Mercyhurst drops men’s hockey

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — Mercyhurst will drop its Division I men’s hockey program at the end of the academic year as part of a university-wide master plan, the 2,600-student private school announced Friday.

The Lakers finished 6-28-3 this season and were last in Atlantic Hockey for the second straight year. They haven’t won 10 games in a season since 2022-23, and average attendance of 721 per game ranked 64th out of 67 teams.

“As the university prepares for its Centennial academic year, these decisions are part of an ongoing effort to position Mercyhurst for the next 100 years by aligning academic and athletics offerings with evolving student interests and workforce needs,” the school said in a statement.

Mercyhurst will continue to sponsor its Division I women’s hockey program and its men’s club hockey team.

Men’s hockey started as a Division III program in 1988 and moved to Division I in 1999. The Lakers appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2001, 2003 and 2005.

Duke advances

WASHINGTON (AP) — Caleb Foster returned from a broken foot and rescued Duke’s national title hopes, helping the top-seeded Blue Devils rally from a 10-point second-half deficit to beat St. John’s 80-75 on Friday night and advance to the Elite Eight.

Playing less than three weeks after surgery on his left foot, Foster scored all of his 11 points in the second half. Isaiah Evans scored 25 points and Cameron Boozer had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils (35-2), who extended the nation’s longest active winning streak to 14, but not before the tenacious Red Storm (30-7) pushed Duke to the wire.

Duke will face either second-seeded UConn or third-seeded Michigan State in Sunday’s East Region final.

MIDWEST REGION

NO. 1 MICHIGAN 90, NO. 4 ALABAMA 77

CHICAGO (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg had 23 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in a dazzling all-around performance, and Michigan beat Alabama to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years.

Trey McKenney and Elliot Cadeau each scored 17 points as top-seeded Michigan set a school record with its 34th win of the season. Roddy Gayle Jr. finished with 16 points.

Led by McKenney and Gayle, the Wolverines (34-3) enjoyed a 33-6 advantage in bench points. But the versatile Lendeborg was the star of the show as his team grabbed control in the second half.

Next up for the Wolverines is Sunday’s Midwest Region final against the winner of Tennessee-Iowa State.

Labaron Philon Jr. scored 35 points for fourth-seeded Alabama, which reached the Elite Eight each of the previous two years. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. had 15 points.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness