Florida Gulf Coast shocks G’town

Sherwood Brown scored 24 points and Bernard Thompson 23 to lead Florida Gulf Coast to an incredible NCAA tournament debut, a 78-68 victory over Georgetown on Friday in Philadelphia.

The Eagles (25-10), in their second season of eligibility for Division I postseason play, became just the seventh No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2.

Florida Gulf Coast took control with a 21-2 run that gave it a 52-33 lead with 12:28 to play. The Hoyas (25-7) staged a furious rally to close to 72-68 with 52 seconds left but fell short.

Kansas 64, W. Ky. 57

Jeff Withey scored 17 points, and No. 1 Kansas (30-5) struggled to put away Western Kentucky (20-16) in Kansas City, Mo.

The Jayhawks (30-5), flummoxed by the Hilltoppers’ full-court pressure, trailed 31-30 at halftime. Kansas eventually built an 11-point lead in the second

half but struggled to seal it.

Minn. 83, UCLA 63

Andre Hollins scored 28 points and Austin Hollins 16 as Minnesota (21-12) rolled past punchless UCLA (25-10) in Austin, Texas. The Gophers eased some pressure on coach Tubby Smith by giving him his first NCAA tournament win in six seasons.

N.C. 78, Villanova 71

P.J. Hairston scored 23 points, James Michael McAdoo 17 and North Carolina (25-10) unleashed a flurry of three-pointers to subdue gritty Villanova (20-14) in Kansas City, Mo., giving coach Roy Williams his 700th career victory.

Florida 79, NW St. 47

Erik Murphy had 18 points to lead four Florida players in double figures, and the Gators (27-7) shut down Northwestern State (23-9), the NCAA’s highest-scoring team, in Austin, Texas.