Conference finals roundup: Northern Iowa, High Point, Queens clinch bids

Sixth-seeded Northern Iowa punched its ticket to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016 with its fourth win in four days, taking down fifth-seeded UIC 84-69 in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament final Sunday in St. Louis.

The Panthers (23-12) picked the perfect time to have their best shooting day of the season as they connected on 31 of 49 shots from the field (63.3%) while also shooting 52.2% from 3-point range. Fourth-year Northern Iowa starter Trey Campbell had a team-high 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting, including six 3s.

Ben Schwieger had 18 points off the bench and missed just one of his eight shots. Leon Bond III and Will Hornseth each had 10 points, while Tristan Smith added eight rebounds. As a team, the Panthers had a season-high 25 assists.

Elijah Crawford finished with 28 points for the Flames (19-15) on 13-for-29 shooting to go along with four rebounds and five assists. Ahmad Henderson II had 13 points, and Rashund Washington Jr. and Jayce Nathaniel had 10 apiece.

High Point 91, Winthrop 76

The top-seeded Panthers locked in their second straight NCAA Tournament bid thanks to a dominant second half in a victory over the second-seeded Eagles in the Big South Conference tournament final in Johnson City, Tenn.

High Point (30-4) is making just its second NCAA Tournament appearance ever but has been a mid-major powerhouse of late. Their 86 wins since 2023 trail only Houston, Duke and UConn among all Division I teams. Rob Martin paced the Panthers with 24 points and seven assists, and Cam'Ron Fletcher had 17 points and 19 rebounds off the bench.

Winthrop (23-11) was led by Kareem Rozier's 22 points and seven rebounds. Daylen Berry finished with 18 points, Logan Duncomb had 17 and Kody Clouet added 12. The Eagles didn't help themselves by making just 18 of 31 free throws (58.1%) while High Point made 27 of 32 (84.4%), including 24 of 26 in the second half.

Queens 98, Central Arkansas 93 (OT)

Chris Ashby hit 10 of 19 shots from outside the arc, his 10th coming early in the extra session, and the third-seeded Royals knocked off the top-seeded Bears to clinch their first NCAA Tournament berth by winning the ASUN title in Jacksonville, Fla.

Ashby tied a career high of 34 points, Nasir Mann had 14 points and nine rebounds and Jordan Watford added 19 points and six assists off the bench for Queens (21-13), which has won seven of its last eight. The Royals couldn't hold a 12-point lead in the final 4:21 of regulation, but they scored the first seven of overtime to regain control.

Camren Hunter scored 43 of his career-high 49 points in regulation for Central Arkansas (22-12), single-handedly willing his team's comeback by scoring the Bears' final 20 points before overtime, including the tying layup with two seconds on the clock. Ty Robinson added 16 points and Javion Guy-King went for 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

--Field Level Media