DAYTON, Ohio, March 18 (UPI) -- Andre Smith scored 10 of his 28 points in overtime Tuesday night to lead North Carolina Asheville to a 92-84 victory over Texas Southern in the NCAA Tournament play-in game.
The Tigers fell to 0-4 all time in the NCAA Tournament due to a nightmarish performance at the free-throw line, where they were just 14-of-31. They made only 3-of-7 free throws in the final three minutes of regulation as the Bulldogs took control.
Texas Southern (18-13) forced overtime when Lionel Willis, who scored 15 points, followed a miss by Allen Lovett with three seconds remaining. Smith missed a halfcourt shot at the buzzer but dominated overtime, giving NC Asheville the lead for good on a 3-pointer with just under five minutes remaining.
Smith made 3-of-4 free throws around a layup by Joseph Barber for an 83-76 lead and had a layup and two free throws in the final minute as the Bulldogs (15-16) became the first team with a losing record to win an NCAA Tournament game.
Lovett, who transferred from NC-Asheville following the 2000-01 season, scored 17 of his 28 points in the first half against his former team. He made just 7-of-13 free throws and scored only one point in overtime.
Bryan McCullogh scored 15 points and Alex Kragel added 14 for the Bulldogs, who will face top-seeded Texas on Friday in a first-round game at Birmingham, Ala.
