– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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WASHINGTON — The league may go by a new name, but the Coastal Athletic Association should still have all of the same greatness, thrills and unpredictability that has featured in its conference tournament for decades. Today’s action was no different.
Both of the lower-seeded teams (higher in number) came through their matchups as the 2024 edition of the CAA Men’s Basketball Tournament got underway in our nation’s capital. In the first opening-round game, No. 13 William & Mary used the all-around play of D.C. native Chase Lowe to power its way to a 79-62 victory over North Carolina A&T. Lowe scored 18 points, grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds and also passed out six assists as the Ribe won their second straight after a nine-game losing streak sent them tumbling down the league standings.
The Tribe advance to take on No. 5 seed Towson in the second round in the second game on Saturday afternoon.
After the Tribe’s win, Hampton, who lost to William & Mary in the season finale, notched its first-ever CAA Tournament win in dramatic fashion, defeating No. 11 seed Elon 56-55. After blowing a 10-point lead earlier in the second half, the Pirates found themselves down by one on their final possession before sophomore Kyrese Mullen scored on a layup off an inbounds play with 6.3 seconds left to give Hampton the lead for good.
Elon, the No. 11 seed, will rue going just 11-for-21 from the free-throw line in the game, as the Pirates, while only taking nine free throws total, made eight.
Hampton will now take on No. 6 seed Delaware in the nightcap of the second round games tomorrow evening.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Friday’s event, with photos taken by ALOST staff photographer Yusuf Abdullah. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 15 pictures in total.
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