From now until March 16th, Hoops HQ will provide a summary of the best moments in conference tournament hoops each night. Here are the highlights from Wednesday night’s action.

NEC Quarterfinal: No. 3 St. Francis 88, No. 6 Wagner 85

St Francis took down the defending NEC champs in a wild finish. The home team squandered a 12-point lead late in the second half in the face of Wagner’s full-court press . Two costly Red Flash turnovers inside the last two minutes, including when Riley Parker stepped on the end line trying to inbound the ball, allowed the Seahawks to tie it up at 55 with 12 seconds remaining. 

On the ensuing possession, Parker redeemed himself after a controversial foul on a three-pointer. He made all three free throws and the Wagner halfcourt heave went wide left. St Francis is two games away from its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 35 years.

NEC Quarterfinal: No. 2 LIU 68, No. 7 Chicago State 57

The Sharks can thank Malachi Davis for their trip to the NEC semifinals. The Arizona State transfer dropped 35 points while playing the entire game. He also added seven rebounds and seven assists. Chicago State’s first NCAA Tournament bid will have to wait yet another year. 

OVC First Round: No. 8 UT Martin 70, No. 5 Tennessee Tech 67

The Skyhawks trailed 35-28 at the break but turned it on in the second half, outscoring Tennessee Tech 42-32. JUCO transfer Tarence Guinyard led the way for UT Martin with 18 points and 6 boards. His three-pointer with 1:15 left broke a 65-65 tie and the Skyhawks never surrendered the lead again. Matthew Sells missed a game-tying three with two seconds left and UT Martin pulled off the upset. They will face Little Rock in the quarterfinals.

NEC Quarterfinal: No. 1 Central Connecticut State 86, No. 8 Le Moyne 67

The clear NEC frontrunners had no problems in their tournament opener with four players scoring in double figures. The Blue Devils shot 12 of 25 from distance. It would be a shock to see 24-6 CCSU not reach the NCAA Tournament, but the Blue Devils were upset last season in the quarterfinal as the No. 1 seed, so this is a step in the right direction.