Eastern Illinois Gets the Call to Go Dancing

Eastern Illinois Coach Rick Samuels is certain the goaltending call that gave his team its first Ohio Valley Conference championship was correct.

And if it wasn’t, he thinks his team deserved to win anyway.

“I have no doubt. No doubt whatsoever. You get breaks and you don’t get breaks,” he said. “Frankly, if it wasn’t [goaltending] and it was a break, we deserve it. We worked hard. We put it in position to give ourselves a chance to win.”

Jan Thompson’s last-second jump shot was knocked away by Austin Peay’s Theanthony Haymon and goaltending was called, giving Eastern Illinois to an 84-83 victory over Austin Peay on Saturday at Nashville, Tenn. The victory earned Eastern Illinois (21-9) its first trip to the NCAA tournament in nine seasons and its first since joining the OVC in 1996.

Haymon wasn’t so sure of the officials’ call.

“I felt like it was a good block. I tried to time it when it left his hand,” Haymon said. “But that’s not the way they called it.”

Austin Peay Coach Dave Loos wouldn’t comment on the call, but said his team beat themselves.

“This is a devastating loss, I really don’t know how to explain it,” Loos said. “The problem was our shots just didn’t go in. We made too many mistakes on the offensive end.”

Fourth-seeded Austin Peay (22-10) dominated throughout, leading by as many as 21 points on several occasions in the second half. They outrebounded Eastern Illinois, 38-26, and led throughout until the final play. Trenton Hassell, the OVC player of the year, led the Governors with 21 points.

BIG SOUTH

Marcus Stewart’s driving layup with six seconds remaining in overtime at Roanoke, Va., gave Winthrop a 67-65 victory over Radford and its third consecutive Big South Conference tournament title.

The Eagles (18-12) became the first team to win three consecutive conference championships and the resulting NCAA tournament bid.

Stewart, who was nearly blind in one eye after taking an elbow early in the game, “looked like he had fought Mike Tyson,” Coach Gregg Marshall said. But it wasn’t about to stop Stewart. “Everyone dreams of being Michael Jordan and hitting the last shot. This was my Michael Jordan moment,” he said.

Radford (19-10) had a final chance after Stewart’s driving hoop, but Camara Mintz’s three-point try from the right corner at the buzzer missed.

SOUTHERN

David Schuck scored 17 points and Luke Boythe had nine points in a second-half run as North Carolina Greensboro (18-11) rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat Davidson, 73-68, at Greenville, S.C. The Spartans will play Chattanooga (17-12), an 84-73 winner over Georgia Southern, in today’s championship game.

TRANS AMERICA ATHLETIC

Georgia State (28-4) made 16 three-point baskets on its way to a 79-55 victory over Troy State and berth into the NCAA tournament. The Panthers won their 19th consecutive game on their home court in Atlanta. Troy State is 19-12.

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NCAA Men Qualifiers

Schools that have gained NCAA men’s tournament automatic bids by virtue of conference tournament championships, with exception of the Ivy League and Pacific 10--the the only conferences that don’t conduct tournaments.

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School Conference Georgia State Trans America Athletic Eastern Illinois Ohio Valley Winthrop Big South

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