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College basketball
March 13, 2003
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Jasper Johnson scored on a tip-in with 3.8 seconds left as Southern Mississippi upset Cincinnati 63-61 in the first round of the Conference USA tournament on Wednesday night.
Greg Johnson scored 21 and Charles Gaines added 15 for the 12th-seeded Golden Eagles (13-15), who snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Bearcats.
Jason Maxiell had 17 points and 12 rebounds for fifth-seeded Cincinnati (17-11), the three-time C-USA tournament champion.
The Bearcats had won six of seven past C-USA tournament openers.
They led 35-34 at halftime and were locked at 46 seven minutes into the second half. Gaines converted a three-point play with 11:51 left to give the Eagles a 49-46 lead.
The Eagles twice pushed the lead to five, but Leonard Stokes hit a jumper from the wing with 4:15 left to forge a tie at 57.
The teams traded baskets into the final minute.
Greg Johnson sank two free throws with 54.2 seconds left to give the Eagles a 61-59 lead, but Stokes answered with a baseline turnaround with 40.6 seconds to go.
Out of timeouts, the Eagles ran a set play for Jasper Johnson, who missed a 3-pointer from the wing. Dante Stiggers ran down the loose ball in the corner and passed to Greg Johnson, who missed a one-handed shot from underneath the basket.
Jasper Johnson sneaked in from the weak side and tipped the ball in with his left hand.
Cincinnati called time out and set up a play, but Chadd Moore missed an 18-footer from the wing at the buzzer.
UAB 85, CHARLOTTE 61: Eric Bush scored 21 and Morris Finley added 17 as UAB dominated the second half.
Sidney Ball added 11 points and a career-high 11 rebounds and Gabe Kennedy scored 14 for the Blazers (17-11), who play top-seeded and eighth-ranked Marquette (23-4) in today's quarterfinals.
Curtis Nash scored 14 for Charlotte (13-16), which had won six straight tournament openers since a first-round loss to DePaul in 1996.
The 49ers led by as much as six in a see-saw first half. Charlotte had a 22-13 first-half rebounding edge but trailed by five at halftime because of 12 turnovers.
Bush and Finley scored 31 of UAB's 39 first-half points.
TULANE 74, HOUSTON 52: Brandon Spann scored 16 and Ivan Pjevcevic scored 12 on a career-high four 3-pointers for the Green Wave.
Tulane (16-14) won for the third time in six games and will play third-seeded and 20th-ranked Louisville (21-6) in today's quarterfinals.
Louis Truscott, C-USA's leading rebounder, had 18 points and 10 rebounds -- his 16th double double of the season -- for Houston (8-20), which lost for the ninth time in its past 11.
Tulane started with a 15-4 run by taking advantage of Houston's sloppy offensive execution. The Cougars, last in C-USA in turnover margin (minus 6.56), committed four turnovers in the first seven minutes.
Tulane started 8-of-12 from the field and led 22-6 by the midpoint of the first half.