Nowell’s huge 2nd half leads Kansas State past UK

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Markquis Nowell scored 23 of his 27 points after halftime, and Kansas State overcame a horrid start from outside by hitting a couple of clutch 3-pointers and topping Kentucky 7569 in Sunday’s second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Third-seeded Kansas State (25-9) heads to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018, where it will play Michigan State in the East Region semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Ismael Massoud buried a 3 from the right wing at the 2:21 mark that gave Kansas State the lead for good. Keyontae Johnson followed with another 3 with 1:23 left to put Kansas State ahead by five.

The 5-foot-8 Nowell, a third-team Associated Press All-American, played a fearless floor game while making 7 of 14 shots and 10 of 11 free throws.

Oscar Tshiebwe had 25 points and 18 rebounds for sixth-seeded Kentucky (2212), which shot 55% after halftime and led by eight early in the second half.

MICHIGAN STATE 69, MARQUETTE 60

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tyson Walker scored 23 points and No. 7 seed Michigan State beat second-seeded Marquette, sending coach Tom Izzo’s squad back to the Sweet 16 for the first time in four years.

Joey Hauser — a Marquette transfer — had 14 points and A.J. Hoggard had as 13 Michigan State (21-12) took over in the last three minutes. The Spartans advanced to play third-seeded Kansas State.

Izzo, the 68-year-old Hall of Fame coach, reached his 15th regional semifinal and won his record 16th March Madness game with a lower-seeded team — one more than Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, who retired after this season.

This one was particularly meaningful. Izzo became the face of a grieving school where three students were killed in a campus shooting on Feb. 13.

Olivier-Maxence Prosper led Marquette (29-7) with 16 points and Kam Jones had 14 points, including three 3-pointers, for the Big East champions.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC 78, FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 70

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Johnell Davis had 29 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and five steals, and Florida Atlantic ended 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson’s magical March.

The ninth-seeded Owls (333) needed everything they had to put away the Knights (2116), the nation’s smallest team and a winner Friday night over Purdue, the second 16-over-1 upset in tournament history.

FAU will play Tennessee in the East Region semifinals on Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Demetre Roberts scored 20 points and Sean Moore had 14 for FDU, which didn’t even win the Northeast Conference tournament before becoming an NCAA team that won’t soon be forgotten.

Alijah Martin added 14 points for FAU, which finally took control late in the second half.

MIDWEST REGION XAVIER 84, PITTSBURGH 73

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Jack Nunge scored 18 points, Adam Kunkel added 15 on five first-half 3-pointers, and No. 3 seed Xavier beat 11thseeded Pittsburgh to reach its first Sweet 16 since 2017.

Colby Jones had 10 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, and Souley Boum and Jerome Hunter each chipped in with 14 points as all five Xavier starters scored in double digits.

Xavier had 17 assists on 19 baskets in the first half to build a 48-34 lead at the break. The Musketeers finished with 22 assists.

Xavier (27-9) moves on to play No. 2 seed Texas on Friday in the Midwest Region semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri.

Blake Hinson scored 18 points and Jamarius Burton had 16 for Pitt (24-12).

MIAMI 85, INDIANA 69

ALBANY, N.Y. — Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller led a decisive second-half spurt for Miami, which beat Indiana to reach its second straight Sweet 16.

Wong, the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year who was limited to five points in a first-round win over Drake, had 27 points and eight rebounds for coach Jim Larrañaga’s fifth-seeded Hurricanes (27-7), the only ACC team left in March Madness.

Miller scored 19 points and Indianapolis native Nijel Pack had 10 of his 12 points in the first half as Miami got off to a fast start, led most of the game and ended fourth-seeded Indiana’s hopes of a sixth national title.

Miami will face top-seeded Houston in the Midwest Region semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday.

All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis had 23 points and eight rebounds for the Hoosiers (23-12), who have not been to the Sweet 16 since 2016. Freshman Jalen HoodSchifino added 19 points and Race Thompson had 11.

WEST REGION UCONN 70, SAINT MARY’S 55

ALBANY, N.Y. — Adama Sanogo scored 24 points and Jordan Hawkins delivered from the 3-point line in the second half as UConn pulled away from Saint Mary’s to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in nine years.

No. 4 seed UConn (27-8) advanced to the West Region semifinals in Las Vegas on Thursday. Next up is eighthseeded Arkansas, which knocked off No. 1 seed Kansas.

Sanogo followed up his 28-point game in the Huskies’ NCAA tourney opener against Iona with another powerful and efficient performance in the paint. The 245-pound junior was 11 for 16 from the floor and grabbed eight rebounds, dominating a big-man matchup with Mitchell Saxen (six points, three rebounds and four fouls).

Saint Mary’s (27-8) of the West Coast Conference failed to get out of the first weekend of the tournament for the second straight season as a No. 5 seed.

Aidan Mahaney and Logan Johnson each scored nine points for the Gaels, who played the final 25 minutes without third-leading scorer Alex Ducas. The senior left with a back injury.

GONZAGA 84, TCU 81

DENVER — Drew Timme extended his one-of-a-kind college career by at least one more game, finishing with 28 points and eight rebounds to help third-seeded Gonzaga rally past TCU and make its eighth straight Sweet 16.

Timme made his first 3-pointer since December — and only his third of the season — as part of a 13-1 run that helped the Zags (30-5) take a seven-point lead with just under nine minutes left after trailing most of the night.

Next stop for the 6-foot-10 senior and his social mediafriendly mustache — Las Vegas for the West Region semifinals and a meeting with UCLA on Thursday.

Mike Miles Jr. finished with 24 points and four assists in his second straight electric game for the sixth-seeded Horned Frogs (22-13), who were trying to win two games in the same tournament for the first time in program history.

SOUTH REGION CREIGHTON 85, BAYLOR 76

DENVER — Ryan Nembhard scored a career-high 30 points and No. 6 seed Creighton found its shooting touch to beat third-seeded Baylor and earn a spot in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons.

With Baylor heavily focused on containing big man Ryan Kalkbrenner, Nembhard and the Bluejays went to work from outside. They shot 45.8% from 3-point range after a 3-for-20 showing in a first-round win over North Carolina State. They also went 22 of 22 from the free throw line, including 10 for 10 from Nembhard.

The Bluejays (23-12) will meet 15th-seeded Princeton in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday in the South Region semifinals in Louisville, Kentucky.

LJ Cryer finished with 30 points for Baylor (23-11), which lost in the second round for the second consecutive year after winning the championship in 2021. Big 12 freshman of the year Keyonte George was held to seven points, well below his average of 15.6.

SATURDAY’S RESULTS WEST REGION ARKANSAS 72, KANSAS 71

DES MOINES, Iowa — Kansas’ national title defense ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday when Arkansas’ Ricky Council IV made five free throws in the closing seconds and the eighth-seeded Razorbacks beat the No. 1 seed Jayhawks 72-71.

Davonte Davis scored 25 points and Council added 21 as Arkansas rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit. Kansas, playing without ailing coach Bill Self, became the second top seed not to escape the tournament’s first weekend after Purdue lost on Friday night to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson.

Arkansas (22-13) and coach Eric Musselman return to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year. The Razorbacks will play either Saint Mary’s or UConn in the West Region semifinals in Las Vegas on Thursday.

Self has been with the Jayhawks (28-8) since they arrived in Des Moines and has attended practices and meetings, but he still didn’t feel well enough to coach a game after having a heart procedure March 8 to clear clogged arteries.

Davis scored 21 of his points in the second half. He fouled out with 1:56 left, turning things over to the veteran Council, a transfer from Wichita State who scored nine of the Razorbacks’ final 11 points.

Jalen Wilson led the Jayhawks with 20 points.

UCLA 68, NORTHWESTERN 63

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 24 points and UCLA withstood a second-half push from Northwestern to get back to the Sweet 16.

The second-seeded Bruins (31-5) turned up the defensive intensity late, holding the seventh-seeded Wildcats to 1-for12 shooting during a key lategame stretch.

UCLA’s David Singleton went down in extreme pain with a right leg injury with 20.3 seconds remaining. He stayed down on the court for a few minutes before getting helped off by teammates and going straight to the locker room. There was no immediate word on the extent of the injury.

UCLA made it to a third straight Sweet 16 for the first time in 15 years. The Bruins will play either Gonzaga or TCU in the West Region semifinals in Las Vegas on Thursday night.

Amari Bailey added 14 points and Tyger Campbell scored 12 for UCLA.

Boo Buie scored 18 points to lead Northwestern (22-12), Matthew Nicholson added 17 and Chase Audige scored all 16 of his points in the second half.

EAST REGION TENNESSEE 65, DUKE 52

ORLANDO, Fla. — Olivier Nkamhoua tied his career high with 27 points, including 13 straight for Tennessee during a decisive span in the second half, and the fourth-seeded Volunteers beat Duke to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019.

Tennessee (25-10) ended Duke’s 10-game winning streak and sent first-year coach Jon Scheyer, charged with replacing Mike Krzyzewski, home after two NCAA Tournament games. These Vols used a brand of “bully ball” to send the fifth-seeded Blue Devils (27-9) packing.

Tennessee advanced to face Florida Atlantic or Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday in the East Region semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Duke didn’t handle Tennessee’s physical style very well. The Volunteers set the tone early, clearly wanting to push around Kyle Filipowski and get hands in the faces of guards Jeremy Roach and Tyrese Proctor. Filipowski took an elbow to his face and ended up with a small cut under his left eye.

Proctor led Duke with 16 points. Roach and Filipowski chipped in 13 apiece.

SOUTH REGION SAN DIEGO STATE 75, FURMAN 52

ORLANDO, Fla. — San Diego State had little trouble ending the run of March Madness darling Furman, getting 16 points from Micah Parrish to pace a balanced scoring attack.

Darrion Trammell had 13 points, Lamont Butler added 12 and leading scorer Matt Bradley finished with 10 for San Diego State (29-6), which is heading to its first Sweet 16 since 2004. The Aztecs have won 11 of their past 13 games and will play Alabama on Friday in the South Region semifinals in Louisville, Kentucky.

San Diego State is the first Mountain West Conference team to reach the Sweet 16 since Nevada in 2018.

Mike Bothwell led the 13thseeded Paladins (28-8) with 15 points. Furman had eliminated Virginia in the first round, the initial bracket-busting result in this year’s tournament.

ALABAMA 73, MARYLAND 51

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Brandon Miller heated up and so did Alabama, which avoided the fate of two other top NCAA Tournament seeds and brushed aside Maryland behind a dominant second half.

The Crimson Tide (31-5) advanced to their second Sweet 16 in the past three tournaments and ninth overall. Alabama will face fifth-seeded San Diego State in the regional semifinals.

Alabama and Miller got off to a slow start but the AllAmerica freshman and top NBA prospect wound up with 19 points after going scoreless in the first-round game. Miller is nursing a groin injury and missed his first nine shots of the tournament.

Jahvon Quinerly scored 22 points on the one-year anniversary of his left knee injury in a second-round loss to Notre Dame.

Julian Reese had 14 points for Maryland (22-13) before fouling out. Jahmir Young scored 12.

PRINCETON 78, MISSOURI 63

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Blake Peters made five 3-pointers in the second half and Princeton shocked another power conference team to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in 56 years.

No. 15 seed Princeton (23-8) followed up a first-round win over Pac-12 tournament champion Arizona by dominating seventh-seeded Missouri (2510) of the Southeastern Conference from the start.

The Ivy League school reached the regional semifinals for the first time since 1967 when only 23 teams even made the tournament. Princeton will play either Baylor or Creighton in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday night.

This marks the third straight year a team seeded 15th made it to the Sweet 16, following Oral Roberts in 2021 and Saint Peter’s last year. The only other time a 15 seed made it this far came in 2013 when Florida Gulf Coast did it.

Ryan Langborg led Princeton with 22 points and Peters added 17.

DeAndre Gholston scored 19 points and Noah Carter added 14 for Missouri, which was seeking its first berth in the Sweet 16 since 2009.

MIDWEST REGION HOUSTON 81, AUBURN 64

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Marcus Sasser looked just fine, scoring 22 points, and topseeded Houston stifled local favorite Auburn in the second half.

The Cougars (33-3) overcame a 10-point halftime deficit. Essentially shutting down the lane, Houston played with the desperation of a national

championship contender that wasn’t ready to suffer the same fate as Purdue and Kansas — No. 1s that already were sent home.

Led by Tramon Mark with 26 points, Houston advanced to face either Indiana or Miami in the Midwest Region semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday.

Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams each scored 14 points to lead the Tigers (21-13) were doomed by a stretch of more than 10 1/2 minutes without a field goal and finished just 4 of 24 from the field in the second half.

TEXAS 71, PENN STATE 66

DES MOINES, Iowa — Dylan Disu had a season-high 28 points on 14-for-20 shooting and steadied Texas down the stretch as the Longhorns beat Penn State to reach their first Sweet 16 in 15 years.

The second-seeded Longhorns (28-8) made just one of 13 shots from 3-point land, so Disu turned this one into a mid-range game. He went 5 for 5 over the final 4 1/2 minutes and finished with 10 rebounds.

Sir’Jabari Rice scored 13 points for Texas, which will play the Pittsburgh-Xavier winner on Friday in the regional semifinals.

Camren Wynter had 16 points for the 10th-seeded Nittany Lions (23-14), who were coming off their first NCAA Tournament victory in 20 years. Second-team AllAmerican Jalen Pickett had 11 points and 10 rebounds with seven turnovers.

FRIDAY’S RESULTS EAST REGION FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 63, PURDUE 58

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Fairleigh Dickinson became the second No. 16 seed in history to win an NCAA Tournament game, stunning top-seeded Purdue 63-58 behind 19 points from Sean Moore and a relentless, hustling defense on Friday night.

The shortest team in the tourney, the Knights (21-15) showed no fear in swarming 7-foot-4 All-America center Zach Edey from the start. FDU’s players were quicker and more composed than the Big Ten champion Boilermakers (29-6).

Five years ago, UMBC showed the way for the little guys by overwhelming Virginia in the first 16-over-1 victory after numerous close calls over the years. Still, No. 16s had a 1-150 record against No. 1s and were 1-151 overall before FDU’s shocker.

The Knights will now meet Memphis or Florida Atlantic on Sunday for a Sweet 16 berth in the East Region and a trip next week to play at Madison Square Garden in New York — just a short drive from the private school’s campus in Teaneck, New Jersey.

Fairleigh Dickinson didn’t even win the Northeast Conference Tournament, falling by one point in the title game to Merrimack, which couldn’t participate in the NCAA Tournament because of an NCAA rule that bars it from the postseason because it’s still completing its four-year transition from Division II.

FDU held Purdue scoreless for more than 5 1/2 minutes down the stretch and moved ahead by five on a 3-pointer by Moore — who is from suburban Columbus — with 1:03 left. The Knights held on from there, becoming the second straight double-digit seed to send the Boilermakers home. Purdue was a 3 seed when it lost to 15 seed Saint Peter’s, another small New Jersey school, in the Sweet 16 last year.

Edey finished with 21 point and 15 rebounds in what may have been his final college game, but the Knights consistently denied him the ball in the second half. He didn’t attempt a shot in the final nine minutes.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC 66, MEMPHIS 65

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Nicholas Boyd drove into the lane and made a floater with 2.5 seconds left, and Florida Atlantic beat Memphis in a rugged, back-and-forth game for the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win.

Coach Penny Hardaway’s Tigers (26-9) had the ball and a one-point lead with 19 seconds left, but a steal by Brandon Weatherspoon and a subsequent jump ball — Hardaway argued his team had called timeout before the tie-up — gave the Owls (32-3) a chance, and Boyd converted.

Giancarlo Rosado scored 15 points to lead ninth-seeded FAU, which advanced to face a surprising opponent, No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson, in the second round.

Kendric Davis scored 16 points despite being hobbled by a second-half leg injury for eighth-seeded Memphis. DeAndre Williams added 13 points while playing most of the second half with four fouls for the Tigers, including a tipin that put his team ahead 6564 with 34 seconds left.

KENTUCKY 61, PROVIDENCE 53

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Oscar Tshiebwe pulled down 25 rebounds, the second-most in the tournament since 1973, and Kentucky beat Providence.

Antonio Reeves scored 22 points and Jacob Toppin had 18 for the sixth-seeded Wildcats (22-11), who advanced to face Kansas State Sunday in the East Region.

Eleven of Tshiebwe’s rebounds came on the offensive glass — a big factor in the Wildcats staying in control as both offenses grinded to a halt after halftime.

With the two-time Associated Press All-American grabbing just about every loose ball, Kentucky finished with a 48-31 rebounding advantage, controlling the offensive glass (plus-10) and dominating in second-chance points, 18-2.

Ed Croswell scored 16 points for Providence (21-12), which shot just 36.2% while making 5 of 24 3-pointers.

KANSAS STATE 77, MONTANA STATE 65

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Markquis Nowell had 17 points and 14 assists and No. 3 seed Kansas State held off 14th-seeded Montana State for its first NCAA Tournament win since knocking off Kentucky in 2018 to reach the Elite Eight.

Now the two Wildcat programs will meet again in a rematch on Sunday in the second round.

Nowell and fellow thirdteam Associated Press AllAmerican Keyontae Johnson, who had 18 points and eight rebounds, proved too much for the Bobcats to handle. Nae’Qwan Tomlin added 13 points for Kansas State (24-9).

RaeQuan Battle had 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting for Montana State (25-10), which had its eight-game win steak snapped.

MICHIGAN STATE 72, SOUTHERN CAL 62

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Joey Hauser scored 17 points and No. 7 seed Michigan State clamped down defensively on No. 10 seed Southern California in the second half.

Coach Tom Izzo’s Spartans (20-12) will face Marquette on Sunday in the East Region for a spot in the Sweet 16.

Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins added 12 points apiece for Michigan State, which held USC to 34% shooting in the second half.

Joshua Morgan scored 14 and Kobe Johnson 13 to lead the Trojans (22-11), who were knocked out in the tournament’s first round for the second straight year.

MARQUETTE 78, VERMONT 61

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Kam Jones scored 18 straight points for Marquette in the second half, and the second-seeded Golden Eagles beat No. 15 seed Vermont for their first NCAA Tournament victory in a decade.

Jones finished with 19 points. Oso Ighodaro scored 14 points and David Joplin added 12 as Marquette (29-6) pulled away in the last 10 minutes. Marquette won its first NCAA Tournament game in a decade and advanced to face Michigan State on Sunday.

Dylan Penn, Matt Veretto and Robin Duncan each had 11 points for Vermont (23-11), whose 15-game win streak was snapped.

Jones made a 3-pointer early in the second half to begin an 18-6 spurt during which he scored all of Marquette’s points as the Golden Eagles pulled ahead 63-46.

MIDWEST REGION XAVIER 72, KENNESAW STATE 67

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Jack Nunge blocked Terrell Burden’s driving attempt at a go-ahead layup in the final seconds, and Xavier dug out of a 13-point hole against surprising Kennesaw State.

Souley Boum hit four clinching free throws in the final 2.6 seconds for the third-seeded Musketeers (26-9), who ran off 15 unanswered points as part of a game-ending 24-6 run. That was enough to turn away the 14th-seeded Owls (26-9) in the program’s first-ever March Madness game.

Xavier moves on to face Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Xavier led 68-67 when Burden — who’d been successful all day with dribble penetration — turned into the paint past Jerome Hunter and appeared to have a path to the rim. The 7-foot Nunge moved over and swatted the ball into the backboard.

Jerome Hunter scored 24 points to lead the Musketeers, while Boum had 17. Nunge had 10 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

Burden and Chris Youngblood each scored 14 points to lead Kennesaw State.

PITTSBURGH 59, IOWA STATE 41

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Nelly Cummings scored 13 points and No. 11 seed Pittsburgh held sixth-seeded Iowa State to 23% shooting.

Jamarius Burton added 11 points and Greg Elliott had 10 for coach Jeff Capel’s Panthers, who stormed to a 22-2 lead after Iowa State missed its first 11 shots. Things didn’t get much better for the Cyclones, who had three stretches in which they missed at least eight consecutive shots.

Pitt (24-11), which edged Mississippi State in the First Four, moves on to play thirdseeded Xavier on Sunday.

Gabe Kalscheur and Jaren Holmes each had 12 points for Iowa State (19-14).

MIAMI 63, DRAKE 56

ALBANY, N.Y. — Nijel Pack scored 21 points, including the go-ahead jumper and a pair of free throws in the final minute, and No. 5 seed Miami rallied past 12th-seeded Drake.

The Hurricanes (26-7) scored the final 10 points. Norchad Omier added 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Hurricanes, who were held to a season low in scoring. Wooga Poplar had 15 points.

Miami will face fourth-seeded Indiana in the second round.

Darnell Brodie had 20 points and nine rebounds to lead Drake (27-8). The Missouri Valley Conference tournament champions were outscored 16-1 over the final 4:29 and 10-0 in the last 2:28. The Bulldogs missed their last seven shots from the field and were scoreless the final 3:24.

INDIANA 71, KENT STATE 60

ALBANY, N.Y. — Trayce Jackson-Davis did it all with 24 points, 11 rebounds, five blocked shots and five assists as Indiana defeated 13th-seeded Kent State to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.

The fourth-seeded Hoosiers (23-11) advanced to play fifthseeded Miami Sunday for a trip to Kansas City for the Midwest Region semifinals.

Jackson-Davis became the first player since blocks became an official NCAA statistic in 1985-86 to have at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and five assists in an NCAA Tournament game, according to OptaSTATS.

Sincere Carry scored 15 points to lead the Golden Flashes (28-7), who had won six straight heading into tournament.

Race Thompson matched a season high with 20 points for the Hoosiers on 8-of-11 shooting.

WEST REGION SAINT MARY’S 63,

VA. COMMONWEALTH 51

ALBANY, N.Y. — 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. Saint Mary’s will face UConn on Sunday.

Ace Baldwin led 12th-seeded VCU (27-8) with 13 points, but he appeared to sprain his right ankle on his landing after taking a jumper with just over 14 minutes left in regulation. The Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year went to the locker room for treatment and missed about five minutes as VCU expanded its lead from four points to nine.

UCONN 87, IONA 63

ALBANY, N.Y. — Adama Sanogo scored 10 of his 28 points in the first five minutes of the second half as fourthseeded UConn took control and beat Iona.

The Huskies (26-8) advanced to play fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s on Sunday after losing in the first round under coach Dan Hurley the last two seasons.

Coach Rick Pitino’s Gaels (27-8) had their 14-game winning streak snapped. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champions led by two at halftime but didn’t have the depth to keep up with one of the Big East’s best for 40 minutes.

Walter Clayton Jr. led Iona with 14 points.

GONZAGA 82, GRAND CANYON 70

DENVER — Slow-starting Gonzaga finally started playing like a title contender, then wore out Grand Canyon behind 28 points and 10 rebounds from Julian Strawther.

Zags senior Drew Timme brought his sweatband and handlebar moustache back to March Madness and finished with 21 points, six rebounds and three blocks for the thirdseeded Bulldogs (29-5), who haven’t lost a first-round game in the tournament since 2008.

Next up for Gonzaga is a game Sunday against TCU.

Like almost every Zag outside of Strawther, Timme was bottled up and frustrated in the first half, then came out of halftime and looked like a different player. After trailing by as many as seven, Timme’s three-point play gave Gonzaga a 48-40 lead early in the second half.

Ray Harrison led the 14thseeded Lopes (24-12) with 20 points and Chance McMillian had 16.

TCU 72, ARIZONA STATE 70

DENVER — JaKobe Coles hit a floater from the lane with 1.5 seconds left and No. 6 seed TCU rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to beat 11th-seeded Arizona State.

Coles took a pass Mike Miles Jr. from near the top of the 3-point circle, dribbled once and let go of the game-winner. Arizona State’s desperation heave at the buzzer missed.

Miles, playing on a hyperextended right knee, finished with 26 points for the Horned Frogs (22-12). They advanced to play Gonzaga.

DJ Horne had 17 points for Arizona State (23-13).

SOUTH REGION BAYLOR 74, UC SANTA BARBARA 56

DENVER — 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 one-point halftime deficit and advanced to play Creighton on Sunday.

Miles Norris led the 14thseeded Gauchos (27-8) with 15 points. Ajay Mitchell added 13.

CREIGHTON 72, NORTH CAROLINA ST. 63

DENVER — Ryan Kalkbrenner scored a career-high 31 points and sixth-seeded Creighton overcame an abysmal 3-point shooting day to fend off No. 11 seed North Carolina State.

The 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner did a little bit of everything for the Bluejays, which included hitting a big 3-pointer on a day the team finished 3 of 20 from long range. Kalkbrenner had six dunks and seven rebounds, and N.C. State big men D.J. Burns Jr. and Ebenezer Dowuona were hampered by foul trouble.

Next up for the Bluejays (2212) is third-seeded Baylor in the second round.*