Zags escape after late 3
Zach Norvell BOISE, IDAHO Jr. watched Gonzaga’s greatest moments play out from the sideline last year.
This year, the redshirt freshman will be part of the highlight reel.
The shooting guard from Chicago hit the go- ahead 3pointer with 20.8 seconds left Thursday to help the fourth- seeded Bulldogs escape a major scare in the West Region with a 68- 64 victory over UNC Greensboro ( 27- 8).
“He has a knack for that,” coach Mark Few said. “When I saw him size the guy up, I knew that, A, he was probably going to shoot it, and, B, it was probably going to go in.”
Last season’s national runners- up trailed 64- 62 with 1: 48 left after losing a 12- point lead they took early in the second half.
Regis Jesuit alum Josh Perkins tied the game at 64 with a long jumper, and after Greensboro’s Francis Alonso forced up a miss, Gonzaga got the rebound and worked the ball to Norvell, who spotted up from the right elbow and made the 3 for the lead.
Marvin Smith had a chance to tie it, and his 3point attempt looked spot on, but it bounded in and out.
Gonzaga ( 31- 4), in its 20th straight NCAA tournament, won its first game of March Madness for the 10th straight year.
( 5) Ohio State 81,
( 12) South Dakota St. 73.
Kam Williams IDAHO made a tiebreaking four- point play with 1: 36 left, then added a trio of free throws after being fouled on another 3- point attempt, lifting the Buckeyes ( 25- 8).
South Dakota State ( 28- 7) made a late run at the Buckeyes, scoring 10 straight points to tie it at 70- all.
( 6) Houston 67, ( 11) San Diego State 65.
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Rob Gray drove for a windmilling layup that just trickled over the rim with 1.1 seconds left, and Trey Kell’s off- balance 3- pointer at the buzzer was no good, giving the Cougars the win.
Devin Watson had just tied the game for the Aztecs ( 22- 11) with a turnaround 3pointer, his second in a matter of seconds, when Gray dribbled up floor with 29 seconds left. He allowed the clock to tick down to six seconds before crossing over, scooting under two defenders and scooping up his shot. The layup gave him 39 points and the Cougars ( 27- 7) their first tournament win since 1984.
( 3) Michigan 61, ( 14) Montana 47.
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The Wolverines ( 29- 7) overcame a 10- 0 run by the Grizzlies ( 26- 8) to start the game.
Charles Matthews led Michigan with 19 points and 11 rebounds.