Second-half surge gives Xavier spark
Trevon Bluiett scored 21 points and Sean O’Mara had 18 to help No. 11 seed Xavier upset sixth-seeded Maryland, 76-65, during the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night in Orlando, Fla.
The Musketeers move on in the West Regional, marking the third straight year they have advanced to the second round. Maryland, which has started three freshmen for much the season, lost in the first round for the first time since 1997.
“Any time you can advance in the NCAA Tournament, you’re really fortunate,” said Xavier coach Chris Mack.
After a slow start, Bluiett came through with 18 second-half points to help the Musketeers rally from an early six-point deficit. Bluiett converted seven field goals, including 5 three-pointers, to energize Xavier.
Freshman Kevin Huerter led the Terrapins with 19 points, while star guard Melo Trimble had 13 points but made only onethird of his shots.
Xavier took control midway through the second half as Maryland went scoreless for nearly 5 minutes. The Musketeers pushed their lead to 61-50 with 9 minutes 3 seconds left as Bluiett hit 3 three-pointers during the 14-0 run.
Notre Dame 60, Princeton 58: Bonzie Colson scored 18 points and the Fighting Irish (26-9) survived a scare in Buffalo.
The 12th-seeded Tigers (23-7) had a chance to pull ahead on their final possession, but Devin Cannady missed an open threepointer just before the final horn. Notre Dame’s Steve Vasturia pulled down the rebound and was fouled.
West Virginia 86, Bucknell 80: Nathan Adrian had 12 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Mountaineers (27-9) past the Bison (26-9) in Buffalo.
Gonzaga 66, South Dakota State 46: Jordan Mathews scored 16 points to help the Bulldogs (33-1) slowly pull away from the Jackrabbits (18-17) in Salt Lake City.
Saint Mary’s 85, Virginia Commonwealth 77: Jock Landale had 18 points and 13 rebounds as the Gaels (29-4) turned back the Rams (26-9) in Salt Lake City. EAST REGIONAL
Virginia 76, UNC Wilmington 71: London Perrantes scored 24 points, Marial Shayok added a career-high 23 off the bench and the Cavaliers rallied from 15 points down to beat the Seahawks in Orlando.
Perrantes scored 19 points in the second half as the Cavaliers (23-10) got their slow-paced offense going. His biggest bucket was a driving bank shot with 1:37 left, which put the Cavs up, 71-66.
UNCW (29-6) wouldn’t go away, though. Chris Flemmings drained a three-pointer from the elbow and then Devontae Cacok hit a layup to make it 73-71 with less than a minute to play.
But Shayok answered on the other end, banking in a runner that gave the Cavs some breathing room in the closing seconds.
Florida 80, East Tennessee State 65: Devin Robinson tied his career high with 24 points and the Gators (25-8) used a second-half surge to put away the Buccaneers (27-8) in Orlando.