By The Associated Press

 

Results from the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday:

MIDWEST REGION

MICHIGAN 92, OKLAHOMA STATE 91

INDIANAPOLIS — Derrick Walton Jr. scored 26 points and Michigan made 16 3-pointers Friday to hold off Oklahoma State 92-91 in the first round of the Midwest Regional.

The seventh-seeded Wolverines (25-11) set a school record for 3s in an NCAA Tournament game. They have won six straight — five since a frightening plane mishap on the way to last week’s Big Ten Tournament.

Juwan Evans scored 23 points to lead the 10th-seeded Cowboys (20-13), who finished the season with four consecutive losses.

It looked like that streak might end Friday after Oklahoma State opened the second half on a 12-5 run to take a 52-46 lead.

But Michigan charged back with a relentless 3-point barrage, taking a 62-61 lead on Walton’s 3 with 12:26 left making three more 3s in a 14-4 run that made it 76-68.

The Cowboys never led again.

D.J. Wilson had 19 points and four blocks for the Wolverines. Zak Irvin and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman each had 16.

Jeffrey Carroll had 19 points for Oklahoma State while Phil Forte added 12 points and Leyton Hammonds had 10.

RHODE ISLAND 84, CREIGHTON 72

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jeff Dowtin scored a career-high 23 points with a perfect day at the free-throw line, upstart Rhode Island answered every threat and the Rams ran right into the next round of the NCAA Tournament by stunning cold-shooting No. 6 seed Creighton 84-72 on Friday in an opener of the Midwest Region.

Kuran Iverson scored 17 points and Hassan Martin had 12 points and eight rebounds as 11th-seeded Rhode Island (25-9) earned its ninth straight victory. The program won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since advancing to the Elite Eight and losing to Stanford in 1998.

Ronnie Harrell Jr. scored a career-high 15 points in Creighton’s 40-percent shooting day.

MICHIGAN STATE 78, MIAMI 58

TULSA, Okla. — Nick Ward scored 19 points to help Michigan State atone for last season’s early NCAA Tournament disappointment with an opening-round 78-58 victory over Miami on Friday night.

The ninth-seeded Spartans (20-14) trailed by as many 12 points in the first half before blitzing past the stunned Hurricanes (21-12) the rest of the way, using a 20-2 first half run to take control for good.

Ward made his first six shots and finished 8 of 9 from the field, while Miles Bridges was 8 of 12 and added 18 points in the win. Joshua Langford had 13 points for Michigan State.

Ja’Quan Newton scored 16 points to lead Miami, which had won at least one tournament game in each of its previous three trips. Davon Reed added 12 points and Bruce Brown 11, and the Hurricanes shot just 40.4 percent (21 of 52).

OREGON 93, IONA 77

SACRAMENTO, Calif.— With star big man Chris Boucher cheering in a bulky knee brace from the sidelines, Tyler Dorsey scored 24 points to lead four players in double figures, and No. 3 seed Oregon beat 14th-seeded Iona 93-77 in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Region.

The Ducks (30-5) showed they have depth and sheer athleticism to make a special March run, just as coach Dana Altman hoped this week when he challenged role players to make larger contributions in shot-blocker Boucher’s absence.

Iona star Jordan Washington gave his team a huge scare when he went down hard under Oregon’s basket, screaming in pain and grabbing his lower left leg with 1:12 to go before halftime. But the senior forward returned to start the second half and finished with 22 points on 10-for-16 shooting and 11 rebounds in his final college game for the Gaels (22-13).

LOUISVILLE 78, JACKSONVILLE STATE 63

INDIANAPOLIS — Mangok Mathiang scored 18 points and Deng Adel added 16 Friday to help second-seeded Louisville pull away from Jacksonville State 78-63 in the first round of the Midwest Regional.

The Cardinals (25-8) have won five straight opening round games. Louisville was making its first postseason appearance since 2015 after sitting out last year because of a one-year, school-imposed postseason ban for alleged recruiting violations.

Norbertas Giga scored 30 points for 15th-seeded Jacksonville State (20-15), which was one of a record five teams making their first tourney appearance.

And it was a bigger challenge than most expected.

But after trailing for the first 13 minutes, the Cardinals finally took the lead with an 8-2 late in the first half. It closed the half on a 9-4 spurt then opened the second half on 10-2 run to make it 48-33. Louisville led by double digits most of the rest of the game.

KANSAS 100, UC DAVIS 62

TULSA, Okla. — Frank Mason III scored 22 points and had eight assists as top-seeded Kansas won its opening game of the NCAA Tournament for an 11th straight year with a 100-62 victory over UC Davis on Friday night.

Freshman Josh Jackson, making his return after a one-game suspension for an accumulation of embarrassing incidents, added 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting for the Jayhawks (29-5).

The win ensures top seeds will remain perfect since the tournament expanded, with the schools now 132-0 against No. 16 seeds.

Five players finished in double figures for Kansas, with Svi Mykhailiuk and Devonte’ Graham adding 16 points each and Landen Lucas 13.

Chima Moneke scored 20 points to lead the 16th-seeded Aggies (23-13), who were in their first NCAA Tournament. Brynton Lemar added 17 and Siler Schneider 10 in the loss.

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SOUTH REGION

ARKANSAS 77, SETON HALL 71

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Jaylen Barford hit the go-ahead layup with 57.8 seconds left to help Arkansas hold off Seton Hall 77-71 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Barford had 12 of his 20 points after halftime for the Razorbacks (26-9), the No. 8 seed in the South Region. That included his layup off Khadeen Carrington’s turnover at the other end, pushing Arkansas ahead for good as the Razorbacks scored the game’s final seven points.

The 6-foot-3 junior also came through with a pair of free throws with 18.3 seconds left following a whistle in which officials reviewed Desi Rodriguez’s foul to stop the clock and changed it to a flagrant foul.

After Barford hit his free throws, Daryl Macon added another to make it a 75-71 game. Carrington missed a 3 at the other end in what amounted to the ninth-seeded Pirates’ last gasp.

WICHITA STATE 64, DAYTON 58

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Wichita State’s high-flying offense didn’t get off the ground until the closing minutes, when the Shockers played like the more tournament-experienced team and pulled away to a 64-58 victory over Dayton on Friday night.

The 10th-seeded Shockers (31-4) won their 16th in a row — the second-longest streak in school history — by clamping down on defense and swatting away shots down the stretch. Wichita State blocked eight shots and held the seventh-seeded Flyers (24-8) to a season-low 31 percent from the field.

Zach Brown’s 3-pointer put Wichita State up 51-45 with 5:38 left, the biggest lead by either team up to that point, and Dayton never threatened again. Landry Shamet had 13 points.

Dayton had the experienced lineup, playing in its fourth straight NCAA Tournament with three senior starters. Point guard Scoochie Smith had 25 points.

KENTUCKY 79, NORTHERN KENTUCKY 70

INDIANAPOLIS — Bam Adebayo had 15 points and 18 rebounds on Friday night as Kentucky showed the new kids on their block how it’s done at NCAA Tournament time, gritting out a 79-70 victory over stubborn Northern Kentucky.

The second-seeded Wildcats (30-5) won their 12th straight and got their first-game jitters out of the way. They also wound up with a surprisingly close finish after pulling ahead by 18 points in the second half.

The Norse (24-11) closed within 75-68 on Drew McDonald’s 3-pointer with 35 seconds left. Malik Monk made four free throws to close it out. Monk, the SEC’s player of the year, missed all of his six shots from beyond the arc and finished with 12 points, eight below his average. Freshman De’Aaron Fox scored 19 points.

Northern Kentucky reached the tournament in its first year of eligibility, only the seventh team to do so since 1970. For the Norse, the tournament was more of a starting point than the end of a season.

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UCLA 97, KENT STATE 80

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — TJ Leaf scored 23 points, Thomas Welsh added 16 and UCLA pulled away late for a 97-80 victory over scrappy Kent State on Friday night in the NCAA Tournament South Region.

UCLA (30-4) jumped out to a 14-point lead in the opening minutes, only to have its defensive issues rise up again. The third-seeded Bruins had numerous breakdowns and let Kent State claw back into it by halftime, eventually stretching the lead midway through the second half.

Lonzo Ball and Aaron Holiday each had 15 points for UCLA, which will face No. 6 seed Cincinnati in the second round on Sunday.

Kent State (22-14) appeared shell shocked in its first NCAA Tournament since 2008, falling into a deep early hole. The Golden Flashes, who beat the top three seeds in the MAC Tournament, showed a bit of resiliency by fighting back, keeping the mighty Bruins close until late.

Jaylin Walker had 23 points and Jimmy Hall Jr. added 20 for Kent State.

NORTH CAROLINA 103, TEXAS SOUTHERN 64

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Justin Jackson broke out of a shooting slump with 21 points to help top-seeded North Carolina roll past Texas Southern 103-64 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament’s South Region.

The Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year had made just 20 of 60 shots (33 percent) and 7 of 31 3-pointers (23 percent) in his last four games. But he had 19 points by halftime in this one, helping the Tar Heels (28-7) quickly eliminate any chance of an unprecedented upset.

Jackson, a 6-foot-8 junior, finished 8 of 13 from the field and 5 of 8 from 3-point range with seven rebounds.

Isaiah Hicks added 17 points and Kennedy Meeks had 13 for the Tar Heels, who are a No. 1 regional seed for an NCAA-record 16th time.

Kevin Scott scored 19 points to lead the 16th-seeded Tigers (23-12), the champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

KANSAS STATE 75, CINCINNATI 61

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Troy Caupain scored 23 points, Kyle Washington added 16 and defensive-minded Cincinnati shot it way past Kansas State 75-61 Friday night in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament.

Cincinnati (30-5) was knocked out the first round a year ago and No. 6 seeds were 0-3 before the Bearcats took the floor, with Maryland, Creighton and SMU all losing to No. 11 seeds.

The Bearcats took care of their business and the No. 6 jinx with an impressive shooting display, shooting 62 percent. Cincinnati is known for its defense and did that, too, preventing Kansas State (21-14) from making much of a run after building a 17-point lead.

The Bearcats now move on to play the winner between No. 3 seed UCLA and No. 14 Kent State on Sunday.

Wesley Iwundu led Kansas State with 19 points.

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EAST REGION

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 66, SMU 65

TULSA, Okla. — Elijah Stewart hit a late 3-pointer for No. 11 seed Southern California as the Trojans upset sixth seeded SMU 66-65 Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

SMU’s Shake Milton missed a floater at the buzzer.

Stewart had 22 points for the Trojans (26-9). Bennie Boatright and Chimezie Metu each added 14 for USC, which advances to play Baylor in the second round of the East region on Sunday.

USC also rallied from a big deficit in the second half in its First Four win over Providence.

Semi Ojeleye had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Sterling Brown had 17 points for SMU (30-5), which had won 16 straight.

SMU was in the NCAA Tournament after being banned from postseason play a year ago for multiple violations, including academic fraud and unethical conduct.

BAYLOR 91, NEW MEXICO STATE 73

TULSA, Okla. — Al Freeman came off the bench to score 21 points, and No. 3 seed Baylor defeated No. 14 seed New Mexico State 91-73 in the first round of the NCAA’s East Regional.

Jo Lual-Acuil scored 16 points and Johnathan Motley added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Bears (26-7), who were upset in the first round by Georgia State and Yale the previous two years.

Ian Baker and Braxton Huggins each scored 19 points for New Mexico State (28-6).

Huggins hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give New Mexico State a 40-38 lead at the half. The Aggies made 6 of 14 3-pointers before the break to counter Baylor’s 55 percent shooting.

Baylor took control for good with a 14-3 run early in the second half to take a 58-47 lead. Baylor held the Aggies to 37 percent shooting in the second half.

DUKE 87, TROY 65

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Grayson Allen had 21 points off five 3-pointers, Jayson Tatum had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and second-seeded Duke continued its perfect postseason with an 87-65 victory over Troy in the NCAA Tournament on Friday night to start the East Region.

The Blue Devils (29-7) became the first team to win four games on the way to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament crown last week. They kept up that pace in blowing past the 15th-seeded Trojans (22-15).

Duke will take on either No. 7 seed South Carolina or No. 10 seed Marquette and its coach, former Blue Devils point guard and assistant Steve Wojciechowski, on Sunday.

The Blue Devils improved to 34-7 all-time in openers and put this one out of reach early with their 3-point shooting.

Jordon Varnado had 18 points to lead Troy, which made its first NCAA appearance since 2003.

SOUTH CAROLINA 93, MARQUETTE 73

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Sindarius Thornwell had 29 points and 11 rebounds to help seventh-seeded South Carolina win its first NCAA Tournament game in 44 years, a 93-73 victory over Marquette to close first-round play in the East Region on Friday night.

If the Gamecocks (23-10) want an NCAA winning streak, they will have to beat No. 2 seed Duke, which blew past Troy 87-65 in an earlier game.

South Carolina last won a game in the NCAAs when it topped Southwestern Louisiana 90-85 in a regional consolation game on March 17, 1973. Exactly 44 years later, the drought — the Gamecocks were one-and-done in their next five appearances — finally came to end in front of a boisterous, South Carolina crowd who traveled the 2 hours north from Columbia to witness the end of an ugly run they couldn’t have imagined would last this long.

Marquette (19-13) gave fans some serious worries in the opening half, going up by 10 points. But the Gamecocks used an 11-0 run midway through the second half to take control. When Thornwell, voted Southeastern Conference player of the year by league coaches, nailed his third 3-pointer with 6:37 to play, South Carolina was up 76-67 and pulling away.

P.J. Dozier had 21 points, 13 in the South Carolina’s second-half rally.

Jujuan Johnson had 16 points to lead Marquette.

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