The University at Buffalo hosted the 1996 Mid-Continent Conference Women's Basketball Tournament and fans were treated to three days of exciting and pressure-packed basketball that culminated in an emotional championship contest.

Before the tournament tipped off, the league announced its All-Conference and All-Newcomer selections. Junior guard Brenna Doty earned first team All-Mid-Continent recognition for the second straight season while freshman point guard Catherine Jacob was selected to the All-Newcomer squad. Northeastern Illinois' Radiance Clarke earned Player of the Year honors while Troy State's Dyneshia Bankston picked up the Newcomer of the Year award. Valparaiso head coach Keith Freeman was selected as the Coach of the Year.

In the quarterfinals, Jacob had 12 of her career-high 16 points in the first half and sparked an 18-0 run as the Royals defeated Missouri-Kansas City, 79-44.

Jacob had three of her three-pointers and four assists in the run that closed the first half for the Royals, stretching their lead to 38-15 at intermission. She finished 5-of-7 from the floor while Anne Gallagher added 12 points and 11 rebounds. Brenna Doty (11 points) and Charissa Gardner (10 points) were also in double figures for the Royals.

"I knew Jacob was capable of making those shots," said UMKC coach David Glass, "but she usually doesn't take on such a scoring load. We were trying to double (Brenna) Doty and help in the post and that left her open. That was definitely a major factor in the game."

"I'm very proud of the way our ladies played tonight," said Buffalo coach Sal Buscaglia. "We hoped that we would come out excited and not nervous and I felt we really responded well. We hit on all cylinders tonight."

UB held UMKC to just 27.7 percent field goal shooting on the night while connecting on 50.9 percent of their own including 52.9 percent from behind the three-point line.

The Royals advanced to the finals as Gallagher scored a career-high 22 points and Jacob added 14 in an 80-64 semifinal win over Northeastern Illinois.

Jacob also added four assists to break the school record for assists in a season as Buffalo tied their school record for wins in a season with 23. Gallagher also set a career-high with five steals in the contest. Brenna Doty (11 points) and Nicole Blakeslee (10) were also in double figures for the Royals. Alicia Kollmorgen came off the Buffalo bench to contribute nine points and eight rebounds in the win.

Northeastern Illinois got 24 points and nine rebounds from Delores Jones. Mid-Con Player of the Year Radiance Clarke was limited to 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting and was hampered by foul trouble throughout.

An 11-2 run early in the second half keyed the Royals who led by double digits almost the entire second half. The host Royals limited the Golden Eagles to 35 percent shooting in the game, including 27 percent in the first half.

"We're ecstatic about our victory, that's two but we need three of them," said Buscaglia. "We were more aggressive around the basket in the second half and we were getting the second chance opportunities."

Saturday's championship game before a raucous crowd of 1,211 saw Youngstown State break UB's 17-game home winning streak with a 53-43 decision at Alumni Arena. The win propelled the Lady Penguins into the NCAA Tournament with an automatic bid, the first in school history. Youngstown also won the regular season title with a 76-72 win over Buffalo two weeks ago.

Tournament MVP Shannon Beach hit a three-pointer with :56 left to clinch it for the Lady Penguins, putting them up 49-43. Beach had tied the game at 43-43 on a layup with 2:51 remaining. The game was a defensive struggle as Buffalo shot just 29 percent for the game while Youngstown hit 36 percent

All-Tournament selection Anne Gallagher had nine points and eight rebounds for Buffalo (23-8) while Brenna Doty led the Royals with 12. Alicia Kollmorgen added eight points and seven rebounds. Buffalo thought they had taken a two-point lead when Doty hit a three-pointer with 2:12 remaining but Gallagher was whistled for an illegal screen and Shelley Allen hit both free throws to put Youngstown up 46-43.

"We always talk about poise and patience when the pressure is on," said Youngstown coach Ed DiGregorio. "That's when you have to perform. We've been there before and we came through."

"Of course, I'm very, very disappointed for my players," said Buscaglia. "But we went 23-8. To win 20 games three years in a row as we have done is really a remarkable feat, and I'm proud of my players."

Gallagher commented on the illegal screen call, "We were doing it all game, all game. Then it comes down to a critical point in the game, and they called a foul. It could have been, it might not have been. He (the referee) said I was moving."

The Royals now await word on a National Women's Invitational Tournament bid although the chances are slim. Berths in the eight team tournament held in Amarillo, Texas will be announced on Sunday.

The Bulls stellar season continued over the weekend with their third place finish at the East Coast Wrestling Association meet in Lawrenceville, N.J. UB earned 66.5 points to finish behind 23rd ranked Rider (125.5) and Boston University (75).

Two wrestlers qualified for the NCAA National Wrestling Tournament in Minneapolis March 21-23. Junior 118-pounder Jason Wartinger won his weight class defeating Rider's John Carvalheira on a takedown in the finals. Carvalheira was ranked 18th in the country in the weight class. Wartinger, who had wrestled all season at 126 pounds, earned his second ECWA Championship and appearance in the national tournament. Prior to arriving at UB this season, Wartinger had previously wrestled at Hofstra. He is 34-4 overall with a 17-match winning streak and has not lost a bout since December 30.

Senior 167-pounder Marcus Hutchins earned his third trip to the nationals finishing second in his weight class losing a close 3-2 decision to Rider's Chad Liott. Hutchins became the first wrestler in UB history to qualify for three national tournament appearances. Hutchins is 27-6 overall this season.

Four other Bulls also advanced in the meet with Rob Pavis (142), John Stutzman (150) and Todd Schaffer (heavyweight) earning third place finishes while 126-pounder Brian Dowdall placed fourth.

Head coach Jim Beichner was tabbed as the ECWA's Coach of the Year for his tremendous season. The first-year coach guided the Bulls to a 10-4 dual meet record and a third-place finish in the conference. UB's 10 dual meet wins are four more than the previous four seasons combined and the 10-4 mark is the best since 1986-87.

The Bulls and Royals squads will open their outdoor track and field seasons on Saturday, March 16 in Wilmington, N.C., for the Seahawk Invitational. Both teams will try to capitalize on the strong showings at the Mid-Continent Conference Indoor meet held last month. The league's outdoor championships are scheduled for May 12-14 in Kansas City.

Both squads hit the road for Hilton Head, S.C., for their spring break matches. Coach Russ Crispell's Bulls will face Oral Roberts, Wright State, Youngstown State, Eastern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky. The Royals, led by coach Joe Davis, will meet Valparaiso, Connecticut, Youngstown State, Eastern Kentucky and West Georgia.

-Ted Wasko, Sports Information Office