Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Florida State runs off Murray State, advances
HARTFORD, Conn. — Ja Morant dazzled for a half, but the star point guard and 12th-seeded Murray State got run out of the NCAA Tournament by Florida State.
Mfiondu Kabengele scored 22 points, Terrance Mann added 18 points and the Seminoles slammed the Racers 90-62 on Saturday to advance to the West regional semifinal.
With Florida State forward Phil Cofer watching from the bench just two days after his father died, the Seminoles made good on a vow to honor their teammate and his family with their play. They couldn’t have been much better, overwhelming the Racers (28-5) with their size, speed and depth.
Florida State (29-7) is in the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year, the first time FSU has pulled that off since 1992-93.
Morant was the story of the first-round, posting a triple-double against Marquette that even had NBA stars Steph Curry and Luka Doncic marveling at the surefire lottery pick. He again had the Murray State fans on their feet early against Florida State. Morant was 5 for 5 from three-point range in the first half, flashing his step-back and cross-over jumpers. Florida State was winning everywhere else on the court, forcing turnovers, getting into transition and knocking down threes.
The Seminoles came into the game shooting 33.4 percent from three-point range — 223rd in the nation — and then hit eight of their first 11 from behind the arc. Known for their defense, the Seminoles were playing fast and getting good shots. Florida State had a 16-point lead at the half and it didn’t get much better after the break.
Christ Koumadje had two easy slams off lobs, Mann tipped in his own miss and Kabengele slammed home another rebound to make it 68-46 with 13 minutes left.
Morant provided a few more highlights, most notably going right at the 7-foot-4 Koumadje and flipping in a layup while getting fouled. Otherwise it was all Florida State. With about 2 minutes left, Morant drove through three defenders down the lane for a layup that gave him 28 points.
Moments later he departed to a standing ovation from Racers fans, likely done with his college career.
GONZAGA 83, BAYLOR 71
SALT LAKE CITY — Next stop on the Brandon Clarke Dunk ‘n Swat Festival: The Sweet 16.
The Gonzaga forward had five monster dunks, five blocks, matched a career-high with 36 points and enjoyed the overall kind of night that earns potential NBAers millions, while leading the top-seeded Bulldogs to a victory over Baylor.
This second-round matchup in the West Region wasn’t exactly a blowout, but wasn’t quite a nail-biter, either. That doesn’t mean it lacked entertainment.
Most of it centered on Clarke, the junior transfer from San Jose State, who started the fireworks with a windmill jam on a breakaway that gave Gonzaga (32-3) an early 16-7 lead.
Clarke also had eight rebounds and two steals for the game. He lifted his season blocks total to 110 — now good for best in the nation.
MICHIGAN 64, FLORIDA 49
DES MOINES, Iowa — Michigan is back in the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year after pulling away for a victory over Florida.
Jordan Poole scored 19 points and took charge of the game in the final seven minutes to help the Wolverines advance. Michigan (30-6) is the No. 2 seed in the West Region, the 2018 national runner-up and has reached the Sweet 16 five times in the last seven years.
The 10th-seeded Gators (20-16) shot just 29 percent in the second half, 34.5 percent for the game and were held to their lowest point total of the season.
Michigan outscored the Gators 13-5 to end the game and finished with authority as Isaiah Livers and Poole thrilled their scoring section with thunderous dunks.
The matchup was a meeting of two of the nation’s highest-ranked defenses and produced rag-tag play.