TJ Burch delivered when it mattered most, netting 16 of his total 19 points after halftime as top-seeded Wright State mounted a comeback from a 12-point deficit in the final 10 minutes to edge third-seeded Detroit Mercy 66-63 in Tuesday night’s Horizon League championship game in Indianapolis.
The Raiders (23-11) secured their fifth NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2022. Kellen Pickett contributed 17 points while Michael Imariagbe added 12 points, with both players grabbing seven rebounds apiece for Wright State.
Bench player Logan Woods made his only two field goals count when they mattered most, drilling a pair of three-pointers in the final 2:11 to transform a deadlocked contest into a six-point advantage that Detroit couldn’t overcome. Wright State’s defense clamped down, limiting their opponents to just three successful field goals over the final 9:51.
Detroit Mercy (17-15) was seeking their first NCAA Tournament return since 2012. Orlando Lovejoy led all scorers with 26 points for the Titans, while TJ Nadeau contributed 21 points, including a personal 10-0 scoring streak early in the second half that created a double-digit lead.
Hofstra 75, Monmouth 69
First-year player Preston Edmead exploded for 26 points and connected on a crucial three-pointer late in the second half, propelling the third-seeded Pride over the fourth-seeded Hawks in the CAA championship game in Washington.
Edmead’s long-range shot with 3:26 remaining extended the lead to 64-58, but Hofstra (24-10) wasn’t finished yet after Justin Ray’s three-pointer narrowed the gap to 66-65 with 1:18 left on the clock. German Plotnikov (10 points) answered with his own three-pointer 20 seconds later for Hofstra, which will return to March Madness for the first time since 2001 after their 2020 CAA championship was nullified by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent tournament cancellation.
Kavion McClain posted 19 points, six assists and four three-pointers for Monmouth (19-15), with his fourth coming on a four-point play with nine seconds remaining that brought his squad within two before Cruz Davis (12 points) and Plotnikov sealed the victory at the free-throw line.
Long Island 79, Mercyhurst 70
The top-seeded Sharks topped the third-seeded Lakers in the NEC championship game in New York and will advance to their inaugural NCAA Tournament appearance. LIU had already secured the automatic bid since Mercyhurst cannot participate in postseason play due to their transition to Division I status.
Malachi Davis and Greg Gordon both recorded 24 points and four assists for LIU (24-10). Mason Porter-Brown provided 14 points and three steals coming off the bench while Jamal Fuller registered 10 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. The Sharks maintained control throughout without leading by more than nine points, shooting an impressive 55.8% from the field.
Bernie Blunt III dominated with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting while Qadir Martin posted 20 points and 14 rebounds for Mercyhurst (17-17).
