Cincinnati outduels U of L in Big East
Deonta Vaughn made two free throws with 5.9 seconds left then made the game-saving strip just before the buzzer and Cincinnati beat Louisville 69-66 on Wednesday night in the second round of the Big East Tournament in New York.
The 11th-seeded Bearcats (18-14), who had never won a game in the tournament until Tuesday's opening-round win over Rutgers, advanced to the quarterfinals against third-seeded and seventh-ranked West Virginia.
Edgar Sosa had 28 points for the defending champion Cardinals (20-12), but he was stripped by Vaughn as he was headed toward a possible game-tying three-point attempt.
Yancy Gates had 16 points for Cincinnati, which finished with a 54-33 rebound advantage, including 28-9 on the offensive end.
Reginald Delk hit a three with 9.7 seconds left to bring Louisville within one, 67-66, before Vaughn's free throws made it a three-point game.
Notre Dame 68, Seton Hall: 56: A healthy Luke Harangody had 20 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, and Notre Dame shut down Seton Hall's high-octane offense.
"The microwave was ready to go tonight," Notre Dame Coach Mike Brey said about the instant offense Harangody provided as a reserve.
Tory Jackson added 13 points and six assists for the Fighting Irish (22-10) in a game with significant NCAA implications. Notre Dame, riding a five-game winning streak at just the right time, plays second-seeded and No. 16 Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals Thursday night.
Notre Dame ended a three-game winning streak for No. 10 seed Seton Hall (19-12).
No. 22 Georgetown 69, South Florida 49: Jason Clark and Greg Monroe scored 16 points each, and Georgetown built a big first-half lead before handling everything South Florida star Dominique Jones could offer.
The eighth-seeded Hoyas (21-9) were likely already in the NCAA Tournament but now have the chance to improve their seeding with a deep run in the tourney. They'll play No. 1 seed Syracuse in the quarterfinals Thursday.
The two conference heavyweights have split their 12 meetings in the Big East Tournament.
Georgetown built a 14-point first-half lead relying mostly on defense. South Florida (20-12) didn't score for nearly eight minutes, and Jones couldn't find open looks.
Marquette 57, St. John's 55: Lazar Hayward scored 20 points and David Cubillan hit the deciding three-pointer with 1:11 to play for Marquette.
The fifth-seeded Golden Eagles (21-10) held on after losing a 14-point lead and advanced to the quarterfinals against fourth-seeded and 10th-ranked Villanova on Thursday.
It was the second straight year Marquette beat the 13th-seeded Red Storm (17-15) in the second round, but this was a far cry from last season's 74-45 romp.
Montana punches ticket
Anthony Johnson scored 34 of his career-high 42 points in the second half, leading Montana (22-9) back from a 22-point deficit and into the NCAA Tournament with a 66-65 win over Weber State in the Big Sky Tournament finals in Ogden, Utah.
Damian Lillard scored 16 to lead top-seeded Weber State (20-10), which led 40-20 at halftime.
Robert Morris is in
Dallas Green deflected a potential game-winning shot then sank two free throws with 7 seconds left as Robert Morris beat Quinnipiac 52-50 in Hamden, Conn., for its second straight Northeast Conference championship.
Freshman Karon Abraham scored 16 points to lead the Colonials (23-11), who are headed to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time.
James Feldeine had 17 points for Quinnipiac (23-9) which was seeking its first conference title. Justin Rutty, the NEC Player of the Year, added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Green got a piece of Feldeine's three-point jumper with 10 seconds left.
