Coppin State falls to Mount St. Mary's, 69-60

Mount St. Mary's gets first NCAA win in three tries to earn Friday game against UNC.

DAYTON, Ohio - The Mount finally got The Win.

Mount St. Mary's, a Maryland school known for getting drubbed in its previous two appearances in the NCAA tournament, got this one started with a nice-looking win Tuesday night in the opening game.

A 69-60 victory over Coppin State set up a daunting second game for the Mountaineers (19-14), who immediately started preparing for their next opponent.

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Howard U. grad coaches Mount St. Mary's into the NCAA tournament

Photo: Mount St. Mary's head basketball Coach Milan Brown.

Jim Phelan must be smiling. Mount St. Mary's is back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since the coaching great handed the program over to his assistant, Milan Brown, five years ago.

Jean Cajou and Kelly Beidler each scored 15 points and the Mountaineers (18-14) beat Sacred Heart, 68-55, last night in the Northeast Conference championship game in Fairfield, Conn.

"In the back of my mind, I knew that bringing a championship home would definitely be great for me," said Brown, a former Howard University point guard who was an assistant to Phelan the last time the Mount went to the NCAA tournament in 1999. "But it's going to put a smirk on his face too, even though I know he was so nervous that he didn't watch the game."