Mount St. Mary's Rises Over Sacred Heart to Win NEC

Mount St. Mary’s is dancing for the first time since 1999, after defeating Sacred Heart 68-55 to win the Northeastern Conference championship. It is the third ever conference tournament championship for the Mountaineers, who have won eight of their last nine games. Jean Cajou and Kelly Beidler each had 15 points to pace Mount St. Mary’s, reports the Associated Press.

In a game that featured a whopping 52 fouls, the two squads put on a free-throw shooting clinic. The Mountaineers were 30-of-35 from the line while the Pioneers made 21 of their 24 attempts. Brice Brooks scored 18 points to lead Sacred Heart, which had rebounded from a slow start to their season to reach the title game.    (More basketball stories.)