More magic in the Ivy
Yale’s second tournament win comes with big rally
John Poulakidas scored 28 points, Samson Aletan made a key block during a wild scramble in the final seconds, and 13th-seeded Yale rallied in the final five minutes to take down No. 4 seed Auburn, 78-76, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
For the second straight year, the Ivy League Tournament champion took down one of the pretournament favorites — busting plenty of March Madness brackets once again.
Last year it was Princeton toppling Arizona. This time, it was Yale’s turn.
The Bulldogs (23-9) won an NCAA Tournament game for just the second time in school history, rallying from a 10-point deficit midway through the second half.
Yale will face No. 5 seed San Diego State in the second round Sunday. For the second straight year, a No. 13 seed will try to take down the Aztecs in the second round. Last year Furman fell short in its attempt.
Poulakidas’s step-back 3-pointer with 2:10 left gave the Bulldogs a 73-72 lead. Yale never trailed again, despite a chaotic final stretch that included Auburn (27-8) getting off two shots in the closing seconds following a missed free throw, one of which was rejected by Aletan.
August Mahoney added 14 points and Wolf finished with 13 before fouling out late. Casey Simmons, a sophomore from Milton, played four minutes. Trevor Mullin, a freshman from Wellesley, did not get into the game.
Kolek back, Marquette moves on
Kam Jones and Marquette kept pushing the ball up the floor, and eventually the shots started to fall.
Having Tyler Kolek back definitely helped. Jones scored 28 points and Kolek, a Cumberland, R.I., native, made a successful return from an oblique injury, helping No. 2 seed Marquette rally for an 87-69 victory over No. 15 seed Western Kentucky in the first round.
The Golden Eagles (26-9) 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 victory in the NCAA tourney.
Jones scored 18 in the second half. Kolek had 18 points and 11 assists — matching Dwyane Wade’s school record for assists in the NCAA Tournament — in his first game since Feb. 28. The preseason Big East player of the year had 10 assists in the second half.
“Once I hit the floor, [there were] some obvious jitters because I haven’t played in three weeks,” Kolek said. “But I think 37 minutes, most minutes in a game, I thought I did all right with the win.”
Next up for Marquette is Colorado on Sunday in the second round of the South Region. The Golden Eagles are going for the program’s first Sweet 16 berth since 2013 after losing in the second round last year as a No. 2 seed.
Jones made 5 of 10 from long range and 10 of 16 overall, and Kolek was 7 of 13 with a pair from long range — both on his first two shots.
James Madison pulls off upset
Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 14 points and James Madison pulled off the first 12-5 upset of the tournament by beating Wisconsin, 72-61.
The 12th-seeded Dukes (32-3) will face fourthseeded Duke on Sunday in the second round of the South Region in Brooklyn.
JMU, which had not been in the tournament since 2013, are into the second round for the first time since 1983. Its 14-game winning streak is the longest in the nation.
Defending champ UConn cruises
Donovan Clingan scored 19 points and Cam Spencer had 15 as top-seeded UConn began defense of its national championship by cruising past 16th-seeded Stetson, 91-52, in the first round.
The top-ranked Huskies (32-3) will face ninthseeded Northwestern on Sunday in the second round of the East Region.
The Hatters (22-13), the Atlantic Sun champions who were making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, were overwhelmed by UConn, which scored its most lopsided NCAA victory since beating Chattanooga by 56 in the first round of the 2009 tournament.
Vermont suffers pair of losses
Jared McCain and Mark Mitchell each had 15 points, and No. 4 seed Duke opened with an uneven performance before finally pulling away from 13th-seeded Vermont, 64-47.
Even in New York City, where Duke has a large alumni network and fan base, the pesky Catamounts had the crowd chanting “UVM! UVM!” when they cut their deficit to 2 early in the second half. Vermont (28-7) trailed, 34-24, at halftime.
McCain answered with a 3-pointer, and Duke finally started to establish some sustained breathing room midway through the second half.
A hush fell over the crowd with 1:18 left when Vermont’s leading scorer, TJ Long, went down with a serious-looking injury. Long was about to go up for a breakaway layup when his right knee buckled and he dropped to the floor. He was helped off the court to applause, and was seen leaving the arena on crutches.
Purdue’s Edey makes history
Zach Edey had the first 30-point, 20-rebound game in the NCAA Tournament since 1995, delivering on his promise to end the discussion about first-round March Madness exits by leading topseeded Purdue past Grambling State, 78-50.
The greatest scorer and rebounder in school history finished with 30 points and 21 rebounds in 30 minutes, going 11 of 17 from the field. When he did miss, he often scored on putbacks or drew fouls. Defensively, he challenged the Tigers with his 7-foot-4-inch, 300-pound body, blocked shots, and gobbled up even more rebounds.