Virginia Commonwealth Wins With a Walk-on

Jesse Pellot-Rosa, a freshman walk-on, missed his first free throw attempt but made the second with 1.6 seconds and Virginia Commonwealth defeated George Mason, 55-54, in the Colonial Athletic Assn. title game Monday night at Richmond, Va., to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament.

George Mason (21-9) got one last chance, but Jai Lewis’ open 12-foot jump shot missed completely.

Virginia Commonwealth (23-7) earned its first CAA title since 1996, its first season in the conference.

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In other conference tournaments:

Metro Atlantic Athletic -- Dave Holmes scored 16 points and Manhattan (24-5) held off a late Niagara (21-9) surge in a 62-61 win for the Jaspers’ second consecutive NCAA tournament berth.

Mid-Continent -- Dan Oppland scored a career-high 32 points and Valparaiso (17-12) overcame a 17-point deficit for a 90-78 victory over Missouri Kansas City (15-14) in a semifinal at Kansas City, Mo.

Missouri Valley -- Ben Jacobson tied his career high with 26 points and made two three-point baskets in the second overtime, leading Northern Iowa (19-14) to the conference title with a 79-74 win over Southwest Missouri State (21-9) at St. Louis. Northern Iowa gained its first NCAA tournament berth since 1990.

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Houston Coach Ray McCallum has been reassigned as an athletic department fundraiser. The Cougars were 9-18 this season and 44-72 in four seasons under McCallum, who has three years left on his contract....Air Force moved into the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in the program’s 48-season history. Air Force (22-5) set a school record for victories, five more than the previous record in 1957-58, and was undefeated at home (13-0) for the first time. The Falcons are seeking their first NCAA tournament berth since 1962.