ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 5, 1996 TAG: 9603050054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
Tulsa ended a decade of frustration in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament Monday night, getting 18 points from Cordell Love in a 60-46 victory over top-seeded Bradley in St. Louis.
Tulsa (22-7), the No. 3 seed, is moving to the WAC next season. Before departing, the Golden Hurricane got the Valley's automatic berth in the NCAA tournament with their first title since 1986.
Steve Robinson, a graduate of William Fleming High School, is the first-year coach of the Hurricane.
This was the fourth time in the 1990s that Tulsa made it to the championship game. Michael Ruffin added 15 points and 13 rebounds and Shea Seals, named tourney MVP, had 14 points.
Bradley (22-7), which could get an at-large bid, had a six-game winning streak ended, shot 26.9 percent and had a season low for scoring. Bradley hasn't won the conference tournament since 1988.
Colonial tournament
Virginia Commonwealth 46, UNC Wilmington 43: In Richmond, Ivan Chappell made four free throws in the final 37.8 seconds as the Rams beat the Seahawks to win the Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship.
The Rams (24-8), who also won the CAA regular season title with a 14-2 record in their first year in the league, earned an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, their first trip since 1985.
UNC Wilmington (13-16), which reached the title game by holding Old Dominion to 26.2 percent shooting in a 59-39 semifinal victory, scored only 17 points in the second half in their bid for their first NCAA berth.
Mark Byington, a former Salem High School star who starts for the Seahawks scored five points.
Metro Atlantic
Canisius 52, Fairfield 46: In Albany, N.Y., Micheal Meeks scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Golden Griffins beat the Stags in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship for their first NCAA tournament berth since 1957.
For the fifth-seeded Golden Griffins (19-10), it was a remarkable end to the tournament, which saw their best player, Darrell Barley, forced to watch from the sidelines with a broken bone in his right thumb. Fairfield (20-9) lost to Canisius for the seventh straight time.
Atlantic 10 women
George Washington 83, La Salle 68: In Blacksburg, the Colonials' Tajama Abraham dominated in scoring and rebounding throughout the tournament, and as a result her team is headed to the NCAA tournament.
Abraham had 24 points and 12 rebounds as the Colonials beat the Explorers. She had 76 points, 29 rebounds and six blocks during the tournament, and was named most valuable player.
Regular season
Maryland 88, Florida State 78: In College Park, Md., freshman Laron Profit scored 22 points to lead the Terrapins (13-13, 5-11) over the Seminoles (13-13, 5-11) in the ACC.
Keith Booth barely missed a third consecutive double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds for Maryland, which plays Duke on Friday in the ACC Tournament. James Collins had 17 for Florida State , which meets North Carolina State in Thursday's ACC play-in game.
Oral Roberts 96, Hampton 54: In Tulsa, Okla., Rocky Walls scored 23 points in leading the Golden Eagles (18-9) over the Pirates (9-17) for their 10th straight victory.
Notes
KENTUCKY RULES: Kentucky was one vote shy of being a unanimous No.1 selection in the season's next to last college basketball poll.
The Wildcats (26-1) matched a school record with their 25th consecutive victory Saturday and also became the first team in 40 years to go unbeaten in the Southeastern Conference regular season.
APKE OUT: The contract of Appalachian State men's basketball team coach Tom Apke, who had six winning seasons out of 10 with the Mountaineers, will not be renewed, the school said. Apke's contract expires June 30. Apke, the second-winningest coach in Mountaineer basketball history, compiled a 139-147 record at the school.
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