Mount St. Mary’s hangs on
Kansas State defeats Wake Forest to also advance to Round of 64
DAYTON, Ohio — Diminutive point guard Junior Robinson scored 23 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 1:27 to play, and Mount St. Mary’s held on for a 67-66 victory over New Orleans on Tuesday night in the opening game of the First Four.
Robinson, the smallest player in Division I at 5-foot-5, carried the Mountaineers (20-15) to only their second NCAA Tournament win.
They’ll head to Buffalo, N.Y., to play defending national champion and top overall seed Villanova in the East Regional on Thursday.
Mount St. Mary’s led most of the way, but New Orleans (20-12) pulled off a comeback befitting its resurgent season. The Privateers had a chance for a final shot, but Erik Thomas’ inbound pass with 2.6 seconds left was off target and stolen by the Mountaineers’
Chris Wray to clinch it.
The Mountaineers wear warmup shirts with “Mayhem” on the back, reminding them of their pressure defense. They forced 14 turnovers that set up 19 points.
The Privateers’ NCAA Tournament appearance was part of a big turnaround. The school was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, leaving its future in doubt. The Privateers went 10-20 last season and pulled off one of the biggest turnarounds to reach the tournament. KANSAS STATE 95, WAKE
FOREST 88: In the nightcap of the First Four doubleheader, Kamau Stokes scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half of a wide-open game as Kansas State’s balance was the difference as the Wildcats pulled away to a victory over Wake Forest.
Eleventh-seeded K-State (21-13) got its first NCAA Tournament win in five years and a trip to play No. 6 Cincinnati on Friday in Sacramento, Calif., as part of the South Regional.
In a matchup of two versatile offenses, the Wildcats had the most options and hot shooters. Wesley Iwundu added 24 points, and D.J. Johnson scored 18.
Wake Forest (19-14) couldn’t keep up during its first NCAA Tournament game in seven years. The Demon Deacons scored 90 points nine times during the season, but couldn’t match the Wildcats as they shot 66 percent from the field.
John Collins led Wake Forest with 26 points and nine rebounds.
Helping doom the Demon Deacons was that they shot only 36 percent from the field in the first half and had more turnovers (nine) than field goals (eight), forcing them to play from behind.