louisiana Tech players in double figures with 10 points apiece, and Thomas and Kaden Cooper each contributed 10 boards.
Big West Conference
Second-seeded Hawaii grabbed the lead with just under 10 minutes remaining and didn’t let go, beating top-seeded UC Irvine 71-64 in the tournament title game in Henderson, Nev.
Isaac Johnson’s layup with 9:57 remaining put the Rainbow Warriors up 52-50 and they led by as many as seven points on three occasions down the stretch. Johnson led Hawaii (24-8) with a game-high 22 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field. Harry Rouhliadeff (game-high 12 rebounds) and Dre Bullock scored 15 points apiece, and reserve Isaiah Kerr chipped in 10 for the Rainbow Warriors, who are in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.
The Anteaters (23-11) had trailed 31-30 at halftime and led 36-35 with 17:47 left in the game before yielding the advantage. They made 15 of 17 free throws but only 22 of 61 shots from the field, including 5 of 11 from beyond the arc. Jurian Dixon led UC Irvine with 17 points, and Kyle Evans had a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards.
Western Athletic Conference
WAC Player of the Year Dominique Daniels Jr. drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer with 17 seconds to lift second-seeded Cal Baptist to a 63-61 victory over No. 1 seed Utah Valley for the championship in Las Vegas. Both programs are moving to the Big West Conference next season.
It wasn’t the best game for Daniels, who scored a game-high 23 points but was 7 of 25 from the floor. However, he made three 3s in the final 1:52 to erase a six-point deficit for the Lancers (25-8), who earned the conference’s automatic bid and will make their first NCAA Tournament appearance in their eighth season in Division I. Bradey Henige chipped in 11 while Jonathan Griman scored 10 for Cal Baptist.
Isaac Davis paired 12 points with six rebounds for the Wolverines (25-8) but missed a would-be game-tying dunk with 2 seconds left. Jackson Holcombe led Utah Valley with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting, and Trevon Leonhardt led the team in rebounds (10) and assists (eight) along with six points.
–Field Level Media
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