March 19, 2008
Contact: gazelle@gazellegroup.com, 609-921-1300

CBI Day 1 Yields Four Great Games

PRINCETON, N.J. – Day 1 of the College Basketball Invitational gave fans four games that were decided by no more than six points.

The most exciting game of the night came in the West Region in Reno, Nev., where the visiting Houston Cougars (23-9) pulled out an 80-79 win over the Nevada Wolf Pack. Guard Robert McKiver made two free throws with 26.5 seconds left to win the game. The Wolf Pack trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half, but rallied to tie the game at 71-71. Houston forward Dion Dowdell (19 pts., 14 reb.) then made two free throws along with a tip-in to put Houston ahead 75-71 and they never looked back.

The biggest comeback came in Charlottesville, Va., as the Virginia Cavaliers (16-15) rallied from a 12-point second half deficit to beat the Richmond Spiders, 66-64. Forward Dan Geriot scored 22 points, including 10 during a 16-5 run that gave Richmond (16-15) a 61-49 lead with 8:41 remaining. But Virginia finished the game on a 17-3 run to win the game. Sean Singletary led the Cavaliers with 18 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:16 to play.

Across the state in Norfolk, Old Dominion (18-15) advanced to play the Cavaliers with a 68-65 win over the Rider Broncs. Freshman Frank Hassell had a career-high 14 points and added nine rebounds to lead the Monarchs. ODU saw a 10-point second half lead cut to three in the final minute, but held on. The difference was the scoring from the bench. Monarchs reserves outscored Rider30-0 in the contest. MAAC Player of the Year Jason Thompson had another impressive night for the Broncs with 15 points and 17 rebounds. His brother, Ryan, had a team-high 24 points.

In the night's fourth game, Ohio University beat Brown by an 80-74 score. Three Bobcats produced double-doubles as Leon Williams had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Jerome Tillman added 20 points and 12 rebounds and Bubba Walther had 10 points and 12 assists. Ohio outrebounded Brown 35-24. Bears G Damon Huffman posted a career-high 39 points in the loss.

Four more games are on the slate for tonight:

Cincinnati (13-18) at Bradley (17-15), 7 p.m. (FCS, DirecTV Ch. 669)
Miami (Ohio) (17-15) at Tulsa (20-13), 8 p.m.
Valparaiso (21-13) at Washington (16-16), 9 p.m. (FCS, DirecTV Ch. 669)
Utah (17-14) at UTEP (19-13), 9 p.m.

The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting, based in Princeton, N.J. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized events, such as the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic and the Legends Classic. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit www.gazellegroup.com.