NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Dylan Cardwell waved to fans, turned a corner toward the locker room and then the 6-11 center celebrated with a cartwheel.
The senior backup scored his only points on consecutive dunks in the final minutes as No. 12 Auburn held off ninth-seeded Mississippi State 73-66 on Saturday to reach the SEC Tournament championship game.
"That was really a game changer that I feel like gave us a spark to everybody," Auburn's Chad Baker-Mazara said. "It helped us get the crowd involved, too. It was a really big play. He came in, he came in clutch, turned the whole momentum around."
With the SEC's top three seeds losing their openers Friday for the first time since 1983, that left a wide-open path for Auburn (26-7) to win the tournament for the first time since 2019. The Tigers are in the title game for the fifth time in program history.
Auburn will face Florida, a 95-90 winner over Texas A&M, today as the program goes for its third title. The Tigers showed some toughness on Saturday, handling the physical Bulldogs with their first win by single digits this season.
"It was a rock fight because both teams were playing really, really physical," Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl said. "That's Mississippi State's MO. Our MO is playing hard all the time, not always quite as physical. They beat us on the boards, but we hung in there. ... I thought that was really important."
Baker-Mazara led the Tigers with 14 points. Denver Jones and Jaylin Williams each added 13. Johni Broome and Tre Donaldson had 10 apiece.
Josh Hubbard scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half, trying to rally Mississippi State (21-13). The Bulldogs go home a game shy of the championship, continuing a drought that started after their last berth in 2010.
"We had our chances," second-year Coach Chris Jans said.
D.J. Jeffries had 12 points for Mississippi State, and Tolu Smith II had 10.
FLORIDA 95, TEXAS A&M 90, OT
Denzel Aberdeen scored a career-high 20 points in helping Florida rally from an 18-point deficit and beat Texas A&M 95-90 at the SEC Tournament semifinals.
The sixth-seeded Gators (24-10) earned Florida's first trip to the tournament finals since 2014. The Gators not only won the SEC, they reached the Final Four that year. They will play No. 12 Auburn, a 73-66 winner over Mississippi State, for the league's automatic NCAA Tournament berth on Sunday.
Texas A&M (20-14), the No. 7 seed, scored the first five points of the game and led 40-22 with 5:20 left in the half.
Wade Taylor IV paced Texas A&M with a game-high 30 points. Sol Washington and Tyrece Radford each scored 18 and Manny Obaseki added 12.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
NO. 7 IOWA STATE 69,
NO. 1 HOUSTON 41
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Keshon Gilbert wrapped up a spectacular Big 12 Tournament for Iowa State with 16 points, and the seventh-ranked Cyclones blitzed No. 1 Houston to begin the second half, allowing them to roll to a win and their sixth championship in six appearances in the title game.
Milan Momcilovic had 18 points and Hason Ward scored 13 for the Cyclones (27-7), who have beaten five different programs to raise the trophy, including Oklahoma, which at the time was led by current Cougars Coach Kelvin Sampson.
He probably felt even worse than he did in 2000. Iowa State turned a 30-23 lead at halftime into the kind of blowout Sampson has rarely experienced with an 18-3 run to start the second half. That gave the thousands of Cyclones fans that paint Kansas City red and yellow every March plenty of reasons to stand on their feet and roar their approval.
Doesn't seem to matter who is coaching them, either. T.J. Otzelberger is the fourth to win the tournament for Iowa State.
Jamal Shead had 10 points on 3-for-17 shooting for Houston (30-4).
BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP
NO. 2 UCONN 73,
NO. 10 MARQUETTE 57
NEW YORK -- Donovan Clingan scored 22 points and Jaylin Stewart gave No. 2 UConn an unexpected boost with three second-half three-pointers during a decisive run as the top-seeded Huskies beat No. 10 Marquette to win the Big East Tournament for the first time since rejoining the league four years ago.
The Huskies' eighth Big East Tournament title matched Georgetown for the most in conference history and was their first since 2011, when Kemba Walker led UConn to five wins in five days -- and then a national title.
Stewart, a freshman who was averaging 2.4 points off the bench, scored nine in about a four-minute span as UConn (31-3) pulled away from a game Marquette team playing without injured star Tyler Kolek (oblique) for a sixth consecutive game.
Kam Jones led the third-seeded Golden Eagles (25-9), the defending tournament champions, with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
BIG TEN
WISCONSIN 76,
NO. 3 PURDUE 75, OT
MINNEAPOLIS -- Max Klesmit made a runner in the lane with 4.8 seconds to play in overtime and Wisconsin beat Big Ten Tournament top-seed Purdue 76-75 on Saturday for a spot in the conference championship game.
Klesmit's clutch shot followed his teammate Chucky Hepburn's in regulation, when Hepburn made a layup as time expired to force overtime.
Hepburn finished with 22 points. AJ Storr had 20 points and Klesmit had 12 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds for fifth-seeded Wisconsin (22-12).
Zach Edey led No. 3 Purdue (29-4) with 28 points and 11 rebounds.
Edey surpassed Rick Mount's school record of 2,323 career points (1967-1970) with about seven minutes remaining in the second half. He finished the game with 2,339 career points.
The reigning Big Ten player of the year was limited by foul trouble in the first half and missed a crucial free throw late in regulation, but he hit eight consecutive free throws in overtime and finished 14 for 19 from the line.
NO. 13 ILLINOIS 98,
NEBRASKA 87
Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a career-high 40 points for a Big Ten Tournament record to lead a second-half surge by 13th-ranked Illinois in a victory over Nebraska.
Marcus Domask added 16 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds and Luke Goode made four three-pointers for the Illini (25-8), who fell behind by 15 points early in the second half before seizing control to move to the conference championship game.
Brice Williams had 23 points, Keisei Tominaga added 18 points and Rienk Mast scored 15 for the Huskers (23-10), who hit the wall hard down the stretch in their first appearance in the Big Ten semifinals in 13 seasons in the league.
ACC
N.C. STATE 84,
NO. 4 NORTH CAROLINA 76
WASHINGTON -- DJ Horne scored 29 points, forward DJ Burns Jr. had 20, including the first three-pointer of his college career, and North Carolina State is returning to the NCAA Tournament after beating fourth-ranked North Carolina in the ACC Tournament title game..
Led by the two DJs, 10th-seeded N.C. State (22-14) capped an improbable run, knocking off the Tar Heels (27-7) who have looked like a national championship contender for much of the season. Horne starred while playing 32 minutes through foul trouble, going shot for shot with UNC's unanimous ACC player of the year RJ Davis, who was spectacular with 30 points.
The Wolfpack, who came in on a four-game skid, became the first team to win five games in the ACC Tournament. They were the only team since it became a five-day event to even reach the final after playing on Tuesday, beating Louisville, Syracuse, Duke and Virginia and then UNC as a double-digit underdog.
MEAC CHAMPIONSHIP
HOWARD 70,
DELAWARE STATE 67
NORFOLK, Va. -- Jordan Hairston scored 18 points and Bryce Harris and Seth Towns each scored 16 points and Howard beat Delaware State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament championship to secure an NCAA Tournament bid.
Harris' jump shot broke a 60-all tie with 4:18 remaining and the Bison led for the remainder but not without late drama.
Hairston made two free throws with six seconds left for a 70-66 lead. Off the inbounds, Delaware State's Deywilk Tavarez dribbled at a full sprint up the floor and with 2.2 seconds launched a three-point attempt and was fouled by Jelani Williams.
Tavarez made the first foul shot, missed the second, and his attempt to deliberately miss the third for a desperation rebound and three-point heave attempt failed when his shot attempt ricocheted off the backboard and failed to touch the rim. Howard inbounded to end the game.
Marcus Dockery scored 15 points for fourth-seeded Howard (18-16).
MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIP
NEW MEXICO 68,
SAN DIEGO STATE 61
LAS VEGAS -- Jaelen House had 28 points and Jamal Mashburn Jr. scored 21 to propel sixth-seeded New Mexico to a victory over No. 5 seed San Diego State in the championship game of the Mountain West Conference Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center, earning the Lobos an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
New Mexico (26-9) had already made history by becoming the first team in the conference to win three games to reach the final. The Lobos won all three games by double digits and trailed for a total of 42 seconds. They were on the short end for just 6:38 against the Aztecs.
House had 15 points and Mashburn scored 13 to lead New Mexico to a 36-30 advantage at halftime. The Lobos led by as many as 14 and never trailed before intermission. Jaedon Ledee had a three-point play and scored five to spark a 10-2 run to close out the half for San Diego State (24-10).
WOMEN
MAAC CHAMPIONSHIP
NO. 25 FAIRFIELD 70,
NIAGARA 62, OT
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Janelle Brown scored all 15 of her points in the second half to rally Fairfield and her teammates finished the task in overtime to beat Niagara in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship game for the Stags' 29th consecutive victory and an NCAA Tournament berth.
Brown, the conference player of the year, split two defenders to give Fairfield its first lead with just under two minutes to go. She had a chance to win the game in regulation but was called for a charge, her fifth foul, and the game went to OT, where the Stags outscored the Eagles 12-4.
Kaety L'Amoreaux added 12 points and Emina Selimovic had 11 points, including four in overtime, plus 11 rebounds. Izabela Nicoletti-Leite also scored 11 points for the Stags (31-1), whose only loss came in the third game of the season to Vanderbilt, 73-70.
Amelia Strong scored 14 points for the Eagles (21-13).
C-USA CHAMPIONSHIP
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 67,
LIBERTY 51
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Anastasiia Boldyreva scored 21 points, including eight in the closing minutes, and Middle Tennessee defeated Liberty to win the Conference USA Tournament championship.
The top-seeded Lady Raiders (29-4) advance to the NCAA Tournament for the 21st time and the third time in the past four years.
Ta'Mia Scott scored 16 points, Savannah Wheeler 15 and Jalynn Gregory 11 for Middle Tennessee. Wheeler added nine assists and three steals. Bella Smuda had 21 points and 15 rebounds for Liberty (18-16).
MEAC CHAMPIONSHIP
NORFOLK STATE 51, HOWARD 46
NORFOLK, Va. -- Kierra Wheeler scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and top-seeded Norfolk State pulled away in the fourth quarter and beat second-seeded Howard in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament championship.
It was the second consecutive title for Norfolk State (27-5), which has won 15 in a row since its 73-60 loss against Howard on Jan. 20.
Kaiya Creek's three-pointer gave Howard a 41-37 lead with 6:53 to play. Wheeler scored the next five points and Diamond Johnson hit a three-pointer and Norfolk State led 45-41 with 4:23 left. Howard pulled to 47-46 with 1:27 remaining before the Spartans sealed it from the free-throw line. Wheeler scored nine points in the fourth.
Wheeler was 9-of-21 shooting. Iyanna Warren scored 19 points to lead Howard (15-16).
SWAC CHAMPIONSHIP
JACKSON STATE 68,
ALCORN STATE 44
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Andriana Avent scored 17 points and Jackson State defeated Alcorn State to cruise to their third Southwestern Athletic Conference title in four years and clinch an NCAA Tournament spot.
The top-seeded Lady Tigers (26-6), who went undefeated in conference play, won their 21st consecutive game. Their streak started after five consecutive losses to Power 5 programs.
Ti'lan Boler added 13 points and Hayleigh Breland 11.
Nakia Cheatham and Kiarra Henderson scored 10 points each for the Lady Braves (12-20).
IVY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
PRINCETON 75, COLUMBIA 58
NEW YORK -- Madison St. Rose scored 18 points, Kaitlyn Chen added 17 and Princeton beat Columbia to win the Ivy League, earning the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
It's the fifth consecutive year that the Tigers (25-4) have won the league tournament. Princeton has been in the championship game of the Ivy Tournament every year since its inception in 2017. There was no tournament in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus.
Princeton has won an NCAA Tournament game each of the last two years, pulling off upsets as an 11-seed in 2022 and 10-seed in 2023.
Columbia (23-6) was playing in the finals for the second-time ever. The Lions, who were hosting the women's and men's Ivy Tournament this year, lost to Princeton in the 2022 championship game as well.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIP
CALIFORNIA BAPTIST 75,
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 74
LAS VEGAS -- Chloe Webb scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead California Baptist to a win over Stephen F. Austin in the WAC Tournament championship game with the Lancers advancing to their first NCAA Tournament.
The Lancers won the conference tournament in 2021 but were ineligible for the NCAAs because they were in a transition period to Division I.
CBU trailed by seven with just under five minutes to go then scored the next 12 points with Nae Nae Calhoun tying it with a three-pointer and Nhug Bosch Duran hitting a baseline three-pointer out of transition for the Lancers' first lead. Anaiyah Tu'ua found Kinsley Barrington underneath to complete the run.
The top-seeded Lancers (28-3) won their ninth consecutive game. Tu'ua added 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting and made 8 of 11 free throws. Barrington added 10 points.
Kurstyn Harden scored 26 points to lead the third-seeded Ladyjacks (22-12).
Howard Elijah Williams (12) reaches up to finish a shot at the basket against Delaware State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament in Norfolk, Va., on Saturday, March 16, 2024. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)
Howard Jordan Hairston (23) celebrates a three-point make in the first half against Delaware State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament in Norfolk, Va., on Saturday, March 16, 2024. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)
Howard Seth Towns (31) reacts to a foul against Delaware State with less than a minute left in the game. Howard defeated Delaware State 70-67 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament in Norfolk, Va., on Saturday, March 16, 2024. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)
Delaware State Deywilk Tavarez (0) reacts to missing two-of-three free throws in the final seconds of the game. All three makes would have brought his team within one. Howard defeated Delaware State 70-67 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament in Norfolk, Va., on Saturday, March 16, 2024. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)
Howard Seth Towns (31), right, embraces teammate Isiah Warfield (3) after Howard defeated Delaware State 70-67 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament in Norfolk, Va., on Saturday, March 16, 2024. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)