San Diego State rolls past Yale
Aztecs’ victory sets up title game rematch against UConn
SPOKANE, Wash. — Jaedon LeDee had 26 points and nine rebounds, Darrion Trammell added 18 points and fifth-seeded San Diego State used a fast start to overwhelm 13th-seeded Yale and rolled to an 85-57 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night.
The Aztecs scored the first 10 points of the game, led by 24 at halftime and removed any chance of another potential March Madness, bracket-busting upset.
San Diego State (26-10) earned a rematch with No. 1 seed and defending national champion UConn on Thursday in Boston in the Sweet 16. The Huskies beat the Aztecs 76-59 last April in Houston, denying San Diego State a chance at its first title.
The Aztecs will be playing in the Sweet 16 in consecutive years for the first time in school history.
LeDee was again the star for the Aztecs after he scored 32 points in the first-round win over UAB. He made 9 of 12 shots, including a pair of 3s, and in two tournament games is 20-for-30 shooting.
But some of the outside shooting that was absent in the tourney opener returned and San Diego State hit a season-high 13 3-pointers. Trammell had just four points and took four shots against UAB, but hit four 3s against Yale.
MIDWEST REGION NO. 3 PURDUE 106, UTAH STATE 67
In Indianapolis, Zach Edey had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and No. 1 seed Purdue cruised into the Sweet 16 by pounding eighth-seeded Utah State with an impressive offensive performance in the second round.
Trey Kaufman-Renn added 18 points and eight boards for Purdue (31-7), which broke the school’s single-season record for victories. Fletcher Loyer had 15 points, and Braden Smith had all six of his assists in the second half when the Boilermakers shot 65.2% from the field before pulling the starters.
Great Osodor, the Mountain West Player of the Year, had 14 points and six rebounds for Utah State. The Aggies (28-7) were outrebounded 49-26, and they headed home still in search of the program’s first regional semifinal since 1970.
SOUTH REGION NO. 2 HOUSTON 100, TEXAS A&M 94 (OT)
In Memphis, Tenn., Emanuel Sharp started overtime with a 3-pointer that put topseeded Houston ahead to stay as the Cougars advanced to the Sweet 16 back in Texas by topping ninth-seeded Texas A&M.
The Aggies forced overtime with a furious rally, outscoring Houston 17-5 in the final two minutes of regulation.
Andersson Garcia beat the buzzer with his ninth 3-pointer of the season, and then was mobbed by his teammates.
Sharp fouled out after his 3, finishing with 30 points. His teammates outscored Texas A&M 7-1 to start the extra session and close it out.
NO. 8 MARQUETTE 80, COLORADO 77
In Indianapolis, Tyler Kolek had 21 points and 11 assists, and David Joplin made two free throws with 7.4 seconds left to help Marquette finally put away Colorado.
In their third season under coach Shaka Smart, the second-seeded Golden Eagles (27-9) reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013 by outlasting the 10th-seeded Buffaloes (26-11) and their dynamic offense.
Kam Jones scored 18 points and Joplin finished with 14 for Marquette, which shot 61.8% from the field but still couldn’t shake Colorado until the closing seconds.
Chase Ross made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2:53 left and finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
NO. 13 DUKE, 93, JAMES MADISON 55
In New York, Jared McCain scored 22 of his 30 points in the first half and set a Duke record for an NCAA Tournament game with eight 3-pointers as the Blue Devils ended 12th-seeded James Madison’s dream season with a second-round victory.
The fourth-seeded Blue Devils (26-8) are headed to the Sweet 16 to face the winner of Houston-Texas A&M in the South Region semifinals Friday in Dallas.
WEST REGION CLEMSON 72, NO. 14 BAYLOR 64
In Memphis, Tenn., Chase Hunter had 20 points and six assists, and No. 6 seed Clemson held off third-seeded Baylor for a victory in the second round.
The Tigers advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second time in coach Brad Brownell’s 14 seasons. They also made it in 2018, when they lost to Kansas in the third round.
NO. 19 ALABAMA 72, GRAND CANYON 61
In Spokane, Wash., Mark Sears had 26 points and 12 rebounds, Mouhamed Dioubate scored all nine of his points in the final 51/2 minutes, and fourth-seeded Alabama used a late surge to beat No. 12 seed Grand Canyon.
Sears carried the Crimson Tide (23-11) for the better part of 35 minutes before getting some unexpected help from Dioubate.
The 6-foot-7 freshman scored more than nine points only twice all season but made the most of his chance to contribute in the final minutes of a physical game with Alabama in foul trouble and without starter Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who suffered a head injury in the first half.