Texas A& M rallies, then wins in 2 OTs
Northern Iowa appeared all but ready to book its plane tickets to Anaheim for this week’s Sweet 16.
That was before Texas A& M put together the biggest lastminute comeback in NCAA Division I history.
Led by Alex Caruso’s 25 points and 22 more from Danuel House in the second half and overtimes, the third- seeded Aggies ( 28- 8) rallied from 12 points down with 44 seconds remaining in regulation — 10 down with less than 30 seconds — to defeat the Panthers 92- 88 in double overtime in Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
“Craziest game I’ve been a part of from beginning to end,” Caruso said. “Just an amazing game. This is what March is about.”
The previous NCAA record for coming back from a deficit in the last minute was 11 points, done by UNLV in 2005 and Canisius in December.
Crazy is a mild way to put the finish, something the Panthers ( 23- 13) were accustomed to after reaching Sunday’s secondround matchup thanks to Paul Jesperson’s buzzer- beating halfcourt winner against Texas two nights earlier.
Down 69- 57 after Jeremy Morgan hit two free throws with 44 seconds remaining in regulation, Texas A& M proceeded to outscore the 11thseeded Panthers 14- 2 from there — capped by Admon Gilder’s steal and layup with 1.9 seconds remaining that tied the game at 71- 71.
That 44 seconds included four turnovers by Northern Iowa, which was without its main inbounds passer Matt Bohannon because of a left knee injury, and a resurgence by House — who missed his first nine shots of the game and was scoreless until 5: 14 remained in regulation.
“We knew it was kind of impossible, man, but we just said that we were going to fight until the end,” House said.
The Panthers, seeking their second Sweet 16 appearance in school history, led by as many as 15 points in the second half. However, they were unable to overcome the series of lastminute miscues.
“It shouldn’t have ended tonight,” said Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson, who added the loss was “no question” the toughest to handle of his career.
Oregon 69, St. Joseph’s 64: In Spokane, Wash., Dillon Brooks refused to let top- seeded Oregon and the Pac- 12 be eliminated on the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, scoring 25 points and leading the Ducks over the eighth- seeded Hawks. Oregon ( 29- 6) was carrying the banner for the conference after five
teams were sent home in the first round and Utah was routed by 11thseeded Gonzaga in the round of 32. The Ducks rallied from a 58- 51 deficit in the final five minutes. Brooks started the rally with a driving three- point play and put Oregon in front for good on a three- pointer with 1: 19 remaining. DeAndre’ Bembry led the Hawks ( 28- 8) with 16 points, but the Atlantic 10 tournament champs had their postseason run ended. Elgin Cook added 18 points in Oregon’s 10th straight win.
Oklahoma 85, VCU 81: Buddy Hield scored 19 of his 36 points in the final eight minutes to help the secondseeded Sooners ( 27- 7), who got a big scare from the 10th- seeded Rams ( 25- 11) in Oklahoma City. Hield, who didn’t score for more than 10 minutes to start the game, made 9 of 12 shots in the second half after going 2- for- 8 in the first. The senior guard posted at least 30 points for the 11th time this season. The Sooners advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year. Melvin Johnson scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, JeQuan Lewis scored 22 points and Michael Gilmore added 12 for Virginia Commonwealth.
EAST REGION
Wisconsin 66, Xavier 63: Bronson Koenig hit two three- pointers in the closing seconds, the last of them as the buzzer sounded, as the seventhseeded Badgers ( 22- 12) edged the second- seeded Musketeers ( 28- 6) in St. Louis. Koenig’s three tied the score 63- 63 with 11.7 seconds remaining. After Xavier’s Edmond Sumner was called for an offensive foul with 4.3 seconds to go, Koenig buried a fallaway shot from in front of the Wisconsin bench. “I knew it was going in before it even left my hand,” Koenig said of his winner. “I just let it fly and I knew it was going in.” Koenig finished with 20 points, Ethan Happ added 18 points and Vitto Brown had 12 for Wisconsin. Remy Abell and Jalen Reynolds had 13 points apiece and Sumner scored 11 for Xavier, which had a 58- 49 lead with just more than six minutes left. Wisconsin next faces Notre Dame on Friday in Philadelphia. Notre Dame 76, Stephen F. Austin 75: At Barclays Center in New York, Rex Pflueger tapped in a rebound with 1.5 seconds left as the sixth- seeded Irish ( 23- 11) edged the 14th- seeded Lumberjacks ( 28- 6) to advance. Down one with 17.5 seconds left, Notre Dame grabbed a defensive rebound and put the ball in the hands of Demetrius Jackson. The point guard drove to the basket and missed. Zach Auguste followed for the Irish but could not convert. The ball slipped off the rim and Pflueger flipped it in. “I just crashed the board,” Pflueger said. “I thought Zach was going to make that last layup, but Coach always emphasizes going to the board hard, especially in situations like that, and it just turned out for the best for us.”
SOUTH REGION
Maryland 73, Hawaii 60: In Spokane, fifth- seeded Maryland missed its first 15 three- point attempts before Melo Trimble drained one during a 14- 0 run that allowed the Terrapins ( 27- 8) to erase a 41- 39 deficit and defeat the 13th- seeded Rainbow Warriors ( 28- 6). Trimble scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Mike Thomas had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Hawaii. “That stretch in the second half was a big hammer,” Hawaii head coach Eran Ganot said of Maryland’s run. The Terrapins will play top- seeded Kansas on Thursday in Louisville, Ky.
Villanova 87, Iowa 68: In New York, Josh Hart scored 19 points and the second- seeded Wildcats ( 31- 5) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009 with a rout of the Hawkeyes ( 22- 11). Villanova’s senior class, led by Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu, made it to the tournament’s second weekend for the first time. The Wildcats will meet thirdseeded Miami on Thursday in Louisville. Villanova led 54- 29 at halftime and by as many as 34 points in the second half. The closest Iowa got after that was 16 points in the final minutes.
MIDWEST REGION
Syracuse 75, Middle Tennessee 50: In St. Louis, Michael Gbinije poured in 23 points, Tyler Lydon added 14 and the 10th- seeded Orange ( 21- 13) used a 21- 2 charge midway through the second half to crack open a close game against the 15th- seeded Blue Raiders ( 25- 10) and join five other ACC schools in advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Syracuse will play Gonzaga on Friday in Chicago. Middle Tennessee led early in the second half and trailed just 40- 39 with 16: 02 to go, but proceeded to make one of its next 16 field- goal attempts.