Lions nip Gators in NIT; UF women ousted
Even with an injured shoulder, Jamelle Cornley was too much for Florida to handle.
Cornley had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Stanley Pringle added 15 points and Penn State beat short-handed Florida 71-62 Tuesday night in Gainesville in the NIT quarterfinals.
The Nittany Lions (25-11) improved to 5-0 in the NIT quarterfinals and advances to play either Kentucky or Notre Dame in New York’s Madison Square Garden next week.
The Gators used a late run to cut the lead to 61-59, but Penn State turned to Cornley down the stretch. The 6-foot-5 senior backed down Dan Werner for a basket, then got a key rebound on the other end.
Nick Calathes, who struggled all night shooting, missed two three-pointers in the final minutes for Florida (25-11). He finished with 10 points and seven assists.
Erving Walker led the Gators with 16 points and made four of the team’s five three-pointers.
Women: Renee Montgomery scored 25 points in her final game at home and undefeated Connecticut beat eighth-seeded Florida 87-59 in the second round of the NCAA tournament Tuesday night.
The Huskies (35-0) advanced to the regional semifinals for the 16th straight season where they play fourth-seeded California Sunday. It’s the fourth time that UConn has been undefeated while playing in the NCAA tournament. Connecticut went on to win the national championship in 1995 and 2002. In 1996-97, the Huskies lost to Tennessee in the regional final.
Tina Charles followed her 32-point effort in the first round with 22 against Florida. She also had 10 rebounds for her 11th double-double this season.
Maya Moore added 22 points and 14 rebounds for her 16th double-double of the season.
Marshae Dotson scored 22 to lead Florida (24-8).