ST. LOUIS (TICKER) — Greg Harrington hit a runner in the lane with 14 seconds left as 12th-seeded Tulsa eliminated fifth seed Marquette, 71-69, in the first round of the East Region Thursday.
Tulsa (27-6) relinquished a 14-point second-half lead and trailed by a basket with 3:10 remaining but escaped with a first-round victory after winning the National Invitation Tournament last season.
The Golden Hurricane, second in the nation with 85 wins over the past three seasons, will face fourth-seeded Kentucky Saturday in the second round.
Marquette (26-7) had a chance to tie on the game’s final possession but settled for a 35-foot jumper by freshman Travis Diener, who threw an airball. The Golden Eagles were left stunned as the ball went out of bounds at the buzzer.
Dwyane Wade scored 18 points for Marquette, which was in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1997.
ALBUQUERQUE (REUTERS) — Brian Brown helped Ohio State avoid a first-round exit this season.
Brown scored 18 of his career-high 33 points in the second half as the fourth-seeded Buckeyes survived a scare with a 69-64 victory over No. 13 Davidson in the West Region.
Ohio State (24-7) advanced to meet Missouri in the second round. As a fifth seed last season, the Buckeyes were beaten by Utah State in the East.
Brown put Ohio State ahead for good at 60-59 with a layup with 4:12 remaining. He nailed a long three-pointer 49 seconds later for a four-point cushion.
A three-pointer by Peter Anderer cut Davidson’s deficit to 65-64 with 35 seconds left. Buckeyes guard Brent Darby made two free throws for a three-point lead.
The Wildcats (21-10) got the ball back, but Wayne Bernard missed a layup with 10 seconds left. Freshman Terence Dials made two foul shots to seal the victory for Ohio State.
Also in Albuquerque, Missouri made a statement right from the start.
No. 12 Missouri scored the game’s first 12 points and was never threatened, rolling to a 93-80 triumph over fifth-seeded Miami in the opening round of the West Region.
Clarence Gilbert had five points, Rickey Paulding drained a three-pointer and Arthur Johnson and Travon Bryant scored easy baskets as Missouri dominated right from the start. The Tigers, who finished sixth in the Big 12 Conference, were in control throughout against the team that had the third best record in the Big East.
“Our kids really worked hard,” Missouri coach Quin Snyder said. “I think they are anxious to keep playing.”
“Coach wanted us to go out and be together, play together and play hard,” Gilbert said. “That’s what we did.”
Missouri (22-11) was up by as much as 14 in the opening half and led 38-30 at the half. The Tigers scored six of the first seven points to open the second half and were able to cruise over the final 20 minutes.
Gilbert finished with 20 points and Paulding had 18 for Missouri, which will face the winner of the matchup between Ohio State and Davidson.
Darius Rice led Miami (24-8) with 18 points.
“Miami is a heck of a team — a very talented team,” Snyder said. “I think this will be our best effort of the season.”
GREENVILLE (REUTERS) — Trevor Huffman scored 10 of his 18 points in the first half as 10th-seeded Kent State opened a big lead and held on for its 19th straight win, 69-61, over No. 7 Oklahoma State in the first round of the South Region.
Huffman connected on three of five three-pointers for Kent State (28-5), which made six straight shots during a 15-2 first-half run and never trailed thereafter.
Antonio Gates contributed 13 points and Andrew Mitchell added 10 for the Golden Flashes, who capitalized on 15 turnovers by Oklahoma State and moved into the second round of the NCAA tournament for the second straight season.
Fredrik Jonzen scored 19 points to lead Oklahoma State (23-9), which shot just 25 percent from three-point range. The Cowboys faced a nine-point deficit at halftime and never managed to get closer than within four. The final time came when Ivan McFarlin made a layup to make it 64-60 with 62 seconds to play.
Huffman then lost control of the ball on a fast break, but the Cowboys failed to capitalize. Mitchell stole a pass from Cheyne Gadson and sank two free throws to give Kent State a 66-60 lead with 41 seconds left.
