Photos: Hoops fest at Fogelman

Basketball fans filled Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse on Thursday (March 29) to cheer on the best collegiate sharpshooters and slam dunk artists at an event aired live by ESPN.

New Orleans is welcoming hoops fans from across the nation for the NCAA Men's Final Four, which concludes tonight (April 2) with the championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.



The Tulane uptown campus basketball arena hosts the 2012 State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships.



In the dunk contest, the winner is 5-foot-10 James Justice from Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tenn., who took a bouncing lob and grabbed it in mid-air, putting it between his legs and slamming it home with one hand. The dunk brought everyone to their feet, including finalist Kenny Gabriel from Auburn University.



In the women's event, Ashley Corral outshoots Becky Burke from the University of Louisville. Corral, representing the University of Southern California, won by a margin of 20-11 in three-point goals.

Northwestern University's John Shurna outduels Juan Fernandez from Temple University 21-20 in the final of the men's 3-point contest. The two winners then faced off in a “battle of champions,” and Shurna took the crown 24-14.



Celebrity judges, including New Orleans Saints player Jimmy Graham, center, celebrate one of the contest winners as the crowd indicates their scores as well.