The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hauser leads Michigan State past Southern California
Joey Hauser scored 17 points and No. 7 seed Michigan State clamped down defensively on No. 10 seed Southern California in the second half on Thursday for a 72-62 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament’s East Region.
Michigan State (20-12) ramped up its defensive intensity after halftime to muzzle the streaky Trojans (22-11), who were knocked out in the tournament’s first round for the second straight year.
Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins added 12 points apiece for Michigan State, which held USC to 34% shooting in the second half. It felt like every possession was a challenge for the Trojans, who only stayed within range with some late 3-pointers and some atrocious free-throw shooting by Michigan State.
The Spartans missed six straight from the line during one stretch while trying to close it out and finished 15 of 25 overall.
Joshua Morgan scored 14 and Kobe Johnson 13 to lead USC.
Michigan State, appearing in its 25th straight tournament under Tom Izzo, will move on in what has been a unique and challenging season for the Spartans. The team became the face of a grief-stricken school after a gunman killed three students and injured five others in a campus shooting on Feb. 13.
Playing in Big Ten country, and backed by a crowd wearing even more green on St. Patrick’s Day, the Spartans took control in the second half. A.J. Hoggard’s steal and layup put Michigan State ahead 58-49.
USC struggled to get any good looks at the basket and fell into a bigger hole when Hauser and Akins buried consecutive 3-pointers as Michigan State’s lead swelled to 66-51 with 4:23 left.
Johnson knocked down two 3s to pull USC within nine, but the Trojans couldn’t get any closer.
Baylor 74, UC Santa Barbara 56: Caleb Lohner scored a season-best 13 points in just 18 minutes, and No. 3 seed Baylor beat UC Santa Barbara.
Adam Flagler led the Bears with 18 points, and LJ Cryer scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half.
Baylor (23-10) overcame a onepoint halftime deficit to advance in the South Region.
Lohner’s only other double-digit performance since transferring from BYU to Baylor for this season came in November when he scored 11 against Virginia.
The Gauchos (27-8) looked like easy pickings for the Bears in the opening minutes before they used a 13-1 run to take a 26-22 lead.
The Gauchos led the Mountain West Conference with a .493 shooting percentage and that sharpshooting carried over to Ball Arena, where they shot 61.5% in the first half to take a 36-35 lead into the locker room.
Saint Mary’s 63, VCU 51: Mitchell Saxen had 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, and Saint Mary’s beat ailing VCU.
Alex Ducas also scored 17 points as the fifth-seeded Gaels (27-7) advanced to the second round for the second straight year. Logan Johnson had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and reserve Augustas Marciulionis scored 13 points.