Texas Southern overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half to defeat Mount St. Mary's and kick off the NCAA tournament.
At long last, the First Four games of the 2021 NCAA men's basketball tournament tipped off Thursday to give us our first taste of March Madness in two years. Here's how they played out:
Mount St. Mary's vs. Texas Southern
John Walker finished with 19 points and nine rebounds while Jordan Gilliam put up 12 points and four rebounds as Texas Southern defeated Mount St. Mary 60-52 in the first game on Thursday.
With the victory, Texas Southern (17-8) earned its second all-time NCAA tournament win. The Tigers also earned its 10th win in a row and have won 15 of their last 16 games.
After trailing 30-20 at halftime, the Tigers came out roaring in the second half and immediately overcame the 10-point deficit to take a 31-30 lead. After trading baskets for a while, Texas Southern claimed a 50-45 lead on a jumper from Michael Weathers with 4:59 to play.
The Mountaineers, who came in riding a four-game winning streak, cut the deficit to two with 3:10 to play when 5'8" point guard Damian Chong Qui (team-high 14 points and three assists) hit a jumper to make it 52-50.
Texas Southern relied on its defense down the stretch—limiting the Mountaineers to two points in the final 3:10—and hit enough free throws to seal the victory.
The Tigers move on to play Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Wichita State vs. Drake
Wichita State and Drake engaged in a low-scoring affair in the first half. The Bulldogs committed six turnovers and appeared to be in trouble, but went on a 10-0 scoring run going into halftime to cut Wichita State's lead to 21-20.
The highlight was Joseph Yesufu's fast-break posterization of a Wichita State defender.
The winner will move on to face USC in the first round at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Norfolk State vs. Appalachian State
The Spartans and Mountaineers tip off at 8:40 p.m. ET.
The winner of this First Four game will play top overall seed Gonzaga at 9:20 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Michigan State vs. UCLA
The Spartans and Bruins tip off at 9:57 p.m. ET.
The winner will play BYU at 9:40 p.m. ET on Saturday.
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