University of Southern Maine pole vaulter Ben Drummey successfully defended his NCAA Division III indoor championship on Friday with a winning height of 16 feet, 6 3/4 inches in Birmingham, Alabama.

Drummey, a junior from Biddeford, cleared the same height while winning his first national title in 2022.

Charlotte Hodge of Bowdoin tied for fifth in the women’s pole vault at 12-7 1/2.

WRESTLING

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Southern Maine freshman Jake Craig of Skowhegan advanced to the semifinals in the 125-pound division by winning his first two matches at the NCAA Division III championships in Roanoke, Virginia.

Craig earned an 8-1 decision over Brandon Murphy of Wisconsin-La Crosse, then defeated Luca Paladino of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Jake Peavey, a USM senior from South China, was pinned in his opening match at 285 pounds, then won his next two matches in the consolation bracket.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

(1) HOUSTON 60, EAST CAROLINA 46: Marcus Sasser scored 30 points and the Cougars (30-2) earned their 30th win of the season, beating the Pirates (16-17) in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Cougars, a sure-bet No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, have back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time since their Phi Slama Jama era. Houston made three consecutive Final Four appearances from 1982-84, and were national runner-ups in back-to-back seasons – winning 31 games in 1982-83 and 32 the next season.

(3) KANSAS 71, IOWA STATE 58: Jalen Wilson had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Gradey Dick made a couple of crucial baskets during a second-half run that gave Kansas control, and the third-ranked Jayhawks (27-6) went on to beat the Cyclones (19-13) in Kansas City, Missouri to reach the Big 12 Tournament title game.

(4) ALABAMA 72, MISSISSIPPI STATE 49:  Brandon Miller had 18 points and nine rebounds and the Crimson Tide (27-5) never trailed in victory over the Bulldogs (21-12) in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament in Nashville, Tennessee.

The top-seeded Crimson Tide set the pace in the first half hitting eight-of-20 shots from long range. Charles Bediako and Noah Gurley added 11 points apiece for Alabama, and Jahvon Quinerly scored 10.

Alabama will play either No. 25 Missouri in the semifinal on Saturday.

(5) PURDUE 70, RUTGERS 65: Mason Gillis had 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting, and the Boilermakers (27-5) held off the Scarlet Knights (19-14) for a rugged victory in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals in Chicago.

With Zach Edey drawing his usual attention inside, the top-seeded Boilermakers got a big lift from Gillis and reserve guard David Jenkins Jr. Gillis grabbed nine rebounds and Porter had a season-high 12 points.

Purdue faces Ohio State, a 68-58 winner over Michigan State, in the semifinals.

(6) MARQUETTE 70, (11) UCONN 68: Tyler Kolek and David Joplin each scored 17 points, and the Golden Eagles (27-6) moved into the Big East championship game for the first time by holding off the Huskies (25-8) in New York.

(18) TEXAS A&M 67, ARKANSAS 61: Wade Taylor scored 18 points and the Aggies (24-8) rallied from a 13-point deficit early in the second half to beat the Razorbacks (20-13) in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee.

(21) DUKE 85, (14) MIAMI 78: Kyle Filipowski had 17 points and 11 rebounds, Jeremy Roach hit a huge 3-pointer at the 1:32 mark and the Blue Devils (25-8) held off the Hurricanes (25-7) in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinals in Greensboro, North Carolina.

(25) MISSOURI 79, (17) TENNESSEE 71: Nick Honor hit a 3-pointer with 1:45 left to put Missouri ahead to stay, and the 25th-ranked Tigers (24-8) beat the Volunteers (23-1) in Nashville, Tenneessee to reach the SEC semifinals for the first time since joining the league.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

VERMONT 38, ALBANY 36: Emma Utterback had 18 points as the Catamounts (24-6) beat the Great Danes (22-10) to win the America East tournament championship in Burlington, Vermont.

No. 1 Vermont advances to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2010.

(14) OKLAHOMA 77, TCU 76: Skylar Vann scored 21 points, including the game-winning layup with 2.2 seconds left and the Sooners (25-5) avoided possibly the biggest upset in Big 12 Tournament history with a win over Horned Frogs (8-23) in the quarterfinals in Kansas City, Missouri.

(15) TEXAS 60, KANSAS STATE 42: DeYona Gaston scored 12 points and the Longhorns (24-8) came to life in the second half to defeat the Wildcats (17-17) in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

(25) MIDDLE TENNESSEE 68, (4) UTEP 62: Jalynn Gregory scored 22 points, Kseniya Malashka had 18 points and 14 rebounds and the Blue Raiders (27-4)  beat the Minors (20-11) to advance to the championship game of the Conference USA Tournament in Frisco, Texas.

BASEBALL

MARYLAND 25, MAINE 1: The Terrapins (6-7) scored eight times in the third inning and cruised to a win over the BlacK Bears (3-7) in College Park, Maryland.

Connor Goodman had two hits and three RBI for the Black Bears. Myles Sargent added two hits, including a double, scored twice and drove in two.

ST. JOSEPH’S, LORAS (IOWA), SPLIT: The Monks (2-6) won the second game 6-5 after losing the opener 8-4 against the Duhawks (5-3) in Auburndale, Florida.

In the second game, the Monks scored two runs in the second on a single by Jackson Stanton and a double by Cliff Ward. The Monks made it 6-1 with four runs in the fourth on a single by Zach Miles, a bases-loaded walk by Jack Moltenbrey and a two-run single by Michael Warne.

Loras scored four runs in the first and third innings for an 8-1 lead in the opener. The Monks got three back in the fifth on a two-run double by Matt Thibault and a sacrifice fly by Luke Stephens, who also plated a run in the first on a fly out.

ROGER WILLIAMS 8, SOUTHERN MAINE 4: Christopher Flynn had three hits with three RBI as the Hawks (1-0) downed the Huskies (0-1) in Auburndale, Florida.

Flynn hit a two-run single during a three-run eighth inning that helped the Hawks pull away.

Cam Seymour had two hits, including a two-run homer in the first, while Tom Vesosky had two hits and scored two runs for the Huskies.

SOFTBALL

ROCHESTER 6, ST. JOSEPH’S 3: Jenna Gorecki had two hits with three RBI as the Yellowjackets (7-5) defeated the Monks (5-4) in Kissimmee, Florida.

Gorecki hit a two-run triple during a three-run fourth inning that gave Rochester a 6-0 lead.

St. Joseph’s scored three in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk to Anna Gilbert and a two-run double by Charlotte Cloutier.

The Monks were unable to capititalize on a leadoff single by Sadie Tirrell in the fifth, left the bases loaded in the sixth and were sent down in order in the seventh.

ST. BENEDICT 5, ST. JOSEPH’S 0: Jordyn Swoboda had two hits and three RBI as the Bennies (7-1) beat the Monks (5-5) in Kissimmee, Florida.

Lydia Goodnough, Olivia Howe and Abby Carpenter each had a single for St. Joseph’s.