D3hoops.com: Notables

Millsaps finished what it couldn't in the regular-season meeting, putting away No. 2 Centre and claiming the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball automatic bid. The Majors won 69-60, securing their spot in the tournament, while Centre will be an at-large team. Sunday's men's scores and
who's in? We have the list of automatic bids clinched so far.

It was a busy day Saturday in men's and women's Division III basketball as well.

No. 2 Howard Payne will join No. 1 Hope and No. 3 Thomas More as undefeated teams entering the NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament. The Yellow Jackets beat No. 8 McMurry for the third time this season 77-55. All-American Meia Daniels was named the ASC Tournament MVP. The last automatic bid was claimed by last year's champion, No. 7 DePauw, who bested No. 24 Oglethorpe 72-69.

Sixth-seeded Bridgewater knocked off the 3, 2 and 1 seeds over the span of four days to win the Old Dominion Athletic Conference title, beating Virginia Wesleyan 57-56 in Sunday's title game. Jordan Burkholder and Jessica Timberlake each scored 14 for Bridgewater, which survived when a shot by Taylor Lowe rimmed out at the buzzer. Sunday's women's scores

Coast Guard didn't come from the No. 7 seed in the bracket this time, but the Bears repeated last season's run through the NEWMAC men's basketball tournament and knocked off Worcester Polytech on its home floor on Sunday afternoon, knocking the Engineers onto the playoff bubble and potentially popping someone else's.

Coast Guard, who was the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament, went on a 14-3 run after WPI's Jim Marois hit a three-pointer with 14:22 left to tie the game at 48-48. Four Coast Guard players reached double figures, led by Steve Blum's 19 points, in winning 82-66.

The three Bears -- Coast Guard, No. 17 Ursinus and Bowdoin -- won two of three Sunday titles. Ursinus rallied past Gettysburg to win the Centennial Conference 85-78, though both teams should be in the field. Trinity (Conn.) dropped Bowdoin 74-55 and claimed the NESCAC's automatic bid. The Polar Bears will await their fate in Pool C. We'll project the men's field and brackets tonight before midnight -- scroll down for our women's projections.

Down four late in the second half, No. 18 Virginia Wesleyan rallied to force overtime, but All-American Ben Strong dominated the extra session and No. 12 Guilford won the 38th and final automatic bid, 90-81. Strong finished with 28 points and 15 rebounds as Tonton Balenga countered with 30 points for the Marlins.

With the at-large field getting crowded, No. 14 Mary Hardin-Baylor made sure it could celebrate on Speculation Sunday. The Crusaders defeated Concordia-Austin 83-72 behind Matt Casky's double-double (19 points, 10 rebounds) to
capture the ASC's automatic bid.

No. 14 Amherst's women made the home court stand up in the NESCAC, beating No. 15 Tufts 59-53. The teams may well be 1-2 in the Northeast Region, but neither might end up hosting. Tufts' floor is not regulation size, and the Amherst women take a back seat to the men in the regional round in even-numbered years. Wheaton (Mass.) won the NEWMAC title, beating Springfield while Muhlenberg ousted Gettysburg for the Centennial championship.

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