Sun Belt Conference Tournament Quarterfinals: No. 9 Middle Tennessee State pulled off the biggest upset in any conference tournament so far by shocking No. 1 South Alabama 63-60 in overtime. The Blue Raiders overcame 18 turnovers by shooting 47.7 percent from the field while holding the Jaguars to 36.8 percent. The Jaguars helped out Middle Tennessee State by hitting only 10-of-19 free throws. Sophomore center Theryn Hudson led the Blue Raiders’ balanced attack with 13 points. The Blue Raiders will look to continue the magic against No. 5 North Texas, which beat No. 4 Louisiana – Monroe 77-71 in overtime. Calvin Watson, who led the Mean Green with 19 points, hit a big three-pointer late in regulation to tie the game. In the extra session, Ben Bell delivered another critical three-pointer, giving North Texas a four-point lead, which the Mean Green preserved at the free throw line.
No. 2 Arkansas State’s Isaac Wells and Adrian Banks did not keep pace with No. 7 New Orleans’ dynamic duo of Bo McCalebb and Jamie McNeilly, but the rest of the Indians picked up the slack to beat the Privateers. Wells had 29 points while Banks added 22, which amazingly did not surpass the combined 57 points by McCalebb and McNeilly. Arkansas State survived a furious second-half rally that sent New Orleans ahead by four with less than 10 minutes to go before the Indians picked up the defensive pressure and came back to win 81-74. Arkansas State will play No. 3 Western Kentucky in the semifinals after the Hilltoppers escaped No. 6 Florida Atlantic’s upset bid 86-81. The Owls battled Western Kentucky throughout the game, as neither team led by more than six points until the closing minutes. Tyrone Brazelton scored 23 points to lead the Hilltoppers, which included a critical three-pointer in the final minutes to extend Western Kentucky’s lead to seven. [3/04/07]
