It came down to the wire, but Boise State couldn’t pull out what would have been its first NCAA Tournament win in its First Four No. 11-seed matchup with Dayton.
The Broncos battled after falling behind 10-4 midway through the first half. They meant business in the final six and a half minutes of the frame, going on a 16-5 run behind nine points from senior guard Derrick Marks. It was enough to give Boise State a 29-20 lead over the Flyers at halftime.
But the real battle came in the final seconds.
The Flyers regained the lead six minutes into the second half, but lost it shortly after. In fact, they trailed the Broncos until they tied things up in the final minute. Then, senior guard Jordan Sibert nailed a wide-open 3-pointer with 35 seconds to go to give Dayton a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
The final seconds were tense, and two missed free throws from Flyers forward Kendall Pollard gave Boise State the ball and a chance to win with just 14 seconds on the clock. But Marks missed the buzzer-beater after some questionable contact from Dayton guard Kyle Davis.
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The Flyers will take a short trip to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the Providence, the No. 6 seed in the East, in the Round of 64 on Friday at 9:57 p.m. ET.
Robert Morris 81, North Florida 77
North Florida gave Robert Morris a run for its money in its First Four matchup Tuesday, but couldn’t stop the Colonials from taking their first tournament win since 1983.
The Ospreys struggled from the get-go, but an inspiring speech about dudes from coach Matthew Driscoll during a TV timeout in the first half got North Florida back in the game. They went on a run to finish out the half on top 35-29, thanks in part to swingman Beau Beech’s 19 points in 21 minutes.
But Robert Morris went on 16-4 and 10-1 runs to take back the lead. Swingman Lucky Jones kept the Colonials going, scoring 21 points to go with seven rebounds and five steals. However, it was Beech who led all scorers with 28 points.
Robert Morris’ 81-77 win gives the team the chance to take on the South region’s No. 1 seed, Duke, on Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports Images
