No. 11 seed Duquesne upset sixth-seeded BYU 71-67 on Thursday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament to extend the tenure of departing coach Keith Dambrot. 19 points were scored by Dae Dae Grant, who made four game-winning free throws in the last ten seconds. Jimmy Clark III scored 11 points for the Atlantic, while Jakub Necas added 12. Ten tournament winners commemorated their 47-year absence from the dance by winning there for the first time since 1969. On Saturday, the Duquesn (25-11) will face No. 14-seeded Morehead State or No. 3-seeded Illinois to advance to the Sweet 16.
The game was tied at 60-all with 1:45 remaining when Foussyni Traore. Who had labored the whole game, sank the second of back-to-back baskets. The Cougars (23-11) had trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half before drawing level. When being fouled at the other end, Clark converted two free throws, and the Duquesne guard reached. The foul line once more when Traore missed a floater for BYU. With 26.9 seconds remaining, Clark broke down the defense for an easy layup and a 65-60 lead after he missed his second of two foul throws. He was also able to help tie up a loose ball.
With four free throws and a long 3-pointer in the closing 20 seconds, Dallin Hall attempted to give the Cougars a chance, but Grant, one of the top foul shooters in the country, was unflappable from the free-throw line as the Duquesn advanced to the next round. For the Cougars, who have lost five straight NCAA Tournament games—the past four against teams ranked in the top ten—Jaxson Robinson scored twenty-five points. Spencer Johnson and Traore each contributed 11 points. Hall scored eleven points in total.
For the most of the game, the Cougars were bumming and bleeding.
Hall was hit in the face and had to stuff tissues up his gushing nose. Richie Saunders was left sprawled out on the ground after taking an elbow to the midriff. Even while playing defense, Spencer Johnson lost a shoe. And the Duquesn capitalized on the opportunity to dunk and take a commanding early lead. With 12 points in the first half, Robinson, who was chosen as the best backup in the Big 12 this season. Attempted to keep the Cougars afloat. However, Necas, who averages only 2.3 points per game. Answered with eight of his own to help Duquesne grab a 38-30 lead at the intermission.
The first few minutes of the second half were when the strain of the NCAA Tournament reached a boiling point. After tying up with Noah Waterman of the Cougars on a rebound. Fousseyni Drame of the Duquesn and Waterman went to the floor and began to struggle when referee Pat Driscoll jumped in between them. Both players received technical fouls, and Driscoll was knocked around.
Blog By:- ExpertSadar
