Conference finals roundup: American, McNeese punch NCAA tickets

Field Level Media|published: 03/12/2025, 10:57pm EDT

Nov 15, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; American University Eagles head coach Duane Simpkins reacts in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Matt Rogers scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds while leading American to a 74-52 win over Navy in the Patriot League championship game at Washington on Wednesday, sending the Eagles to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 years.

Second-seeded American (22-12) scored the game's first nine points. The Eagles were up by nine at halftime, and the fifth-seeded Midshipmen (15-19) never got any closer the rest of the way.

Colin Smalls added 11 points for the Eagles, while reserves Matt Mayock and Geoff Sprouse had nine apiece.

Austin Benigni put up 18 points for Navy, and Donovan Draper amassed 11 points and 12 rebounds.

McNeese 63, Lamar 54

Quadir Copeland shot 6-for-9 from the field and scored 18 points while leading the Cowboys to their second straight Southland Conference championship and NCAA bid with a victory over the Cardinals in Lake Charles, La.

Javohn Garcia and DJ Richards Jr. added 10 points each for top-seeded McNeese (27-6). The Cowboys limited Lamar to 30.8 percent shooting while forcing 11 turnovers. McNesse hit 41.7 percent from the floor and gave the ball away eight times.

The second-seeded Cardinals (20-13) got 18 points from Alexis Marmolejos, 15 from Andrew Holifield and 11 from Adam Hamilton. Marmolejos and Holifield each had a game-high nine rebounds.

--Field Level Media