NEW YORK (AP) — Donovan Clingan scored 19 points and Cam Spencer added 15 as top-seeded UConn began defense of its national championship by cruising past 16th-seeded Stetson 91-52 Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The top-ranked Huskies (32-3) will face ninth-seeded Northwestern on Sunday in the second round of the East Region at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Stephan Swenson scored 20 points for the Hatters (22-13), the ASun champions who were making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They never had a chance against UConn, which scored the first eight points and went on to its most lopsided NCAA victory since beating Chattanooga by 56 in the first round of the 2009 tournament.
EAST REGION
YALE 78, NO. 7 AUBURN 76
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — John Poulakidas scored 28 points, Samson Aletan made a key block during a wild scramble in the final seconds, and 13th-seeded Yale rallied in the final five minutes to take down No. 4 seed Auburn.
For the second straight year, the Ivy League Tournament champion took down one of the pre-tournament favorites — busting plenty of March Madness brackets once again.
Last year it was Princeton toppling Arizona. This time, it was Yale’s turn.
The Bulldogs (23-9) won an NCAA Tournament game for just the second time in school history, rallying from a 10-point deficit midway through the second half. After the final seconds ticked off, the players celebrated on the scorer’s table in front of their fans.
Poulakidas hit big shot after big shot. His step-back 3-pointer with 2:10 left gave the Bulldogs a 73-72 lead. Yale never trailed again, despite a chaotic final stretch that included Auburn getting off two shots in the closing seconds following a missed free throw, one of which was rejected by Aletan.
Auburn’s K.D. Johnson had a contested look for a winning 3-pointer at the buzzer that was offline.
Johni Broome led Auburn with 24 points and 13 rebounds.
NO. 24 SAN DIEGO STATE 69, UAB 65
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Jaedon LeDee dominated inside on the way to 32 points, Lamont Butler added 15 and No. 5 seed San Diego State held off 12th-seeded UAB.
A year after marching to the national title game, also as a No. 5 seed, the Aztecs saw a 12-point second-half lead disappear before putting together a late surge on the strength of their star 6-foot-9 forward to avoid a March Madness surprise in the East Region.
Quiet for most of the second half, LeDee scored on three straight possessions for the Aztecs (25-10) after UAB took a 56-53 lead. Butler hit a difficult fallaway, and LeDee climbed for an offensive rebound and was fouled with 1:01 left. LeDee hit both free throws to give SDSU a 66-63 lead, and he added two more foul shots with 20 seconds left.
UAB’s Efrem Johnson had a contested look at a tying 3-pointer with 8 seconds left, but it rimmed off, and Reese Waters’ free throw with 3 seconds remaining allowed the Aztecs a chance to exhale.
LeDee made 11 of 18 shots, was 9 of 10 at the free throw line and had eight rebounds. He topped 30 points for the fourth time this season and finished two short of his career high.
San Diego State will play No. 13 seed Yale in the second round on Sunday.
NORTHWESTERN 77, FLORIDA ATLANTIC 65, OT
NEW YORK (AP) — Ryan Langborg scored 12 of his career-high 27 points in overtime, and ninth-seeded Northwestern finally put away No. 8 seed Florida Atlantic in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Brooks Barnhizer’s driving layup tied it with nine seconds left for the Wildcats (22-11), who recovered after squandering a nine-point lead late in the second half. They will play No. 1 overall seed UConn in the second round of the East Region on Sunday in Brooklyn.
Boo Buie had 19 of his 22 points after a quiet first half, and Barnhizer added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Northwestern, which advanced in the NCAAs for the second consecutive season.
Vlad Goldin had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Owls (25-9), who returned nearly their entire team from a surprising Final Four run last year but were unable to muster that same March magic this time.
MIDWEST REGION
No. 3 PURDUE 78, GRAMBLING STATE 50
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Zach Edey had the first 30-point, 20-rebound game in the NCAA Tournament since 1995, delivering on his promise to end the discussion about first-round March Madness exits by leading top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers past 16th-seeded Grambling State.
The greatest scorer and rebounder in school history finished with 30 points and 21 rebounds in 30 minutes, going 11 of 17 from the field. When he did miss, he often scored on putbacks or drew fouls. Defensively, he constantly challenged the Tigers with his 7-foot-4, 300-pound body, blocked shots, and gobbled up even more rebounds as he set up a second-round contest Sunday against eighth-seeded Utah State.
How good was Edey? The last player with a 30-20 game in the tournament was Joe Smith of Maryland on March 18, 1995.
Braden Smith added 11 points and 10 assists for the Boilermakers (30-4), who tied the school’s single-season record for victories. Purdue had a 48-23 rebounding advantage.
NO. 20 UTAH STATE 88, TCU 72
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Isaac Johnson scored 19 points, including 12 straight early in the second half, and eighth-seeded Utah State shot 55% percent to pull away and beat No. 9 seed TCU and end a 10-game NCAA Tournament losing streak.
The Aggies (28-6) hadn’t earned a March Madness victory since beating Ohio State 77-68 in overtime in 2001, and had endured opening-game losses four of the past six seasons. Players and coach Danny Sprinkle have heard more than their share of questions about their March futility and were determined to end the slide once and for all.
Ian Martinez scored 21 points to lead the Aggies, who will face top-seeded Purdue on Sunday in the second round of the Midwest Region.
TCU (21-13) led most of the first half before the Aggies took the lead for good at 37-35 on Martinez’s 3-pointer with 3:22 left before halftime. Leading 43-37 at the break, the 7-foot Johnson took charge from there, making two 3-pointers along with two other baskets and a pair of free throws for a double-digit lead the Aggies steadily increased.
SOUTH REGION
NO. 2 HOUSTON 86, LONGWOOD 46
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — LJ Cryer and Damian Dunn scored 17 points each as top-seeded Houston built an easy double-digit lead and pounded 16 seed Longwood in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Coach Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars (31-4) lived up to their reputation for smothering defense. They led 10-0 less than four minutes into the game and held the Lancers (21-14) to 16 points on 26.3% shooting in the first half.
Emanuel Sharp added 13 points and Jamal Shead finished with 11 points and nine assists for Houston, which will face Texas A&M on Sunday in the second round of the South Region.
Johnathan Massie led Longwood, the Big South Conference champion, with 10 points.
NO. 8 MARQUETTE 87, WESTERN KENTUCKY 69
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kam Jones scored 28 points and Tyler Kolek made a successful return from an oblique injury, helping No. 2 seed Marquette rally for a victory over No. 15 seed Western Kentucky.
The Golden Eagles (26-9) trailed 43-36 at halftime, but they overwhelmed the Hilltoppers in the second half. They used a 15-2 run to open an 87-67 cushion on the way to their second consecutive first-round NCAA victory.
Jones scored 18 in the second half. Kolek finished with 18 points and 11 assists in his first game since Feb. 28.
Next up for Marquette is Colorado on Sunday in the second round of the South Region. The Golden Eagles are going for the program’s first Sweet 16 berth since 2013.
Tyrone Marshall scored a career-high 21 points for WKU (22-12), which seized momentum from Marquette midway through the first half in its first NCAA appearance since 2013.
NO. 13 DUKE 64, VERMONT 47
NEW YORK (AP) — Jared McCain and Mark Mitchell each had 15 points, and No. 4 seed Duke opened the NCAA Tournament with an uneven performance before finally pulling away from 13th-seeded Vermont.
Jeremy Roach scored 14 for the Blue Devils (25-8), who were able to advance without much offensive production from star center Kyle Filipowski. The sophomore took only one shot and scored a career-low three points, though he did grab 12 rebounds.
Seeking its sixth national championship, Duke will face No. 12 seed James Madison in a South Region second-round game Sunday in Brooklyn.
Shamir Bogues had 18 points for Vermont (28-7), playing in its third consecutive NCAA Tournament as America East champions. Aaron Deloney added 14 for the Catamounts, who had won 10 straight games.
JAMES MADISON 72, NO. 23 WISCONSIN 61
NEW YORK (AP) — Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 14 points and James Madison pulled off the first 12-5 upset of the NCAA Tournament by beating Wisconsin.
The 12th-seeded Dukes (32-3) will face fourth-seeded Duke on Sunday in the second round of the South Region in Brooklyn, where the JMU fans made themselves right at home.
The Dukes, who had not been in the tournament since 2013, are into the second round for the first time since 1983 — bringing with them a 14-game winning streak that is the longest in the nation.
Max Klesmit kept fifth-seeded Wisconsin (22-14) within striking distance with 18 second-half points. The Badgers were a 5 1/2-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Klesmit cut the JMU lead to six with 8:54 left, but Noah Freidel answered with a 3-pointer about a minute later for JMU to make it 55-46.
The Badgers never got closer than seven again, and the chants of “J-M-U” echoed through Barclays Center in Brooklyn as if it was the Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
COLORADO 102, FLORIDA 100
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — KJ Simpson rattled in a tiebreaking jumper from the baseline with 2 seconds left, and 10th-seeded Colorado beat seventh-seeded Florida in a thriller.
Simpson finished with 23 points as the Buffaloes (26-10) and Gators (24-12) put on the most impressive offensive display of this year’s March Madness. Colorado extended its single-season school record for wins two days after beating Boise State in the First Four. The Buffs advance in the South Region to face second-seeded Marquette on Sunday.
Walter Clayton Jr. scored the last 16 points for Florida, including a 3-pointer to tie the game at 100-all with 9 seconds left. He finished with a career-high 33 points, but his half-court heave at the buzzer didn’t hit the rim.
TEXAS A&M 98, NEBRASKA 83
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Wade Taylor IV scored 25 points and No. 9 seed Texas A&M sent eighth-seeded Nebraska home still looking for its first NCAA Tournament victory, beating the Huskers in the South Region.
The Aggies (21-14) added insult to injury by beating Nebraska after unexpectedly hiring athletic director Trev Alberts away from his alma mater for the same job last week.
Manny Obaseki added 22 points for the Aggies, who put five players in double figures and scored a season high in points. Tyrece Radford finished with 20, Jace Carter 13 and Henry Coleman III had 10.
Texas A&M will play Houston on Sunday with a trip to Dallas awaiting in the Sweet 16.
Nebraska (23-11) leaves Memphis still looking for that elusive NCAA victory following the program’s best finish in Big Ten play since 1992-93.
WEST REGION
NO. 14 BAYLOR 92, COLGATE 67
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jalen Bridges scored 23 points, Ja’Kobe Walter added 19 and third-seeded Baylor coasted past 14th-seeded Colgat in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Jayden Nunn added 15 points, going 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and RayJ Davis finished with 10 points and nine assists for coach Scott Drew’s Bears (24-10), who have won their past six first-round games in March Madness.
Keegan Records led Colgate (25-10) with 14 points. Sam Thomson had 11 and Braeden Smith scored 10.
Baylor will play either Clemson in the second round of the West Region.
Colgate (25-10), which dominated the Patriot League in the regular season and won the conference tournament, fell to 0-7 in the NCAA Tournament. The Raiders had lost only once in their previous 18 games.
NO. 19 ALABAMA 109, CHARLESTON 93
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Mark Sears led the highest-scoring offense in the country with 30 points, and fourth-seeded Alabama had no problem making shots in its NCAA Tournament opener, racing past No. 13 seed Charleston.
After two other teams from the state of Alabama, UAB and Auburn, got bounced earlier Friday in Spokane, the Crimson Tide avoided boarding another charter plane for a long flight home.
Sears was the catalyst, turning a close game into a blowout with a pair of surges late in the first half and to begin the second. The second-team AP All-American hit the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season and helped get others involved. Sears made 9 of 13 shots, was 9 of 11 at the foul line and was equally troublesome for Charleston whether spotting up from deep or driving to the rim.
Sears posted his 23rd 20-point game of the season, tying the school record set by Reggie King in 1978-79.
Sears also drew the primary task of trying to slow down Charleston’s leading scorer, Reyne Smith. He and his teammates succeeded as Smith finished with 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting.
Latrell Wrightsell Jr. had 17 points for Alabama (22-11) despite missing a chunk of the first half after his nose got smashed colliding with the back of the head of a Charleston player. Aaron Estrada scored 13.
GRAND CANYONN 75, NO. 15 SAINT MARY’S 66
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Tyon Grant-Foster scored 22 points, and Grand Canyon joined the list of schools to win an NCAA Tournament game as the 12th-seeded Antelopes knocked off No. 5 seed Saint Mary’s.
Grand Canyon (30-4) became the second No. 12 seed to pull a late-night upset after James Madison took down Wisconsin. The Antelopes did it with style, slashing and shooting their way to expose the No. 2 scoring defense in the country.
Grant-Foster was the instigator with skills that will likely land him a spot at the next level. Grant-Foster scored 13 in the second half, including a 3-pointer and a thunderous lob dunk during the Antelopes’ decisive 15-1 run that gave them a 50-35 lead with under 12 minutes remaining.
Gabe McGlothan matched the physical post players for Saint Mary’s (26-8) and added 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Ray Harrison finished with 17 points, including a spinning basket on the block with 1:40 left that gave the Antelopes a 69-60 lead. Aidan Mahaney’s 3-point attempt was blocked at the other end – the ninth block for Grand Canyon – and the Antelopes started to enjoy what they were on the cusp of accomplishing.
The Antelopes were just the seventh team this season to reach the 70-point mark against the regular season and tournament champions of the West Coast Conference.
Grand Canyon will face No. 4 seed Alabama in the second round on Sunday.
CLEMSON 77, NEW MEXICO 56
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Chase Hunter scored 21 points and sixth-seeded Clemson ended No. 11 seed New Mexico’s hopes of repeating the Mountain West’s run in the NCAA Tournament, beating the Lobos.
The Lobos (26-10) came in as the Mountain West Tournament champs, a popular pick to be this tournament’s version of San Diego State a year ago and favored by 2 1/2 points in this game, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. New Mexico won its league tournament, beating a trio of teams that also earned March Madness berths including SDSU — last year’s national runner-up.
Clemson (22-11) dominated on both ends, leading by 19 points in the first half and 23 in the second. The Tigers also held New Mexico to its worst shooting performance this season — 29.7% from the field and 13% (3 of 23) from 3-point range.
The Tigers will play third-seeded Baylor, a 92-67 winner over 14th-seeded Colgate, in the second round Sunday.
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