NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT Thursday’s other first-round games

EAST REGIONAL

No. 2 Michigan State 76, No. 15 Bradley 65

DES MOINES, IOWA

Cassius Winston scored 26 points and second-seeded Michigan State held off Bradley in the opening round of the East Region. Xavier Tillman had 16 points with 11 boards for the Spartans (29-6), who’ll face Big Ten rival, 10th-seeded Minnesota, on Saturday in search of their first trip to the Sweet Sixteen in four years. It was a one-possession game until Matt McQuaid drilled a crucial 3 to put Michigan State ahead 61-55 with 3:31 left. Elijah Childs scored 19 points and Brown had 17 for the Braves, who went just 3 of 12 from beyond the arc in the second half.

No. 3 LSU 79, No. 14 Yale 74

JACKSONVILLE, FLA.

Skylar Mays hit four free throws in the final 15 seconds to help embattled LSU slip past 14th-seeded Yale in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Mays scored 19 points but sealed the game from the charity stripe, and the Tigers (27-6) needed each one of his free throws. Yale (22-8) hit four 3-pointers in the final minute and whittled an 18-point deficit to three in the closing seconds. Most of those on hand at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena started cheering for the underdog Bulldogs. With the lead on the line, Mays calmly stepped to the line and sank all his free throws. Alex Copeland led Yale with 24 points.

No. 6 Maryland 79, No. 11 Belmont 77

JACKSONVILLE, FLA.

Maryland’s Darryl Morsell made a crucial defensive stop as Belmont went for a last-second upset in the NCAA Tournament, allowing the Terrapins to escape with a victory. Playing their second tournament game in less than 48 hours, the 11th-seeded Bruins left no doubt they belonged after receiving one of the selection committee’s final at-large bids. But the mid-major powerhouse from Nashville, Tennessee couldn’t knock off the No. 6-seeded Terrapins (23-10) from the Big Ten, despite a 35-point performance by Dylan Windler.

MIDWEST REGIONAL

No. 2 Kentucky 79, No. 15 Abilene Christian 44

JACKSONVILLE, FLA.

With PJ Washington watching from the bench in a cast, second-seeded Kentucky romped to a victory over NCAA Tournament newcomer Abilene Christian. Keldon Johnson scored 25 points in a huge mismatch that was over by halftime. The Wildcats shot 60 percent in the opening period, held Abilene Christian to 5 of 26 from the field and went to the locker room with a 39-13 lead. Reid Travis added 18 points and Tyler Herro 14 for the Wildcats.

No. 4 Kansas 87, No. 13 Northeastern 53

SALT LAKE CITY

Dedric Lawson had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Kansas dominated inside for arout over Northeastern in the opening round of the Midwest Region. The fourth-seeded Jayhawks (26-9) had a notable size advantage inside and used it, outscoring the Huskies 50-16 in the paint while grabbing 17 more rebounds. Kansas shot 56 percent and advanced to Saturday’s second round against fifth-seeded Auburn. The best shot for the 13th-seeded Huskies (23-11) was to make their 3-point tries. They didn’t.

No. 5 Auburn 78, No. 12 New Mexico State 77

SALT LAKE CITY

After a teammate passed up an open layup that could have tied the game, New Mexico State’s Terrell Brown was fouled behind the arc and missed two of three free throws as the Aggies dropped a heartbreaker to fifth-seeded Auburn.

No. 7 Wofford 84, No. 10 Seton Hall 68

JACKSONVILLE, FLA.

Fletcher Magee set the Division I career record for 3-pointers, poured in 24 points and led Wofford over Seton Hall. Magee hit seven treys against the No. 10 seed Pirates to help the Terriers to their first tournament win in five tries. Wofford also won its 21st consecutive game overall. Magee now has 509 3-pointers in four seasons, breaking the career mark set by Oakland’s Travis Bader in 2014.

SOUTH REGIONAL

No. 6 Villanova 61, No. 11 St. Mary’s 57

HARTFORD, CONN.

Phil Booth scored 20 points and defending NCAA Tournament champion Villanova held off Saint Mary’s in a hard-fought victory. Fellow senior Eric Paschell added 14 points for the sixth-seeded Wildcats, who led for almost 33 minutes, but never by more than eight points. Jordan Ford and Malik Fitts each had 13 points for Saint Mary’s, which finished the season 22-12.

No. 3 Purdue 61, No. 14 Old Dominion 48

HARTFORD, CONN.

Carsen Edwards scored 26 points and the Boilermakers (24-9) held the Monarchs (26-9) to 19 first-half points in a first-round victory. Matt Haarms added 13 points for Purdue, which will face Villanova on Saturday. Ahmad Caver ked ODU with 19 points.

WEST REGIONAL

No. 1 Gonzaga 87, No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 49

SALT LAKE CITY

Rui Hachimura led the Zags (31-3) with 21 points and eight rebounds. The game’s key questions were answered early: Could the Knights (21-14) muster a repeat of their amazing shooting three nights earlier in a come-from-behind win over Prairie View A&M in the First Four? No. Its star, Darnell Edge, had trouble getting any looks, let alone good ones. He went 2 for 11 for seven points.

No. 4 Florida State 76, No. 13 Vermont 69

HARTFORD, CONN.

Mfiondu Kabengele had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Florida State held off a barrage of 3-pointers from 13th-seeded Vermont in a victory in the opening round of the NCAA West Regional. Terance Mann added 19 points for the fourth-seeded Seminoles (28-7), who were tied with the Catamounts at halftime but pulled away late. Anthony Lamb had 16 points to lead a balanced, long-range attack for Vermont (27-7), which lost for the first time in seven games.

No. 2 Michigan 74, No. 15 Montana 53

DES MOINES, IOWA

Charles Matthews had 22 points and 10 rebounds in his best performance since coming back from injury, and Michigan put away Montana early. Ignas Brazdeikis added 14 points and seven rebounds, and Jon Teske had 11 points and nine boards for the Wolverines, who led by as many as 27 points in the second half. The Wolverines (29-6) are in the round of 32 for the third straight year. They’ll play Florida on Saturday. Sayeed Pridgett led Montana (26-9) with 17 points. Montana missed 13 of its first 16 shots and trailed by 13 points 10 minutes into the game.

No. 10 Florida 70, No. 7 Nevada 61

DES MOINES, IOWA

Florida nearly squandered a double-digit lead before finally stopping a Nevada comeback and pulling off an upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Kevarrius Hayes scored 16 points, Jalen Hudson added 15 and the Gators won their tournament opener for the third straight year.

No. 9 Baylor 78, No. 89 Syracuse 69

SALT LAKE CITY

Makai Mason scored 22 points and Baylor set a school NCAA Tournament record with 16 3-pointers to beat Syracuse. The Bears (20-13) found gaps in Syracuse’s 2-3 zone, mostly by getting the ball into the high post or driving and kicking out. Baylor nearly matched the school tournament record of 11 3-pointers in the first half (10) and made 16 of 34 overall. Baylor shot 54 percent and slowed Syracuse’s 3-point barrage in the second half to earn a shot at top-seeded Gonzaga on Saturday. Mason and Jared Butler (14 points) each hit four 3-pointers. No. 8 seed Syracuse (20-14) matched the Bears nearly 3 for 3 in a stellar first half.

Associated Press