Joel Wright scored 26 points to lead Texas State to a 68-56 win over Seattle University in the first round of the Western Athletic Conference tournament Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
Deshaun Sunderhaus led Seattle (8-22) with 15 points. Prince Obasi had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Valparaiso 62, Wright State 54: Erik Buggs scored a career-high 22 points to help rally Valparaiso past Wright State in the Horizon League tournament championship in Valparaiso, Ind. The win sends the Crusaders (26-7) back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2004.
South Dakota State 73, North Dakota State 67: Nate Wolters scored 27 points to lead South Dakota State past North Dakota State in the final of the Summit League tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D., to gain an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
LIU Brooklyn 91, Mount St. Mary’s 70: C.J. Garner scored a career-high 31 points as LIU Brooklyn punched its ticket for the NCAA tournament with a win over Mount St. Mary’s in the finals of the Northeast Conference tournament in New York City.
WOMEN
Notre Dame 61, Connecticut 59: Natalie Achonwa’s layup with 1.8 seconds left lifted No. 2 Notre Dame to its first Big East tournament championship over No. 3 Connecticut in Hartford, Conn. Kayla McBride, named the tourney’s most outstanding player, scored 23 points to lead the Irish.
South Dakota State 56, South Dakota 53: Megan Waytashek scored 11 points and grabbed a key rebound in the last minute to help the Jackrabbits beat the Coyotes in the Summit League tournament final in Sioux Falls, S.D. South Dakota State (25-7) secured an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament with its fifth consecutive Summit League title.
ELSEWHERE
Karen Kemp is retiring as coach of the East Tennessee State Lady Bucs after 19 seasons and 272 wins. … Siena fired men’s coach Mitch Buonaguro after an 8-24 record this season — his third — that tied the school record for losses. … Missouri-Kansas City has fired men’s coach Matt Brown after six seasons.
McClatchy news services
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