To say that the first day of Conference USA tournament action was maddening, is a gross understatement. The kind of madness that spectators, players and media are not accustomed to. We all knew of the novel coronavirus and its impact globally, but at the start of this tournament we had no idea the impact it would have on the sports world before night’s end.
The first game from The Star in Frisco did not disappoint. The Lady Thundering Herd used a huge 4th quarter run to erase a double-digit lead and forced 26 Southern Miss turnovers to defeat the Lady Golden Eagles, 71-67 in OT. Kristen Mayo led all scorers with 22 points, shooting 50% from the field. They’ll face number 1 seed, Rice and Conference USA Player of the Year, Erica Ogwumike.
Game two saw 5th seed UAB get upset by the Lady Techsters, 66-63. Louisiana Tech forced 20 Blazer turnovers and had 12 steals. La Tech’s bench outscored UAB 29-19. They’ll face the 4th seed, Middle Tennessee in the quarterfinals.
The Lady Miners from UTEP overpowered the Florida Atlantic Owls, 95-67. UTEP had six players in double digits and were on fire from the field, shooting 55% overall and 50% on 11-22 from deep. FAU could not dig themselves out of an early 36-15 hole. UTEP will face the 2nd seed Monarchs Thursday afternoon.
In the final game of the women’s first round, the Charlotte Forty Niners matched up against the North Texas Mean Green. The first half saw both teams struggle from the field with Charlotte taking a 4-point lead into the half. The Forty Niners built a huge lead in the 3rd quarter that got as large as 19 early in the 4th. Charlotte shot 52% in the third quarter. UNT made a furious comeback in the fourth, forcing some turnovers but Charlotte held on for the 71-67 win and will face the Lady Hilltoppers in the second round.
In the opening round for the men, Florida Atlantic got the party started early and wasted no time catching fire from long range and rode that the entire game to a 66-56 victory. The Owls seemingly answered every Old Dominion run with a clutch triple. FAU shot 48% from long range and forced 22 Monarch turnovers which resulted in 15 points. Florida Atlantic was led by Junior forward Jailyn Ingram with 22 points and 7 rebounds. Regular season champion UNT and Conference USA Player of the Year Javion Hamlet await the Owls in the second round.
The FIU Golden Panthers faced off against the Rice Owls for game two. FIU had the Conference Defensive Player of the Year in Osasumwen Osaghae and he proved to be the difference. The Golden Panthers forward had 6 blocked shots to go with 17 points and 8 rebounds. FIU dominated in the paint 46-30 while shooting over 50% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. FIU had four players in double figures in route to an 85-76 victory. They’ll play Charlotte in the second round.
By the start of the third game at 8:30 CST, shocking news was out that Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert had tested positive for COVID-19. The NBA would respond by postponing the season until further notice. The NCAA Men’s and Women’s tournament along with current Conference tournaments will resume play but without fans in attendance. The final two games saw UAB defeat UTSA 74-69 behind 17 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists from Tavin Lovan and Marshall hold off UTEP, 86-78. Taevion Kinsey led all scorers with 26 points for the Herd who sealed the win shooting 83% from the charity stripe. The Blazers will play Western Kentucky and Marshall will play Louisiana Tech to round out the quarterfinals.
It was an interesting and historic night in Frisco. More questions than answers after all the developments tonight. It remains to be seen whether the NCAA will follow suit with the NBA and possibly cancel the NCAA tournament. As for now, Conference USA second round continues Thursday
morning with quarterfinal action beginning at 11am with the Lady Rice Owls facing off against Marshall. Stay tuned for the most up to date information as it’s released.