March 20 (UPI) -- Wagner shot 47.1% from 3-point range and held off a late Howard rally, while Colorado State obliterated Virginia to earn First Four victories and launch the 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
Junior guard Melvin Council Jr. made 10 of 18 shots en route to a game-high 21 points in the Wagner Seahawks' 71-68 victory Tuesday at University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
"To have the first NCAA tournament victory in school history is huge," Seahawks coach Donald Copeland told reporters. "It's huge for the school, the program and these guys, who have gone through so much. To continue to build and continue to write their own season, the way they needed to, is huge."
The 16th-seeded Seahawks (17-15) shot 52.7% overall, compared to the 38.6% clip for the No. 16 Bison. They outscored the Bison 32-28 in the paint and led by as many as 17 points.
The Bison and Seahawks exchanged the lead several times through the opening minutes. The Seahawks then broke out to a 17-4 run to take a 29-12 edge with 5:32 remaining in the first half. They led 38-27 at the break.
Council scored 13 over the first 20 minutes.
The Seahawks used an 8-0 run early in the second half to increase their lead to 48-31. The Bison (18-17) then roared back with an 11-2 run. They later went on a 14-2 run to cut the deficit to 69-68 with 18 seconds remaining, but missed three potential game-tying 3-pointers over the final six seconds to end their season.
Senior forward Seth Towns and junior guard Bryce Harris scored 16 points apiece for the Bison. Senior guards Isiah Warfield and Jordan Hairston scored nine and eight points, respectively, in the second half of the loss.
Sophomore guard Julian Brown totaled 15 points for the Seahawks. Junior guard Tahron Allen and sophomore forward Keyontae Lewis scored 10 points apiece in the victory.
The Seahawks will now face top-seeded North Carolina (27-7) in the first round of the NCAA tournament at 2:45 p.m. EDT Thursday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. That game will air on CBS.
The No. 10 Colorado State Rams (25-10) led by as many as 27 points in their decisive 67-42 victory over the No. 10 Virginia Cavaliers (23-11).
The Rams made 55.3% of their field goals, compared to the Cavaliers' paltry 25% clip. They also held a 43-24 edge in rebounding and 36-20 advantage in points in the paint.
Senior Joel Scott scored a game-high 23 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Rams. The 6-foot-7 forward scored 13 points in the second half. Senior guard Nique Clifford (6-foot-6) and senior forward Patrick Cartier (6-foot-8) scored 17 and 12 points, respectively, for the Rams.
The Cavaliers, who started a trio of guards and three players under 6-foot-5, struggled compete on the glass and made just 3 of 17 shots from 3-point range. They made 14 of 56 shots overall, compared to the Rams' 26 of 47 clip from the floor, and had a streak of 19-consecutive missed shots in the blowout loss.
"I think all year we have been talking about setting the tone physically," Scott said. "I think that really showed up and needs to carry on throughout the rest of the tournament, onto the next game at least. We just need to keep setting that tone."
The Cavaliers took two, two-point leads over the first five minutes, but never led again. The Rams went on an 8-0 run to take initial control. They later added a 13-2 run and outscored the Cavaliers 9-0 over the final 5:21 of the first half to carry a 27-14 lead into the second.
The Cavaliers, who were 0 for 15 from the floor over the final 10:04 of the first half, continued to struggle in the second. They started the half by missing their first four shots, while the Rams used an 8-0 run to push their lead to 35-14.
They outscored the Cavaliers 40-28 in the second half to advance to the first round of the tournament, where they will meet the No. 7 Texas Longhorns.
Senior guard Reece Beekman, who logged 15 points, was the only Cavaliers player to eclipse seven points in the loss.
The Rams will take on the Longhorns at 6:50 p.m. Thursday at Spectrum Center. That game will air on TNT.
The First Four will continue with two games Wednesday night. No. 16 seeds Grambling (20-14) and Montana State (17-17) will tip off the first matchup at 6:40 p.m. in Dayton. No. 10 Colorado (24-10) will then take on No. 10 Boise State (22-10) at University of Dayton Arena. Both matchups will air on truTV.
The Montana State-Grambling winner will meet the top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers (29-4) in the first round. The winner of the final First Four game will take on the No. 7 Florida Gators (24-11) in the first round.
