Greeley, Colo. • Devon Beitzel scored 13 of his 27 points during the final 5 minutes, helping top-seeded Northern Colorado earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history Wednesday night with a 65-60 win over Montana.

The Bears (21-10) have only been postseason-eligible since 2007 after moving up from the Division II ranks.

Their capacity crowd stormed the floor moments after the win, mobbing Beitzel and Co. after Northern Colorado dethroned Montana (21-10), the defending conference tournament champions. The nearly 3,000 fans jumped over tables and chairs to sprint to midcourt.

Beitzel, the league's MVP, put the finishing touches on the win by hitting two free throws in the waning seconds, setting off the celebration.

Big East tournament

No. 21 UConn 79, No. 22 Georgetown 62 • In New York, Kemba Walker scored 28 points for Connecticut.

No. 17 St. John's 65, Rutgers 63 • Dwight Hardy had 17 points for the Red Storm.

No. 25 Cincinnati 87, South Florida 61 • Yancy Gates was nearly perfect from the field, scoring a career-high 25 points for Cincinnati.

Marquette 67, No. 20 West Virginia 61 • Darius Johnson-Odom scored 11 points, including two big 3-pointers in the final minutes. —

Automatic qualifiers

Arkansas-Little Rock • Sun Belt Conference

Belmont • Atlantic Sun Conference

Butler • Horizon League

Gonzaga • West Coast Conference

Indiana State • Missouri Valley Conference

Long Island University • Northeast Conference

Morehead State • Ohio Valley Conference

Northern Colorado • Big Sky Conference

Oakland, Michigan • Summit League

Old Dominion • Colonial Athletic Association

Saint Peter's • Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

UNC Asheville • Big South Conference

Wofford • Southern Conference