- Video
- Image
Lebron proves he's the ultimate teammate0:34
NBA: Lebron James proves he's the ultimate teammate after running into Kyrie Irving.
- March 15th 2017
- 2 days ago
- /video/video.news.com.au/News/
Junior Robinson of the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers.
THE NCAA Tournament began with First Four action, with two teams advancing to the Round of 64.
A recap of the day’s college basketball action is in our March Madness Wrap!
AUSSIES IN ACTION
Perth’s Jonah Antonio is on Mount Saint Mary’s’ roster, but sat out as an academic redshirt.
(16) MOUNT SAINT MARY’S 67 — (16) NEW ORLEANS 66
Diminutive point guard Junior Robinson fearlessly dribbled into the heart of New Orleans’ defence, pulled up and hit yet another of his oh-so-soft jumpers. This one decided a frenetic opening game for the NCAA Tournament.
The smallest player in Division I scored 23 points Tuesday night, including that go-ahead jumper with 1:27 to play, and Mount St. Mary’s held on for a 67-66 victory over New Orleans in the First Four.
Robinson carried the Mountaineers (20-15) to only their second NCAA Tournament win, making jumpers with so much arc they appeared to tease the ceiling.
”The way he plays out there – his speed, his athleticism – it’s just so special,” coach Jamion Christian said. ”When you’re a smaller guy, you’re naturally going to have a chip on your shoulder and you want to go out there and show the world the things you can do.”
Junior Robinson of the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers.Source:AFP
The Mountaineers will head to Buffalo to play defending national champion and top overall seed Villanova in the East Regional on Thursday. They had a charter flight waiting after the game.
”It’s a dream come true,” guard Elijah Long said. ”But this is March Madness, and this is part of the madness.”
Mount St. Mary’s led most of the way, but New Orleans (20-12) pulled off a comeback befitting its resurgent season. The Privateers had a chance for a final shot, but Erik Thomas’ inbound pass with 2.6 seconds left was off target and stolen by the Mountaineers’ Chris Wray.
The Privateers’ tournament appearance was part of a huge turnaround for the school, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. They went 10-20 last season, but won the Southland’s regular season and tournament titles for the first time in school history.
Their final comeback came up short.
After trailing by as many as 11 in the first half and nine in the second, they briefly took a 64-63 lead on Christavious Gill’s free throws with 1:48 left. Robinson responded with his soft jumper, and the Mountaineers held on.
”We started the engine on the car, and now the car is moving,” said Nate Frye, who led New Orleans with 18 points. ”We’ve got to pick up speed and keep building off what we did this year. We established the building blocks of what was broken down from Katrina.”
(11) KANSAS STATE 95 — (11) WAKE FOREST 88
Kamau Stokes scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half of a wide-open game on Tuesday night, and Kansas State’s balance was the difference as the Wildcats pulled away to a 95-88 victory over Wake Forest in the First Four.
Eleventh-seeded K-State (21-13) got its first NCAA Tournament win in five years and a trip to play No. 6 Cincinnati on Friday in Sacramento as part of the South Regional.
In a matchup of two versatile offences, the Wildcats had the most options and hot shooters. Wesley Iwundu added 24 points, and D.J. Johnson scored 18.
Wake Forest (19-14) couldn’t keep up during its first NCAA Tournament game in seven years. The Demon Deacons scored 90 points nine times during the season, but couldn’t match the Wildcats as they shot 66 percent from the field.
John Collins led Wake Forest with 26 points and nine rebounds.
Originally published as Mount Saint Mary’s, Kansas St advance
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét