NIT Action, Brits in the NCAA Recap 17/03/10

The postseason is underway, with a number of teams competing in the NIT (and one on the CBI) last night, read on to see how the Brits fared…

Andrew Lawrence (6′1, 185lbs, G, Freshman, London) Charleston Cougars.
College of Charleston beat the Eastern Kentucky Colonials 82-79 in the opening game of the College Basketball Invitational infront of 1,750 fans at McBrayer Arena in Richmond, Ky. Andrew Lawrence was 1 of only 2 bench players used by the Cougars, playing 18 minutes, going 2/5 from the field (2/4 threes) for 6 points, adding 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.

The Cougars (22-11) advance to the quarterfinals where they will play VCU on Monday.

Ashley Hamilton (6′7, 210lbs, F, Freshman, London) Loyola Marymount Lions
LMU men’s basketball, playing in their first postseason in 20 years and first at home in program history, saw their record season come to a close on Wednesday night. Ashley Hamilton played 25 minutes, going 4/8 from the floor and 1/2 at the line for 9 points, adding 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals.

For the Lions, an historic season comes to a close, having turned around a program that won five games in 2007-08 and three last year. With a roster that features no seniors, LMU (18-16) had the second largest win-turnaround in school history and had the second-best in the country behind Coastal Carolina.

Ben Eaves (6′7, 225lbs, F, Senior, Lancashire) Rhode Island Rams
Rhode Island defeated Northwestern 76-64 on Wednesday night in an NIT opener. Rhode Island lost a bid to the NCAA tournament by losing six of its last 10 games, and is determined to end its season on a winning note. Ben Eaves was solid in his 12 minutes of play, finishing with 5 points (1/2 threes, 2/2 at the line) and 6 rebounds, whilst also getting 1 steal.

The Rams (24-9) will host a second-round game against Nevada, which beat Wichita State.

Danny Carter (6′9, 210lbs, C, Sophomore, Windsor) Stony Brook Seawolves
Illinois beat eighth-seeded Stony Brook 76-66 in front of a loud sellout crowd of 4,423 at Stony Brook Arena on Wednesday night, ending the Seawolves’ season. Danny Carter played 21 minutes, but struggled shooting the ball a little, going 3/8 from the floor (2/6 threes) for 8 points whilst adding 1 assist.

The Seawolves finished 22-10. The America East regular-season champs were playing the first postseason game in their 11-year Division I tenure.

Morakinyo Williams (7′0, 270lbs, C, Sophomore, Solihull) Duquesne Dukes
Princeton (21-8) advanced to the quarterfinal round of the College Basketball Invitational with a 65-51 win over Duquesne (16-16) at Jadwin Gym, ending the Dukes’ season. Unforunately, Morakinyo Williams registered a DNP in the final game of the season.

Raheem May-Thompson (6′6, 200lbs, Freshman, F, London) Quinnipiac Bobcats
Virginia Tech got past Quinnipiac 81-61 in a first-round NIT game Wednesday night, ending the Bobcat’s season. Raheem May-Thompson played 1 minute off the bench, going 0/1 from the floor to remain scoreless but did add 1 steal.

Quinnipiac finished 23-10, and were regular-season champions in the Northeast Conference.