Oklahoma City, OK (My Sportsbook) - Jimmer Fredette drilled a pair of huge three-pointers in the second overtime period and finished with 37 points, as BYU ended an eight-game NCAA Tournament losing streak with a 99-92 victory over Florida in the first round of the West Region. Michael Loyd Jr. chipped in 26 points for BYU (30-5), which last won an NCAA tourney game in 1993 as a seventh seed in the first round against SMU. The Cougars, seeded seventh again this year, will next play the winner between Kansas State and North Texas in the second round on Saturday. Kenny Boynton scored 27 points before fouling out in the second extra period for Florida (21-13), which was back in the NCAA Tournament after a two-year absence. The Gators had won the national championship in each of their last two tourney appearances and lost an NCAA game for the first time since a second-round setback to Villanova in 2005. Final Score: Villanova 73, Robert Morris 70 (OT) Providence, RI (My Sportsbook) - Scottie Reynolds was held out of the starting lineup by head coach Jay Wright, but came off the bench to score five of his team-high 20 points in overtime, as Villanova escaped with a 73-70 win over Robert Morris in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Reynolds and Corey Fisher did not start for what Wright termed a "minor teaching point." Maalik Wayns started for Reynolds and Corey Stokes replaced Fisher for Villanova (25-7), which is the second seed in the South Region. Mouphtaou Yarou turned in a solid game with 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks for the Wildcats, who will play either Richmond or Saint Mary's in the second round. Karon Abraham led all scorers with 23 points, while Mezie Nwigwe went for 13 points, but missed a potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer for Robert Morris (23-12), which was making its second straight appearance in the tourney and the seventh overall in school history. The Colonials fell to 1-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Final Score: Old Dominion 51, Notre Dame 50 New Orleans, LA (My Sportsbook) - Keyon Carter made two crucial free throws with 9.6 seconds left in regulation, proving to be the difference as 11th- seeded Old Dominion knocked off sixth-seeded Notre Dame, 51-50, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Carter finished with 11 points, while Frank Hassell carried the load with 15 points and nine rebounds for the Monarchs (27-8), who sat for nine days after capturing the Colonial Athletic Association crown on March 8th. Old Dominion, which captured its first tourney win since 1995, will move on in the South Region and face either Baylor or Sam Houston State on Saturday. Ben Hansbrough posted 17 points and Carleton Scott ended with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Fighting Irish (23-12), who shot 31.3 percent in the second half after leading by six at the break.
|