DJ Armstrong Jr. scored 33 points as top-seeded UMBC beat second-seeded Vermont 74-59 on Saturday in Baltimore to earn its first America East Conference tournament title since 2018 and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

UMBC (24-8) ended the contest on a 26-8 run to post the third conference tournament title in program history.

Armstrong Jr. went 9 of 11 from the field, including a championship-game record seven 3-pointers, to earn the Most Outstanding Player honors in the tournament while he averaged 17.6 points per game and shot 64% from the floor.

Jose Roberto Tanchyn grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and Ace Valentine added 13 points for the Retrievers, who have won 12 straight games.

UMBC led 30-28 at halftime against Vermont (22-12), which got a team-high 17 points off the bench from TJ Long plus 11 apiece from Gus Yalden and TJ Hurley.

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

Bryce Harris had 14 points with 10 rebounds and Cedric Taylor III finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds to lead top-seeded Howard to a 70-63 victory over No. 3 seed North Carolina Central in the title game at Norfolk, Va.

The Bison (23-10), who have won eight games in a row, advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time. Their most recent appearance was in 2024.

Dionte Johnson had a team-high 14 points for the Eagles (14-18).

–Field Level Media

The Detroit Pistons have not lost to the Toronto Raptors in more than two years, and the visiting Pistons hope to keep it that way on Sunday afternoon .

The Pistons have won their seven past meetings with the Raptors, including 113-95 at Toronto on Feb. 11.

Toronto’s most recent victory over Detroit was 142-113 at home on Nov. 19, 2023.

Toronto can take inspiration from its comeback 122-115 home victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday after dropping six of its previous eight games.

“It was a big-time win for us,” said RJ Barrett, who scored 22 points. “We hit a little rough patch, and wins like that are what we have to have.”

The Pistons are on a three-game winning streak after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 126-110 at home on Friday. Before the winning streak, the Pistons had lost four straight.

“We were losing games in the stint, but coach (J.B. Bickerstaff) told us to stay together throughout all this,” said Ronald Holland II, who scored 12 points in 17 minutes. “We had a lot of success throughout the season, so far.

“I mean, we weren’t getting big-headed or anything, but every team goes through (losing streaks) in the NBA. So he was just telling us to stay together, to keep running the course and everything will be fine. We’re back on track now, so hopefully we can stay rolling.”

The victory over Memphis solidified the Pistons’ lead in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors are in seventh place.

The Pistons had a huge game Friday from Jalen Duren, who has been dealing with a sore right knee. He had 30 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks to help the Pistons to their 48th victory of the season, their most since winning 59 in the 2007-08 season.

“I think we celebrate the small wins,” Duren said. “The main focus is to keep succeeding, keep getting better as we move into the postseason. Staying healthy.”

Cade Cunningham had 17 points, 15 assists, eight rebounds, and three steals for Detroit, as he displayed his development as a playmaker.

“He’s elite at it,” Bickerstaff said.

Cunningham scored 28 points against the Raptors last month. Duren did not play in that game in Toronto because he was serving a suspension for an altercation against the Charlotte Hornets.

Caris LeVert returned to the Pistons lineup after missing three games with an injured left wrist. He scored four points in 22:57 as a reserve.

The Raptors rallied from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Suns, who had won four in a row. Brandon Ingram scored 36 points for Toronto.

The Raptors showed more resolve than in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. They avoided the late-game collapses that have plagued them and finished the win over the Suns on a 27-10 run.

“I think it was an urgency to compete and most of all stay together,” Ingram said. “We’ve been through some times where the other team was scoring offensively and we weren’t able to stop the bleeding or find a rhythm on the offensive end. At those times, we would put our heads down a little bit and sort of take it upon ourselves to try to fix it. I think tonight we just stayed connected.”

Scottie Barnes, playing through illness that made him a game-time decision, scored 14 points and blocked two shots, one in the final minute.

–Field Level Media

Tarik Skubal racked up seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings in his return to spring training as the Detroit Tigers rolled to a 6-1 victory over the host Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon in Dunedin, Fla.

Skubal allowed three hits and one run with no walks as he fired 61 pitches in his first outing since helping the United States defeat Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic on Monday. Matt Vierling delivered a pair of RBI doubles for the Tigers.

Max Scherzer matched zeroes against Skubal with four scoreless innings for the Blue Jays. He scattered two singles and two walks while fanning five. Daulton Varsho touched Skubal for a solo homer in the fifth. Riley Tirotta went 2-for-2 with a double.

Phillies 6, Yankees 4

Felix Reyes hit a two-run homer in the ninth to break a tie and give Philadelphia the victory over host New York in Tampa, Fla.

Leadoff man Justin Crawford went 1-for-4 with two runs and one RBI while Edmundo Sosa added two hits for the Phillies. Starter Bryse Wilson tossed three hitless innings as Philadelphia improved to 8-11-1 for the spring.

Yankees starter Max Fried stretched out to 5 1/3 innings and was responsible for five hits, three runs and four strikeouts. Braden Shewmake forged a 4-4 tie with a solo homer in the eighth while Jasson Dominguez went 2-for-2 with a walk, run, RBI and stolen base.

Pirates 8, Orioles 6

Marcell Ozuna erased a two-run deficit with a three-run homer in the seventh as host Pittsburgh collected the win over Baltimore in Bradenton, Fla.

Henry Davis and Billy Cook contributed homers to highlight the Pirates’ 12-hit attack while Ryan O’Hearn and Nick Yorke cracked two hits apiece. Starter Carmen Mlodzinski fanned five over five innings while allowing seven hits and two runs.

Adley Rutschman (2-for-4) and Dylan Beavers (2-for-3) each delivered a two-run homer for the Orioles, who had 13 hits. Starter Trevor Rogers gave up four hits and two runs over four innings with three strikeouts and one walk.

Marlins (ss) 4, Nationals 1

Rookie catcher Bennett Hostetler hit a two-run homer and stole two bases to pace Miami past host Washington in Palm Beach, Fla.

Cade Gibson opened for the Marlins and racked up four strikeouts over 1 2/3 innings as seven pitchers combined for a 4-hitter and 13 strikeouts.

Brady House poked an RBI double in the fifth to account for the Nationals’ lone run. Starter Alex Clemmey gave up no hits and one walk over three innings, but he allowed two unearned runs as the Nats committed three of their four errors during the third inning.

Cardinals 7, Marlins (ss) 7

Nolan Gorman cranked his third homer of the spring as St. Louis and host Miami played to a draw in Jupiter, Fla.

Starter Andre Pallante struck out four and walked three as he gave up one run over five innings for the Cardinals. Gorman, Jose Fermin and Nathan Church contributed two hits apiece.

Ryan Ignoffo (2-for-2) homered in the eighth while Ian Lewis and Yiddi Cappe drove in two runs apiece for the Marlins. Starter Ryan Gusto surrendered six hits and two runs over four innings.

–Field Level Media