Colonial Athletic Association Tournament Opening Round: After blowing a 10-point lead in the final five minutes, No. 9 Georgia State needed a buzzer-beating desperation three-pointer to beat No. 8 William and Mary 70-68 in a thrilling start to the CAA Tournament in Richmond. Leonard Mendez finished with 17 points, but his final 25-foot three-pointer was the shot that kept the Panthers alive in the post-season. Georgia State moves on to play No. 1 Virginia Commonwealth in the quarterfinals. Later in the afternoon, No. 5 Northeastern ended No. 12 Delaware’s season in a 77-67 victory. The Huskies started slow, letting the Blue Hens build an early eight-point lead. But Northeastern responded with a 22-6 run, led by 13 at the break and cruised to the victory. The Huskies will play No. 4 Drexel Saturday.
No. 7 Towson used two big double-digit runs — one in each half — to bury No. 10 UNC – Wilmington 67-52. The cold-shooting Seahawks hit only 33 percent from the field. Senior guard Gary Neal led the Tigers with 19 points, continuing an amazing run this season. Neal has scored at least 10 points in all 32 of Towson’s games. He added a career-high nine rebounds against UNC – Wilmington. Towson plays No. 2 Old Dominion Saturday. In the final game of the opening round, No. 6 George Mason started what the Patriots hope will be another miraculous run with a 73-62 win against No. 11 James Madison. The ultimate Cinderella last season, George Mason will need a great run to the CAA championship to return to the NCAA Tournament this year. The Patriots get No. 3 Hofstra next. [3/02/07]
