Dort, Arizona State break through, top St. John’s

DAYTON, Ohio — Luguentz Dort overcame a hard foul and a leg injury, scored 21 points and led Arizona State to a long-awaited NCAA Tournament victory Wednesday, 74-65 over St. John’s in the First Four.

The 11th-seeded Sun Devils (23-10) will play Mid-american Conference champion Buffalo on Friday in the West Region, coming off their first NCAA Tournament win in 10 years.

Arizona State also provided a Pac-12 breakthrough: the conference’s first NCAA Tournament win in two years. The Pac-12 was 0-3 in the tournament last season.

St. John’s (21-13) was the last team picked for the tournament, sneaking in despite a late-season fade. Shamorie Ponds scored 25 points for St. John’s, which hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2000. The Red Storm never led on Wednesday.

North Dakota State 78, North Carolina Central 74

— At Dayton, Ohio, Tyson Ward scored 23 points for the Bison (19-15), who notched their second NCAA Tournament win after upsetting Oklahoma in the opening round in 2014.

Raasean Davis had 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Eagles (18-16), who lost a First Four game for the third straight year.

Vinnie Shahid scored 14 points, including two free throws with eight seconds left, for North Dakota State, which next plays East Region No. 1 seed Duke on Friday in Columbia, South Carolina.

The Bison led 40-34 at halftime on the strength of seven 3-pointers in 14 attempts and 58-percent shooting overall. Five North Dakota State players hit 3s before intermission, with Jared Samuelson going 3-for-4.

Samuelson and Sam Griesel each totaled 10 points for the Summit League tournament winners. Larry Mcknight Jr. scored 20 points and Randy Miller Jr. 18 for N.C. Central.