UConn rolls past Stetson in opener
NEW YORK — Donovan Clingan scored 19 points and Cam Spencer added 15 as top-seeded Connecticut began the defense of its national championship by cruising past 16th-seeded Stetson 91-52 Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The top-ranked Huskies (32-3) will face ninthseeded Northwestern on Sunday in the second round.
Stephan Swenson scored 20 points for the Hatters (22-13). They never had a chance against UConn, which scored the first eight points and went on to its most lopsided NCAA victory since beating Chattanooga by 56 in the first round of the 2009 tournament.
SAN DIEGO STATE 69 UAB 65
Jaedon LeDee dominated inside on the way to 32 points and Lamont Butler added 15 as the fifth-seeded Aztecs held off the 12thseeded Blazers in Spokane, Wash., on Friday in the opening round of the tournament. A year after marching to the national title game, also as a No. 5 seed, San Diego State saw a 12-point second-half lead disappear before putting together a late surge on the strength of their star 6foot-9 forward to avoid a March Madness surprise.
NORTHWESTERN 77 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 65 (OT)
Ryan Langborg scored 12 of his career-high 27 points in overtime as the ninth-seeded Wildcats finally put away the eighthseeded Owls in overtime on Friday in a first-round tournament matchup in New York. Brooks Barnhizer’s driving layup tied it with nine seconds left
for the Wildcats (22-11), who recovered after squandering a nine-point lead late in the second half.
IOWA STATE 72 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 65
Milan Momcilovic looked nothing like a freshman while pouring in 19 points and Tamin Lipsey had 17 with seven assists as the second-seeded Cyclones used big runs to start each half to beat the 15th-seeded Jackrabbits on Thursday in Omaha, Neb., in the opening round of the tournament.
WASHINGTON STATE 66 DRAKE 61
In Omaha, Neb., Isaac Jones had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Isaiah Watts’ first 3-pointer in three games gave the seventh-seeded Cougars the lead with 1:51 left en route to a win over the No. 10 seed Bulldogs in the first round on Thursday.
South Region MARQUETTE 87 WESTERN KENTUCKY 69
In Indianapolis, Kam Jones scored 28 points and Tyler Kolek made a successful return from an oblique injury, helping the No. 2 seed Golden Eagles
rally for a victory over the 15th-seeded Hilltoppers in the first round of the tournament on Friday. Marquette (26-9) trailed 43-36 at halftime, but it overwhelmed Western Kentucky in the second half on the way to their second consecutive first-round NCAA victory.
OAKLAND 80 KENTUCKY 76
Jack Gohlke made 10 3pointers as the 14th-seeded Golden Grizzlies delivered the first true shock of this year’s tournament, beating the third-seeded Wildcats in a first-round matchup in Pittsburgh on Thursday.
N.C. STATE 80 TEXAS TECH 67
Ben Middlebrooks scored a career-high 21 points as the 11th-seeded Wolfpack surged past the sixth-seeded Red Raiders in Pittsburgh on Thursday night in the opening round of the tournament.
West Region CLEMSON 77 NEW MEXICO 56
Chase Hunter scored 21 points as the sixth-seeded Tigers ended the No. 11 seed Lobos’ hopes of repeating the Mountain
West’s run in the tournament by knocking them out in the first round on Friday in Memphis, Tenn.
New Mexico (26-10) came in as the Mountain West Tournament champs, a popular pick to be this tournament’s version of San Diego State a year ago and favored by 2 1⁄2 points in this game, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Midwest Region GONZAGA 86 MCNEESE STATE 65
Graham Ike scored 16 points and Anton Watson added 13 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists to power the fifth-seeded Bulldogs over the No. 12 seed Cowboys on Thursday night in the first round of the tournament.
Ike made all six of his field goals and all four free throws while grabbing 10 rebounds. Ben Gregg had 12 points and Nolan Hickman scored 11 for hotshooting Gonzaga (26-7).
KANSAS 93, SAMFORD 89
The No. 4 seed Jayhawks got a kind whistle at the end and Nicolas Timberlake made both of his free throws to help his team hold off the Bulldogs for a close victory in Salt Lake City on Thursday in the opening round of the tournament.
Thirteenth-seeded Samford was trapping after trimming a 22-point deficit to one when Timberlake took a long pass as he was streaking toward the basket. He went to dunk, and Samford’s A.J. Staton-McCray came from behind and blocked the shot. The whistle blew and Timberlake calmly made both free throws with 14.7 seconds left to help Kansas push the lead to three.