Smith’s 23 lead Liberty over George Mason in NIT 77-71

By The Associated Press
March 17, 2026 | 8:49 PM

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Josh Smith had 23 points and nine rebounds, Brett Decker Jr. added 17 points, and Liberty beat George Mason 77-71 on Tuesday in the opening game of the NIT.

Zander Carter shot 5 of 6 from the field to finish with 10 points, while adding six rebounds for the Flames (26-7).

Jahari Long led the Patriots (23-10) in scoring, finishing with 27 points and four assists. Kory Mincy added 16 points, nine rebounds and two steals for George Mason. Emmanuel Kanga finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.

Liberty went into halftime leading George Mason 34-24. Decker scored nine points in the half. Smith scored 19 points in the second half.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Cheryl Reeve steps away from the WNBA grind for a Hall of Fame induction

By The Associated Press
June 27, 2026 | 12:32 AM

Cheryl Reeve is taking a break from her busy WNBA season to head to Knoxville this weekend and be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. She's only the second WNBA coach to enter the Hall of Fame, joining former Houston Comets coach Van Chancellor, who was inducted in 2001. “(I appreciate) the magnitude of this recognition of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and the great work that has gone into this institution,” Reeve said. “To walk around and see the history of how much has been done years before I could ever have this opportunity to coach. Grateful to the WNBA because I think there was some consideration given schedule wise.” Reeve will be joined by WNBA greats Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne in this year's class. Parker and Delle Donne also will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame later this year. Other inductees include ESPN broadcaster Doris Burke, Kirkwood Community College coach Kim Muhl, Spanish star Amaya Valdemoro, French great Isabelle Fijalkowski and Clemson's all-time leading scorer and rebounder, Barbara Kennedy-Dixon.

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