Coastal Carolina running back Braydon Bennett carries the ball against Northern Illinois during the Cure Bowl on Friday in Orlando, Florida. Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel via the Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. — Grayson McCall threw four touchdown passes and Coastal Carolina held off Northern Illinois 47-41 in the Cure Bowl on Friday night, with the game ending with the Huskies at the Chanticleers 4.
McCall was 22 for 30 for 315 yards, and Braydon Bennett ran 108 yards and two touchdowns on six carries to help Coastal Carolina (11-1) win 11 games for the second consecutive year. Bennett also caught four passes for 47 yards and a TD.
Jay Ducker ran for 146 yards on 24 carries, and Antario Brown added 105 yards and 12 attempts for Northern Illinois (9-5). Rocky Lombardi completed 20 of 33 passes for 181 yards and two scores.
Northern Illinois (516) and Coastal Carolina (514) combined for 1,030 yards. Northern Illinois picked up 335 yards on the ground.
BAHAMAS BOWL: Freshman Nick Vattiato threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns, including a 59-yard scoring pass to Jarrin Pierce with 6:24 left, and Middle Tennessee beat Toledo 31-24 in Nassau, Bahamas.
Two plays after Toledo’s 32-yard punt, Vattiato connected with a wide-open Pierce along the right side for a 28-17 lead. The 59-yard play was the longest completion in Middle Tennessee’s bowl history.
On Toledo’s next possession, quarterback Dequan Finn was pressured by Jordan Ferguson and defensive lineman Zaylin Wood intercepted a tipped pass, leading to a 35-yard field goal for a 31-17 lead.
Toledo got within seven points with 1:08 remaining, but Thomas Cluckey recovered an onside kick to secure it.
“Winning a bowl game, you’re a champion, you’re Bahamas Bowl champion and these seniors, these guys, they can take that with them the rest of their lives ,” Middle Tennessee Coach Rick Stockstill said after his 101st victory with the program.
Pierce caught four passes for 114 yards and Ferguson had a sack to reach nine on the season for Middle Tennessee (7-6), which was a double-digit underdog. Mike DiLiello rushed for 44 yards, including a 17-yard score to put the Blue Raiders ahead for good at 21-17.
Arizona’s Aaronette Vonleh shoots over Northern Arizona forward Natalie Greenwood durign the Wildcats’ 82-55 win on Friday in Flagstaff, Arizona. Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
(4) ARIZONA 82, NORTHERN ARIZONA 55: Aaronette Vonleh scored 17 points, Madison Conner added 12 and the Wildcats (10-0) overwhelmed the Lumberjacks (5-5) with a big opening run in Flagstaff, Arizona.
The Wildcats (10-0) arrived in Flagstaff hoping to avoid a letdown with a showdown against No. 11 Texas coming up Sunday in Las Vegas.
Arizona jumped on the the Lumberjacks (5-5) from the start, smothering them with full-court pressure and overpowering them inside during an opening 23-2 run. The Wildcats had a bit of a letdown in the second quarter but never let the lead get under 18 the rest of the way.
(16) SOUTH FLORIDA 62, HIGH POINT 46: Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu scored 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting and USF Coach Jose Fernandez got his 400th career win as the No. 16 Bulls (8-6) beat the Panthers (3-6) in Tampa, Florida.
Fernandez — who was, in November of 2000, elevated from recruiting coordinator to head coach after just months at USF — took over a moribund program that hadn’t finished better than one-game over .500 since moving to Division I in 1982. After going 4-24 in his first season, Fernandez has helped the Bulls to seven NCAA Tournament bids, 16 postseason appearances in the last 17 years, and nine 20-victory seasons.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
CREIGHTON 79, (9) VILLANOVA 59: Ryan Hawkins scored 19 points to lead four players in double figures, and the Bluejays (9-3) closed with a flurry in a victory over the Wildcats (7-4) in the Big East opener for both teams, in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Bluejays saw their double-digit lead get cut to 58-54 with 8 1/2 minutes left, but the Wildcats missed their last 12 shots from the field and were outscored 21-5 the rest of the way.
Ryan Nembhard had 11 of his 14 points in the second half as the Bluejays knocked off a second ranked opponent in seven days. Alex O’Connell added 12 points and Trey Alexander had 10 for Creighton.
NOTES
BASKETBALL: The NCAA will pay basketball officials for the women’s tournament the same amount it pays the officials for the men’s competition.
“The national office continues to prioritize gender equity and has taken steps to correct the disparity of pay for officials selected to work the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships,” the NCAA said in a statement. “All basketball officials, regardless of the gender of sport participants, will be receiving equal pay for championship games officiated in 2022 and beyond.”
Gender equality in college basketball returned to the forefront last season after the NCAA failed to provide similar amenities to the teams in the men’s and women’s Division I tournaments.
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