San Diego State avoids early exit, edges UAB
SPOKANE, WASH. >> Jaedon LeDee dominated inside on the way to 32 points, Lamont Butler added 15 and No. 5 seed San Diego State held off 12th-seeded UAB 69-65 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
A year after marching to the national title game, also as a No. 5 seed, the Aztecs saw a 12-point second-half lead disappear before putting together a late surge on the strength of their star 6-foot-9 forward to avoid a March Madness surprise in the East Region.
Quiet for most of the second half, LeDee scored on three straight possessions for the Aztecs (25-10) after UAB took a 56-53 lead. Butler hit a difficult fallaway, and LeDee climbed for an offensive rebound and was fouled with 1:01 left. LeDee hit both free throws to give SDSU a 66-63 lead, and he added two more foul shots with 20 seconds left.
UAB's Efrem Johnson had a contested look at a tying 3-pointer with 8 seconds left, but it rimmed off, and Reese Waters' free throw with 3 seconds remaining allowed the Aztecs a chance to exhale.
LeDee made 11 of 18 shots, was 9 of 10 at the free throw line and had eight rebounds. He topped 30 points for the fourth time this season and finished two short of his career high.
MARQUETTE 87, WESTERN KENTUCKY 69 >> Kam Jones scored 28 points and Tyler Kolek made a successful return from an oblique injury, helping No. 2 seed Marquette rally for a victory over No. 15 seed Western Kentucky.
The Golden Eagles (269) trailed 43-36 at halftime, but they overwhelmed the Hilltoppers in the second half. They used a 15-2 run to open an 87-67 cushion on the way to their second consecutive first-round NCAA victory.
BAYLOR 92, COLGATE 67 >> Jalen Bridges scored 23 points, Ja'Kobe Walter added 19 and third-seeded Baylor coasted past 14thseeded Colgate.
Jayden Nunn added 15 points, going 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and RayJ Davis finished with 10 points and nine assists for coach Scott Drew's Bears (24-10), who have won their past six first-round games in March Madness.
NORTHWESTERN 77, FLORIDA ATLANTIC 65, OT >> Ryan Langborg scored 12 of his career-high 27 points in overtime, and ninth-seeded Northwestern finally put away Florida Atlantic.
The injury-depleted Wildcats recovered after squandering a nine-point lead late in the second half. Brooks Barnhizer's driving layup tied it with nine seconds left.