Dylan Penn scored 21 points to lead Vermont to a 72-59 win against UMass Lowell in the America East Conference tournament final in Burlington, Vt.
The top-seeded Catamounts (23-10) extended their winning streak to 15 games and are headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and the fifth time under coach John Becker.
Penn made 8 of 12 shots from the field. Matt Veretto scored 15 points, Finn Sullivan added 14 points and seven rebounds and Aaron Deloney had 10 points.
The second-seeded River Hawks (26-8) shot just 37.7 percent from the field and had their six-game winning streak snapped. Allin Blunt scored 14 points and Yuri Covington added 10 off the bench.
Vermont scored the first five points of the second half to erase a 29-25 halftime deficit. Deloney’s 3-pointer with 12:39 left put the Catamounts ahead for good at 38-37.
Howard 65, Norfolk State 64
Jelani Williams capped a 20-point performance by making two free throws with 6.1 seconds remaining in the second half to help Howard rally to a victory over Norfolk State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament final in Norfolk, Va.
The third-seeded Spartans (22-11) held a 64-60 lead before Marcus Dockery drained his lone 3-pointer of the game with 13.2 seconds remaining in the second half. Norfolk State’s attempted in-bounds pass sailed out of bounds, and Williams made good from the charity stripe to help the top-seeded Bison (22-12) capture their first MEAC tournament title since 1992 and secure its first NCAA Tournament berth since then and third overall.
Howard, which has defeated Norfolk State on three occasions this season, has won five in a row overall and 14 of its last 16 games.
Dana Tate Jr. recorded 19 points and seven rebounds and Joe Bryant Jr. added 18 points and five steals for the Spartans.
Texas Southern 61, Grambling 58
PJ Henry finished with 19 points as No. 8 seed Texas Southern built a 12-point, second-half lead and held on to stun No. 2 Grambling in the final of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament in Birmingham, Ala.
Davon Barnes added 13 points and eight rebounds for Texas Southern (14-20), which beat top-seeded Alcorn State and No. 5 Alabama A&M to advance to the championship game.
Texas Southern held Grambling (24-9) to 11.1 percent shooting from 3-point range and 33.3 percent overall. Zahad Munford led Grambling with 12 points and Jonathan Aku added 11.
Kent State 93, Toledo 78
Sincere Carry led five players in double figures with 26 points as the Golden Flashes cruised to the victory over the Rockets in the Mid-American Conference tournament finale in Cleveland.
Kent State shot 55.7 percent from the floor, including 10 of 24 from the 3-point line. Chris Payton scored 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting off the bench.
Rayj Dennis and Setric Millner Jr. led Toledo with 25 points apiece. The Rockets shot just 42.4 percent from the floor.
Iona 76, Marist 55
Daniss Jenkins scored a game-high 27 points to lead the Gaels to a win over the Red Foxes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament title game.
Walter Clayton Jr. added 17 points and Nelly Junior Joseph posted nine points and 11 rebounds for the Gaels.
Patrick Gardner led the Red Foxes with 23 points on 9-for-19 shooting. Marist shot just 33.3 percent from the floor.
Florida Atlantic 78, UAB 56
Alijah Martin scored a game-high 30 points and the Owls claimed the Conference USA tournament championship in a rout over the Blazers in Frisco, Texas.
Martin finished 12 of 19 from the floor and collected 11 rebounds. He made 5 of 10 3-pointers.
Jordan Walker scored 18 points for UAB, which made just 5 of 26 shots from behind the arc.
–Field Level Media
