In a rematch of a memorable 2014 NCAA Tournament second-round matchup that saw No. 1 seed Wichita State’s unbeaten season end at the hands Kentucky, this matchup almost lived up to the vast hype of that first game.
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But when Sophie Brunner’s 3-pointer was off the mark at the buzzer, the Gamecocks escaped with a 71-68 victory in front of 8,276 partisan SC fans.
The Globe’s most recent sports headlines delivered to your inbox every morning. Blue Devils starting point guard Kyra Lambert, who was averaging 7.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists, suffered a season-ending injury after logging only 10 minutes. Kotsar and Felder each had seven for the Gamecocks, who shot a scorching 56 percent (20-of-36) in the second half. Baylor held the Aggies to 37 percent shooting in the second half.
The Rams kept crashing the offensive glass to create extra chances.
“They never should have had the ball back”, Arizona State coach Charlie Turner Thorne said. The All-American finished with just 11 points on a paltry 1-of-6 from the field before fouling out in just 28 minutes of play.
“I’m harder on Chris Silva than anyone on our team, because he can be so good and he’s just learning the game”, said Martin. Dillon Brooks had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Ducks. The ACC went 1-5 in the Round of 32.
Meanwhile, the vaunted Atlantic Coast Conference enters the Sweet 16 with a 7-8 record in this year’s NCAA tournament. He notched only 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting, and he was 2-of-10 from behind the arc. Richardson set a new career-high with 16 points and Haines added 12.
Turner Thorne and Staley both agreed Arizona State deserved higher than an eighth seed and this matchup shouldn’t have happened in the second round.
The Blue Devils are 3-1 against the Pac-12 in the NCAA Tournament as Duke defeated Utah in 2003, 65-54, downed Southern California in 2006, 85-51, in Norfolk, Va., knocked off Arizona State in 2008, 67-59, and fell to Stanford in 2012, 81-69. And after Wagner’s 3-pointer broke a 55-55 tie with 6:39 to go, the Wolverines led the rest of the way.
Arkansas (26-9) will meet ACC regular-season champ North Carolina (28-75) in a South Regional game at 5:10 p.m., while SC (23-10) and ACC Tournament champ Duke (28-8) will meet in an East Regional game around 30 minutes after game one finishes. The ACC placed six teams in the Sweet 16, four in the Elite Eight and two in the Final Four, with North Carolina losing the national championship to Villanova.
But that’s when two-time Southeastern Conference Player of the Year A’ja Wilson rescued her team. Kaela Davis hit a pair of free throws following a technical foul on ASU’s head coach, Charli Turner Thorne.
Then came Meeks’s big moment. “The shots just didn’t fall today”. Meeks, battling for position with Moses Kingsley inside, tapped it up and in to push the Tar Heels to the 68-65 lead.
The final seconds were a celebration. For the 13th game in a row, the Wildcats’ fabulous freshmen had their hands all over another win. The Trojans were trying to become the fourth team that played in the First Four to reach the Sweet 16. “Because they’re here and it’s March Madness, they find an excuse to bet a game”.
They were the seventh seed.
Yes, Kentucky’s freshman trio did it all.
De’Aaron Fox had 14 points, including a late steal and dunk. The Gamecocks battled back and cut the lead to two through a Doniyah Cliney layup in the final seconds. Adebayo clinched it by blocking Landry Shamet’s 3-pointer shot at the buzzer.
If you just woke up from a dream in which the dude from “The Dan Band” was singing “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” to the crying Northwestern kid, consider yourself lucky.
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And wipe tears away again, Shockers (31-5). “We got worn down”.
