Courtside from Salem with live updates from tonight’s national semifinals.
Friday, March 20, 4:35 p.m.: Twenty-five minutes to go before the opening tip of tonight’s first game. Both teams huddle up and then storm onto the floor for pregame layup drills: Wash U in the green and white, Guilford in the white and crimson. Further updates to come as events warrant… stay tuned.
Two minutes into the first half, we’ve got three fouls (all on F&M) and zero points. Still 26-26, waiting on the first bucket after halftime.
Smith gets things going for the Ospreys, hitting a couple of layups to give the Ospreys a four-point lead. F&M’s defense is still brutally tough inside, though, making it tough for Stockton to keep getting it in to Smith in the paint.
With Bradley on the bench for the Diplomats, Smith has continued to shine in the paint for the Ospreys. He’s 3-for-3 in the half and now has 13 points for the game; Stockton leads by 4 with 15:24 to play, 36-32.
With 11:39 left and the score tied 38-38, F&M’s Mike Baker goes down with an injury — play stops as the trainers attend to the sophomore’s right leg. After about a minute, he limps off the floor and Omar Smith heads to the line to shoot one and one.
Baker checks back in at the 9:28 mark; game tied 42-42. McNally promptly creates an easy layup for himself and puts the Diplomats in front.
F&M goes on a 10-2 run to jump way out in front, but Stockton comes charging back. A couple of layups on the fast break put the Ospreys back in it, and Massaquoi finishes on a beautiful bucket, draws a foul, and completes the three-point play. Massaquoi: 8-for-11, 20 points, 7 rebounds. We’re tied, 52-52.
With 4:20 left, Stockton’s defense falters, leaving Baker wide open for a layup. 54-52 F&M.
A pretty three from the corner by Jerome Hubbard, followed by a steal and a layup from Michael Farrow, makes it 57-56 Stockton! A sudden turn of events to give the Ospreys their first lead in over 10 minutes. F&M ball, down 1, with 1:44 to play. This one could go down to the wire.
Santini Lancioni whistled for a foul, his third. Not a good night for Lancioni: 0-for-10 from the floor, 0-for-6 on threes, three fouls.
Massaquoi then picks up his fourth, and with a minute and a half left, Bradley hits two FTs. F&M back up by a point.
Farrow with the steal and the layup! Stockton reclaims the lead and Glenn Robinson calls timeout for F&M, once again down a point, with 45.7 seconds to play.
With 23 seconds to play, Omar Smith comes away with the biggest steal of his life. McNally fouls Smith with 20 seconds to go — his fourth, the team’s 10th. Stockton is in good shape now.
Smith hits the first shot to make it a two-point game, 60-58. Exactly 20.0 seconds on the clock. Robinson calls a full timeout, leaving one remaining, before the second shot. He’s in the huddle now, drawing up a play for what may be the Diplomats’ final possession.
Smith misses, and Baker and Farrow wrestle for control of the rebound. Held ball — possession arrow to Stockton. This time it’s the Ospreys’ Gerry Matthews who calls the timeout, with 18.7 seconds to play. F&M may have to foul again now.
A scuffle erupts for the ball — no foul, and in danger of a jump ball getting the ball back to F&M, Stockton scrambles and calls timeout. 14.4 seconds to play, no TOs left for Stockton.
With 8.9 seconds left, Milligan finally gets off a foul, putting Smith at the line for two. If he hits these, it might be over.
He does. 62-58 Stockton. Congrats to the Ospreys — welcome to the title game.