March 21 (UPI) -- Grambling State rallied from a 14-point deficit to gain its first win at an NCAA men's basketball tournament before Colorado outlasted Boise State in an offensively sluggish matchup to win the final First Four game.
Sophomore guard Jimel Cofer scored a team-high 19 points off the bench -- and all in the second half -- to lead the Grambling State Tigers the 88-81 victory over fellow No. 16 seed Montana State in the third of four First Four matchups Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio.
"To play in the NCAA tournament and get a first-round win, man it's just amazing," Tigers coach Donte' Jackson told reporters. "I just think it's major exposure for our program."
Antwan Burnett and Jourdan Smith chipped in 18 points apiece in the victory. The Tigers held a 41-27 edge in rebounding and outscored the Bobcats 52-28 in the paint.
The lead switched hands several times through the opening minutes before the Bobcats snatched momentum with a 10-3 run. The Tigers rallied and briefly retook the lead with about five minutes remaining in the first half, but trailed 42-33 at the break.
The Bobcats extended their advantage to 53-39 5:20 into the second half and appeared back in control, but the Tigers answered with an 11-0 run.
They used another 10-0 push a few minutes later to regain the lead.
The Bobcats wrestled back the advantage with 52 seconds remaining, but Cofer answered with a layup. Neither team made shots on thier final possessions of regulation, resulting in overtime.
The Tigers never trailed in the bonus period. They took a lead on a Tra'Michael Moton jumper 15 seconds into overtime. Robert Ford III went on to tie the score with a 3-pointer less than three minutes later, but the Tigers responded with an 8-0 run to seal the victory.
Ford scored a game-high 26 points for the Bobcats (17-18).
The Tigers (21-14) will take on the top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers (29-4) in the first round of the tournament at 7:25 p.m. EDT Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. That game will air on TBS.
In the later game, the Colorado Buffaloes (25-10) shot just 43.8%, but held the Boise State Broncos (22-11) to a 34.3% clip to win their first tournament game in three years.
Buffaloes forward Tristan da Silva scored a game-high 20 points in the matchup of No. 10 seeds. Buffaloes guard K.J. Simpson chipped in 19 points and 11 rebounds in the 60-53 triumph.
The Buffaloes and Broncos totaled just four points through the games opening 3:26. The Broncos outscored the Buffaloes 26-24 in the first half and 34-29 in the second.
The Broncos held a 49-45 lead with 4:32 remaining, but the Buffaloes answered with an 11-0 run and never looked back. They will battle the No. 7 Florida Gators (24-11) in the first round at 4:30 p.m. Friday on TBS.
