News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

03.26.06: Bruins end Memphis' run ... Scrimmage moves Pirates toward two-deep .. East Carolina cagers to transfer

03.25.06: Orsini jumps from Central Florida to SMU ... Orr walks the plank at Seton Hall ... USC's Booty sidelined, may face surgery

03.24.06: Western Carolina to retire LeClair's No. 23 ... Memphis reaches Elite Eight, Duke bounced ... Cincinnati at hub of coaching moves

03.23.06: Pirates fine-tune for Friday night scrimmage ... Alford seeks to defuse Indiana speculation ... Citadel forms hoops coach search committee

03.22.06: Southern Miss hurler shares national honor ... Iowa State finds its man ... Sweet 16 teams sweeten the conference pot

03.21.06: VanSant family visitation, memorial announced ... ECU makes strong start in outdoor season ... Webcasts supplement CBS tourney ratings

03.20.06: Memphis marches on ... Former Holland aide leads team into Sweet 16 ... Cowboy grapplers lasso NCAA title

03.19.06: Morgan in charge after Hampton coach quits ... Virginia Wesleyan wins Division III crown ... Report on Title IX goes to Congress

03.18.06: The Big Dance ... literally ... DePaul legend Meyer succumbs at 92 ... Morgan out at Iowa State

03.17.06: Jackie Robinson tops NCAA list ... UTEP out of NIT ... Bomb scare delays San Diego regional

03.16.06: Dean Dome designer dies ... Buckley bounced at Ball State ... Westphal dismissed at Pepperdine ... C-USA Hoops Tournament wrap-up

03.15.06: Seahawk cagers getting it done in classroom ... Title IX update due from government agency ... C-USA Tournament Wrap-up

03.14.06: Tulsa draws Wolfpack in women's regional ... Henderson out at Delaware ... Temple icon Chaney says it's time to step down ... C-USA Tournament Wrap-up

03.13.06: Memphis gets No. 1 seed ... Villanova's Ray expected to bounce back ...
C-USA Tournament Wrap-up

03.12.06: Memphis reigns as conference champ ... Pirates' Frasure 7th in NCAA weight throw ... Arizona State ousts basketball coach ... C-USA Tournament Scoreboard

03.11.06: Special days designated for football season ... Tulsa scrimmages under Thursday night lights ... Tigers' Carney, Calipari sweep C-USA honors ... C-USA Tournament Scoreboard

03.10.06: Koonce accepts position with Packers ... ECU spring football taking spring break ... K-State shows Woolridge the door ... C-USA Tournament Scoreboard

03.09.06: Frasure throwing his weight around ... Pirates top Tar Heels in softball ... O'Leary planning to stay at Central Florida ... C-USA Scoreboard & Tournament Schedule

03.08.06: Hinnant makes All
C-USA freshmen team ... ESPN nixes Vitale's commentary on CBS ... Seahawks are dancin' ...
C-USA Scoreboard & Tournament Schedule

03.07.06: Rouse earns C-USA distinction ... Spring drills: Depth chart two-plus weeks away ... Marshall, Rice players share hitting honors ... C-USA Scoreboard & Tournament Schedule

03.06.06: Tourney: Bucs set for late-night joust with UCF ... ECU spring drills: pads on, snap exchange off ... C-USA Scoreboard & Tournament Schedule

03.05.06: 49ers experience technical difficulties ... Huggins returns for Cincinnati's seniors ... C-USA Scoreboard & Tournament Schedule

03.04.06: Pirates to strap on pads today ... Lady Pirates eliminated by Tulsa ... Briefs: More coaching exits; Tourney action ... C-USA Basketball Scoreboard & Schedule

03.03.06: Lady Pirates nip UAB in C-USA Tournament ... UAB stuns Memphis to boost dance prospects ... Mile High hosting in-state rivals ... C-USA Basketball Scoreboard

03.02.06: Lady Pirates Young, Mills collect accolades ... Cover boy Redick and Duke tripped by hex ... Marlins need 9th-inning rally to edge Miami ...
C-USA Basketball Scoreboard

03.01.06: Golden Hurricane starts spring workouts ... Tulane's 'refugee' grid team returning home ... Cage coaching merry-go-round speeds up ... C-USA Basketball Scoreboard

George Mason continued its run through the NCAA Tournament and became the first-ever team from the Colonial Athletic Association to advance to the Final Four by defeating No. 1 seed Connecticut 86-84 in overtime Sunday in the final of the Washington regional, according to caasports.com.

Mason is just the second-ever No. 11 seed to advance to the Final Four. In three of the Patriots' four tournament wins, they have defeated three of the last seven national champions (Michigan State, North Carolina, Connecticut).

Buoyed by a partisan crowd and playing some 20 miles from their campus, George Mason rallied after trailing by 12 late in the first half and nine early in the second. They hit six straight 3-pointers in the second half, shot 5-for-6 in overtime and out-rebounded UConn 37-34 even though the Huskies have three starters taller than any of the Patriots' frontcourt players.

The Patriots became the second double-digit seed to make the Final Four, matching LSU's run, also as an 11th seed, in 1986. George Mason is the first true outsider to crash the Final Four since Penn and Indiana State both got there in 1979.

The Patriots celebrated after the final horn by standing on the press row table and saluting their fans.

Junior Eric Frasure, who recently earned All-America honors for his efforts during the indoor season, picked up where he left off with individual outdoor titles in the discus and hammer throws to lead an impressive East Carolina performance at the Aggie Relays over the weekend at the Irwin Belk Track, according to a release from the ECU athletic media relations department.

Frasure surpassed NCAA Regional qualification marks in both events and established a new school record in the discus with an effort of 50.46 meters, besting his previous standard of 49.42 set last spring. His hammer throw performance of 57.84 meters narrowly bettered the distance registered by junior teammate Terrance Myers, who finished second with a toss of 56.66. Frasure also set a new personal-best during a
second-place standing in the shot put (15.87) while freshman Nicholas Boerio turned in a personal-record of 46.98 meters while finishing third in the javelin throw.

Freshman William Collins paced East Carolina in the track events, capturing first-place honors in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:51.54 - ahead of Pirate senior Craig Schmidt, who stood third (9:04.75). Sophomore Matthew Dennish added a third-place standing in the 1,500 meters (4:02.19) while Schmidt followed in fifth after recording a clip of 4:04.65.

Freshman Andrew Jenkins and senior Hector Cotto each turned in runner-up performances in the 5,000-meter run (personal-record 16:08.19) and 110-meter hurdles (season-best 14.47), respectively, to account for two of the Pirates' 13 top five standings during the meet. In addition, ECU's tallied a fourth-place result in the 4x100-meter relay (41.34) and a second-place finish in the 4x800 relay (7:44.57).

The Pirates return to action next weekend at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

David Zellman led five players in double figures with a game-high 26 points leading Winona State University (MN) to it’s first NCAA Division II basketball championship with a 73-61 victory over defending champion Virginia Union University before 4,093 at the MassMutual Center on Saturday, according to ncaa.com.

John Smith was named tournament most outstanding player, adding a double double of 10 points and 13 rebounds as the Warriors (32-4) finished the season winning their final 22 games.

"We played great and were fortunate to come out with a win," beamed winning WSU head coach Mike Leaf. "We took control early and were able to finish. I am just so proud of this team."

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.