UC Davis wins 1st NCAA tourney game
It was ugly, but beautiful, for UC Davis.
Chima Moneke had 18 points and 12 rebounds as the 16thseeded Aggies overcame 18 turnovers to beat a poor-shooting North Carolina Central team 67-63 in a First Four game Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio.
It might not be an instant classic, but it will live forever in the Aggies’ lore after they won their first-ever NCAA Tournament game.
“Our guys grew up as little hoopers dreaming about playing and having this opportunity,” UC Davis head coach Jim Les said. “And so it’s special to be here. And we’re just going to continue to fight, to keep this story going.”
That story continues Friday in Tulsa, Okla., when UC Davis (25-9) plays No. 1 seed Kansas.
Down by three points at halftime, the Aggies went on an 11-2 run to start the second half, and led by as many as nine before streaky North Carolina Central (25-9) forced some turnovers and chipped away at the lead.
The Eagles pulled to 64-63 with 1:49 left in the game on a three-pointer by Dajuan Graf. They got the ball back with 37 seconds left, but another threepoint try by Graf was off the mark. Graf had to foul Lawrence White, who made two free throws with 16 seconds remaining to give the Aggies some breathing room. Brynton Lemar hit a foul shot with four seconds left to put it away.
Lemar scored 15 points and White added 14 for UC Davis, which had earned a trip to the tournament by winning the Big West Conference tournament.
USC 75, Providence 71: In Wednesday’s other First Four game in Dayton, Bennie Boatwright scored a career-high 24 points as the Trojans (25-9) rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second half to beat the Friars. The Trojans lost to Providence by one point in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament last year. They advance to play sixth-seeded SMU in Tulsa, Okla., on Friday. Emmitt Holt led Providence (20-13) with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Washington fires Romar: Washington fired head coach Lorenzo Romar after 15 seasons at the school, a fate that seemed certain once the Huskies failed for the sixth straight year to receive an NCAA Tournament bid.
Washington athletic director Jennifer Cohen made the decision after the Huskies slogged through another lackluster season — even with freshman Markelle Fultz, a projected top-five NBA draft pick.
Romar was 298-196 in his 15 seasons with the Huskies and was responsible for reinvigorating a downtrodden program, taking Washington to six NCAA Tournaments and three appearances in the Sweet 16. Washington went 9-22 this season, the worst of Romar’s tenure, 2-16 in conference play. USF loses in CBI: Ronnie Boyce scored 18 points in his final game with USF as the Dons lost 85-76 at Rice in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational. Egor Koulechov led the Owls with 24 points. The Dons, who got 15 points from Frankie Ferrari and 13 each from Chase Foster and Charles Minlend, finished the season at 20-13 under firstyear head coach Kyle Smith.
Briefly: In first-round NIT highlights, Texas-Arlington (26-8) got 28 points from Drew Charles in a 105-89 romp at BYU (22-12). The Mavericks are the only team other than Gonzaga to beat St. Mary’s this season. They picked up a 65-51 decision at McKeon Pavilion on Dec. 8 . ... Andrew White III made seven of his nine threepoint attempts and scored 34 points in leading host Syracuse to a 90-77 victory over North Carolina Greensboro in a firstround game, giving head coach Jim Boeheim a landmark 903rd win. Boeheim moved a victory ahead of Bob Knight for second place all-time in Division I basketball. Boeheim’s total does not include 101 wins vacated as a result of NCAA penalties . ... Kenrich Williams had 13 points and 10 rebounds and host TCU defeated Fresno State 66-59 . ... B.J. Taylor scored 26 points and host Central Florida held off Colorado for a 79-74 victory . ... Portland State fired Tyler Geving after a 112-133 record in eight seasons as head coach.