Central Connecticut State earns berth in NCAA Tournament

Mar 8, 2007 - 2:38 AM By PA SportsTicker

Javier Mojica made sure Central Connecticut completed a three-peat and secured a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The Most Valuable Player in the Northeast Conference, Mojica scored 25 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:50 to play, to help the Blue Devils defeat Sacred Heart, 74-70, in the conference championship game.

Central Connecticut (22-11), the league's regular-season champion, advanced to the NCAAs for the third time in school history and first since 2002.

Winners of 15 of their past 16 games, the top-seeded Blue Devils beat the Pioneers for the third time this season and avoided a trend that had plagued a number of regular-season champions in their conference tournaments.

Four schools - Creighton, Niagara, Eastern Kentucky and North Texas - have avenged a pair of regular-season losses with wins in the league title game.

Sacred Heart (18-14) was looking to become the fifth team to do so against Central, which had posted a pair of double-digit victories in the two regular-season meetings between the schools.

The Pioneers had the unenvious task of trying to reverse the trend on the Blue Devils' home floor but appeared on the threshold of the upset by carrying a one-point lead into the final two minutes.

Mojica responded by drilling a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put Central ahead for good, 70-68, and Jemino Sobers buried a baseline jumper for a four-point advantage with 60 seconds left.

After Joey Henley hit a layup to cut the lead to 72-70, Tristan Blackwood converted two free throws with 18 ticks remaining, spoiling the Pioneers' bid for their first NCAA appearance since moving to Division I eight years ago.

There also is an NCAA Tournament berth on the line in the Big Sky Conference on Wednesday, where top-seeded Weber State (19-11) hosts Northern Arizona (18-11) in Ogden, Utah.

Like Central Connecticut State, Weber State also will be trying for a trifecta against Northern Arizona. The Wildcats posted an 81-73 road win in December and an 86-79 home triumph February 3.

Weber State failed to qualify for the conference tournament last season and is seeking its first NCAA appearance since 2003. Northern Arizona lost to Montana in last year's conference title game and has not been to the "Big Dance" since 2000.

So far, 13 automatic bids have been awarded. There are no conference championships Thursday, and the Patriot League will be decided Friday when Holy Cross faces Bucknell.

The entire 65-team field will be announced by the NCAA Selection Committee on Sunday.