UNDATED (AP) — March Madness certainly is back.
The NCAA Tournament’s First Four consisted of an overtime contest, a pair of one-point games and a 10-point, halftime comeback. All told, the four games were decided by a combined 16 points.
The overtime game was won by UCLA, which trailed by five with 90 seconds left in regulation before outlasting Michigan State, 86-80. Jaime Jaquez scored 27 points, including a three-point play that forced OT.
After coach Tom Izzo and forward Gabe Brown carried a shouting match into the halftime locker room, the Spartans proceeded to blow an 11-point lead over the next 20 minutes.
Texas Southern won the first game. John Walker III scored a season-high 19 points and the Tigers came back from a 30-20 halftime deficit to beat Mount St. Mary’s, 60-52. Walker also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and Jordan Gilliam had 12 points for Texas Southern.
Drake earned its first NCAA Tournament win since 1971 as Joseph Yesufu scored 21 points in a 53-52 victory over Wichita State. Tremell Murphy added 11 points for the 11th-seeded Bulldogs, who advanced to play sixth-seeded Southern California in the West Region on Saturday.
Morris Udeze scored a career-high 22 points for the Shockers, who had a chance to win it until Alterique Gilbert settled for a long 3-pointer that hit the front rim as time expired.
Game 3 of the night was also a one-point game as Devante Carter made two free throws with 8.6 seconds remaining to lift Norfolk State past Appalachian State, 54-53. Jalen Hawkins scored 20 of his career-high 24 points off the bench before halftime to help the Spartans earn their first tournament win since upsetting No. 2 seed Missouri in 2012.
Justin Forrest had 18 points for App State, which shot 27% and missed its final 10 attempts after erasing an 18-point deficit.
