March 20 (UPI) -- North Dakota State knocked off North Carolina Central and Arizona State prevailed over St. John's on Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio, to advance to the Round of 64.
North Dakota State's Vinnie Shahid drained three free throws in the last eight seconds to secure a 78-74 win for the Bison. Shahid had 14 points, three assists and two rebounds in the victory.
It was the second NCAA tournament win for North Dakota State (19-15) since the school moved up to Division I over 11 years ago. The Bison upset Oklahoma in the opening round of the tourney in 2014.
Bison junior guard Tyson Ward led the team with 23 points, six rebounds and three assists against N.C. Central. It was his third 20-point game in North Dakota State's last six contests.
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Sam Griesel and Jared Samuelson each chipped in 10 points for the Bison.
N.C. Central mounted a comeback but couldn't maintain its second-half lead. The Eagles' depth became an issue late in the game, with the team's bench posting zero points.
Eagles senior center Raasean Davis led the team with 20 points and 16 rebounds for his 16th career double-double. Larry McKnight Jr. dropped 20 points and Randy Miller Jr. had 18 points, two boards and two assists. Zacarry Douglas added 14 points and eight rebounds.
N.C. Central's defeat to the Bison marked the third consecutive year the program lost in the First Four.
No. 16 seed North Dakota State advances to challenge Zion Williamson and top-seeded Duke on Friday night in Columbia, S.C.
With a 78-74 victory over NC Central in the First Four, the Bison advance to take on No. 1 Duke.
— NDSU Basketball (@NDSUmbb) March 21, 2019
See you soon, Columbia. https://t.co/jzHNVqhEw4
In the final First Four contest of this year's tournament, Arizona State earned a 74-65 win over St. John's to reach the Round of 64.
Arizona State's Bobby Hurley picked up his first-career tourney victory as a head coach. It was the first NCAA tournament win for the Sun Devils in 10 years. Arizona State defeated Temple in the first round of the 2009 NCAA tournament before losing to Syracuse in the second round.
The Sun Devils' last appearance in the tournament came in the 2013-14 season when they lost to Texas in the first round.
Luguentz Dort led the Sun Devils with 21 points, four rebounds and two assists. Senior forward Zylan Cheatham posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Junior standout guard Shamorie Ponds led the Red Storm with 25 points, including a deep three from the center-court logo. LJ Figueroa added 19 points and 10 boards.
The 11th-seeded Sun Devils move on to play No. 6 Buffalo on Friday in Tulsa, Okla.
