Looking back at Saturday's action ...
FORTUNES RISING, TEAM
Loyola
The Greyhounds sure needed something to take out of their trip to Buffalo and what had been a miserable week.
First they were never quite right at home against Iona on Sunday. Then their defense abandoned them Thursday in a loss at Canisius.
So Julius Brooks' buzzer-beating layup in the second overtime against Niagara not only secured an 89-87 victory, it calmed more than a few nerves around Jimmy Patsos' program.
There was a time in the not-too-distant past that Loyola would have gleefully taken a 16-8 overall mark and a 8-4 record in conference play. Last year's NCAA appearance, coupled with the return of the bulk of that team, means there isn't quite so much joy with that mark.
But here's how things stand: Loyola is in a three-way tie for second in the Metro Atlantic with Canisius and Iona and sits two games behind Niagara. All of this still builds toward three days in March.
Still, no one wants to sit on a three-game skid for almost a week. The Greyhounds avoided that fate on Saturday.
FORTUNES RISING, INDIVIDUAL
Brian Neller, UMBC
With all respect intended, the senior will have a hard time topping this moment at the end of the Retrievers' 68-67 defeat of Maine:
UMBC (6-16, 4-5 America East) has won back-to-back games for the first time since Feb. 3-6, 2011.
NUMBERS OF NOTE6
Players in double figures for Maryland in an 86-60 drilling of Wake Forest. It was the first time the Terrapins did that against an ACC team since Feb. 12, 2005, when Travis Garrison, Nik Caner-Medley, John Gilchrist, Chris McCray, Mike Jones and Ekene Ibekwe each had at least 11 points in a 99-92 overtime defeat of Duke.
200
Victories for Georgetown coach John Thompson III with the Hoyas, who defeated St. John's 68-56 for their fourth consecutive victory. Georgetown got a double-double from Nate Lubick as it improved to 16-4 (6-3 in the Big East)
ELSEWHERE
George Mason rebounded from its meltdown against Drexel on Thursday, completing a season sweep of James Madison with a 74-63 victory in Harrisonburg. Sherrod Wright had 22 points and Jonathan Arledge added 19 for the Patriots (13-9, 6-4 Colonial). ... George Washington's three-game Atlantic 10 winning streak is over after an 80-71 loss to La Salle. The Colonials fell to 10-10 (4-3 A-10). ...
Virginia Tech (11-10) will be kicking itself for wasting an opportunity to knock off North Carolina. The Tar Heels survived 72-60 in overtime at home. ... Stephen Lumpkins had 24 points as American (8-14, 3-4 Patriot) turned back Lafayette 68-64. ... Navy's dismal shooting continued in a 69-54 loss at Bucknell. The Midshipmen (7-16, 1-6 Patriot) shot 31.7 percent from the floor. ...
It wasn't a productive day for local MEAC teams as Coppin State (to Norfolk State), Morgan State (to Hampton) and Howard (to Savannah State) all lost at home. ... Mount St. Mary's made 13 of 26 of its 3-point attempts and forced 23 turnovers. That's a winning formula for the Mount (9-12, 4-6), which handled Sacred Heart 91-82.
ON TAP SUNDAY
Virginia (15-5) visits Georgia Tech (11-8) in the lone Super Bowl Sunday game in Division I involving a team from Maryland, Virginia or the District.
--- Patrick Stevens
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