BAPTISTE SETS NCAA RECORD FOR FACEOFF WINS
Denver and Georgetown, the top two seeds in the Big East tournament, both advanced Thursday with semifinal victories over Marquette and host Villanova, respectively. They’ll meet in the championship game Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
Faceoff specialist Trevor Baptiste won his 1,118th career faceoff in the last minute of Denver’s 10-7 victory over Marquette, breaking the NCAA Division I record previously held by Bryant’s Kevin Massa. Baptiste finished 14-for-21 and attackman Austin French scored five goals in the win.
The Pioneers (12-2) led 8-4 with 14 minutes remaining before Marquette (6-8), which had knocked Denver out of the Big East tournament the last two season en route to the conference title, took advantage of two man-up situations to spark a 3-0 run and cut the Denver lead to 8-7 with 5:16 remaining.
But attackman Ethan Walker scored an insurance goal a little more than a minute later and French added an empty-netter for the final margin.
HOYAS HANDLE WILDCATS
Georgetown, meanwhile, is one substantial but not impossible upset away from its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007. The Hoyas (11-4), who combined for a 6-22 record the last two seasons before turning things around this spring, defeated Villanova 13-10.
The Wildcats (10-5) were without freshman faceoff specialist Dan Fisher, who was injured during practice this week. Down to its third option at the dot — Fisher had replaced injured senior Luke Palmadesso earlier in the season — Villanova managed to win just six of 25 faceoffs.
Georgetown took advantage of the possession imbalance, jumping out to a 4-1 lead in the first quarter, absorbing a five-goal output by the Wildcats in the second quarter and building an 11-7 lead with 5:24 remaining.
Villanova rallied with three goals in less than a minute to pull within one, but Hoyas attackman Robert Clark responded off a feed from midfielder Lucas Wittenberg, catching it high, dropping his stick low and scoring the insurance goal with 1:41 remaining.
Senior midfielder Craig Berge led Georgetown with four goals. The Hoyas have been playing without top scorer Daniel Bucaro, the junior attackman who suffered a season-ending injury in mid-April.
“We’ve been unselfish,” Berge said in an interview with CBS Sports Network after the game Thursday. “None of us are trying to be Danny, but we’re trying to win for Danny.”
“We know the opportunity we have,” Berge added, noting Denver’s strengths all over the field. “We’re going to make the most of it.”
UMASS, TOWSON SET FOR CAA TITLE REMATCH
Top-seeded UMass and second-seeded Towson found tough sledding in the CAA semifinals Thursday, but both teams survived and advanced, setting up a rematch of last year’s conference title tilt Saturday.
UMass (11-4) won its 10th straight game and defeated Hofstra for the second time in as many weeks, but the Minutemen had to overcome a herculean effort by Pride goalie Jack Concannon, who made 22 saves in the losing cause. UMass outshot Hofstra 46-26, its persistence paying off during a 6-1 run spanning 23 minutes, 32 seconds from the end of the first quarter until midway through the third. Dylan Alderman (three goals) singlehandedly brought the Pride back with two unanswered unassisted goals that cut the UMass lead to 8-6 with 4:15 remaining, but that’s the closest Hofstra (6-8) would get.
Towson (7-7) appeared headed toward a comfortable semifinal victory before Delaware exploded for four goals in less than six minutes to send the game to overtime. Tigers long-stick midfielder Koby Smith caused a turnover with a timely over-the-head check in the extra frame and midfielder Matt Sovero scored the game-winning goal for the 9-8 victory.
MAAC MADNESS
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opened conference tournament week with a pair of thrillers Thursday, as Canisius rallied to upset top-seeded Quinnipiac 11-10 in overtime and Detroit Mercy exploded for seven goals in the final nine minutes to stun Monmouth 12-9.
The Griffins advanced thanks to Carter Stefaniak’s game-tying goal with 12 seconds remaining in regulation and then Ryan McKee’s game-winner at the 2:59 mark of overtime.
The Titans broke open a defensive affair, erasing a four-goal deficit with their game-ending seven-goal run.
ALBANY SURVIVES A SCARE
Nothing comes easily for Albany anymore.
The Great Danes, the top seed and host of the America East tournament, trailed UMass Lowell 7-5 at halftime and needed a game-ending four-goal run to pull away for a 15-10 semifinal win Thursday. TD Ierlan won 28 of 29 faceoffs for the Great Danes, who will play Vermont, an 8-4 winner over Stony Brook, in the conference championship game Saturday.
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS
ACC
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.
Semifinals
(3) Notre Dame 14, (2) Duke 11
(4) Virginia 11, (1) Syracuse 10
Championship Game
(3) Notre Dame 17, (4) Virginia 7
AMERICA EAST
ALBANY, N.Y.
Semifinals
(3) Vermont 8, (2) Stony Brook 4
(1) Albany 15, (4) UMass Lowell 10
Championship Game
Saturday, May 5
(3) Vermont vs. (1) Albany
12 p.m. (ESPNU)
BIG EAST
VILLANOVA, PA.
Semifinals
(1) Denver 10, (4) Marquette 7
(2) Georgetown 13, (3) Villanova 10
Championship Game
(2) Georgetown vs. (1) Denver
Saturday, May 5
2 p.m. (CBSSN)
BIG TEN
ANN ARBOR, MICH.
Semifinals
(1) Maryland 12, (4) Rutgers 9
(2) Johns Hopkins 6, (3) Ohio State 5
Championship Game
Saturday, May 5
(2) Johns Hopkins vs. (1) Maryland
7 p.m. (BTN)
CAA
AMHERST, MASS.
Semifinals
(1) UMass 10, (4) Hofstra 6
(2) Towson 9, (3) Delaware 8 (OT)
Championship Game
Saturday, May 5
(2) Towson vs. (1) UMass
1 p.m. (LSN)
IVY LEAGUE
NEW YORK, N.Y.
Semifinals
Friday, May 4
(4) Penn vs. (1) Yale
6 p.m. (ESPNU)
(3) Brown vs. (2) Cornell
8:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Championship Game
Sunday, May 6
12 p.m. (ESPNU)
MAAC
LONG BRANCH, N.J.
Semifinals
(4) Canisius 11, (1) Quinnipiac 10 (OT)
(2) Detroit Mercy 12, (3) Monmouth 9
Championship Game
(4) Canisius vs. (3) Monmouth
Saturday, May 5
10 a.m. (ESPNU)
NEC
PHILADELPHIA
Semifinals
(1) Saint Joseph’s 11, (4) Sacred Heart 9
(3) Robert Morris 12, (2) Bryant 5
Championship Game
(3) Robert Morris vs. (1) Saint Joseph’s
Saturday, May 5
(NEC Front Row)
PATRIOT LEAGUE
BALTIMORE
Quarterfinals
(4) Lehigh 11, (5) Colgate 6
(6) Boston University 12, (3) Bucknell 11
Semifinals
(1) Loyola 13, (6) Boston University 8
(4) Lehigh 10, (2) Navy 9 (OT)
Championship Game
(1) Loyola 15, (4) Lehigh 8
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
RICHMOND, VA.
Semifinals
(1) Richmond 16, (4) Furman 8
(3) Jacksonville 12, (2) High Point 11 (OT)
8 p.m. (SDN)
Championship Game
(3) Jacksonville vs. (1) Richmond
Saturday, May 5
2 p.m. (SDN)