Liberty upsets Miss. St., 80-76
CALIF.» Down by 10 SAN JOSE, points with less than seven minutes to play against a more accomplished opponent, Liberty didn’t give in a bit. Instead, the Flames just kept getting the ball to Caleb Homesley.
Homesley scored 22 of his 30 points in the second half, and Lovell Cabbil hit a go-ahead 3pointer with 1:16 to play to send 12th-seeded Liberty to its first NCAA Tournament win, 80-76 over fifth-seeded Mississippi State on Friday night.
“Everybody on the team believed we were going to come back,” Homesley said. “It was just a matter of time that we were going to make a run.”
The Flames (29-6) were making their fourth tournament trip in school history, but lost twice as a No. 16 seed and once in a play-in game. This year’s team had more respect, a higher seeding and capitalized on the opportunity.
Homesley helped rally Liberty from a 10-point deficit in the second half by scoring 14 points in a span of less than five minutes.
“He took over. He’s done that on occasion for us. He’s had spurts,” coach Ritchie McKay said. “When he starts to feel good about his shot, he’s such a dangerous offensive player.”
Cabbil then hit from long range to make it 72-70 and celebrated with an enthusiastic fan section that made the cross-country trip from Virginia for the game.
Liberty did the rest at the foul line to spoil the first tournament trip for Mississippi State (23-11) in a decade.
Quinndary Weatherspoon scored 27 points to lead the Bulldogs and Reggie Perry added 21.
UCF 73, VCU 58.
COLUMBIA, S.C.» Tacko Fall had 10 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks as ninthseeded UCF won its first NCAA Tournament game, a 73-58 victory over No. 8 seed VCU.
The 7-foot-6 Fall barely left his feet to haul in some rebounds as the Rams helplessly swiped at missed shots and struggled to find open space on drives to their baskets when the Knights’ towering center was nearby.
VCU tried many things to keep him from getting involved, including sending two people to face guard Fall — or come as close as possible to a player who stands more than a half-foot taller than anyone on the Rams' roster.
The win, UCF’s first in five NCAA appearances, sets up an intriguing matchup with overall top seed Duke between the game’s tallest player in Fall and its most dynamic star in Blue Devils' freshman Zion Williamson on Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16.
UCF (24-8) built a 21-point lead in the second half. The Rams (25-8) cut the margin to 62-55 on De’Riante Jenkins’ 3-pointer with 4:53 to go, but could get no closer.
Fall sealed things when he fought through two defenders and threw up a perfect bank shot while falling to the ground to put the Knights up 70-56 with less than three minutes to play. Fall sat for a moment on the court, fist clenched in celebration that for UCF had been a long time coming since its first NCAA appearance in 1994 and its last in 2005.
Virginia Tech 66, Saint Louis 52.
SAN JOSE, CALIF.» The fourth-seeded Hokies, who led 40-18 at halftime, were led by Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s game-high 20 points. The Hokies improved to 25-8. Saint Louis finished 23-13.