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Lewisburg, Pa. • A 12-point lead had dwindled to three when anxious Bucknell fans pleaded for center Mike Muscala to get the ball.
Just like he has all season, the Bison's big man delivered to help get his team back into the NCAA Tournament.
The 6-foot-11 Muscala scored six of his 20 points during a decisive second-half run and added 11 rebounds in a 64-56 win Wednesday night over Lafayette to win the Patriot League title and a second NCAA berth in three years.
"It's pretty hard to stop him when he shoots a fadeaway left and a jump hook," Bucknell coach Dave Paulsen said. "He put us on his back there for a stretch of 3 or 4 minutes."
MWC Tournament
No. 15 New Mexico 59, Wyoming 46 • At Las Vegas, Tony Snell scored 15 points and New Mexico led from start to finish, beating Wyoming in the Mountain West Conference quarterfinals.
Big East Tournament
No. 19 Syracuse 75, Seton Hall 63 • At New York, James Southerland hit five 3s in the first half and Brandon Triche keyed a big second-half run to lead Syracuse over Seton Hall in the second round.
No. 24 Notre Dame 69, Rutgers 61 • At New York, Pat Connaughton scored a season-high 21 points and Notre Dame beat Rutgers in the second round.
SWAC Tournament
Alabama A&M 59, Grambling 51 • At Garland, Texas, Grambling's loss in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals dropped it to 0-28, making it the first Division I team to end a season without a win since NJIT in 2007-08. —
NCAA Tournament
Automatic qualifiers
Belmont • Ohio Valley Conference
Bucknell • Patriot League
Creighton • Missouri Valley Conference
Davidson • Southern Conference
Florida Gulf Coast • Atlantic Sun Conference
Gonzaga • West Coast Conference
Harvard • Ivy League
Iona • Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
James Madison • Colonial Athletic Association
Liberty • Big South Conference
LIU Brooklyn • Northeast Conference
South Dakota State • Summit League
Valparaiso • Horizon League
Western Kentucky • Sun Belt Conference