Day 1 of March Madness

The first game ended with Texas Southern Tigers coming out on top vs Mount ST Mary’s Mountaineers, 60-52. The Tigers were led by forward John Walker III, racking up 19 points and nine rebounds in 34 minutes played. While most stats were identical between the two teams, turnovers seemed to be the Mountaineers downfall, having nine turnovers vs the Tigers five. The Mountaineers were led by guard, Damian Chong Qui. Playing 40 minutes, Chong Qui had 14 points with three rebounds and assists.

This game was followed by a nail biter. The Drake Bulldogs defeated the Wichita State Shockers 53-52. The Bulldogs pulled this game out with a higher percentage shooting 20/53 (37.7%) from the field vs the Shockers 19/56 (33.9%). The Bulldogs were led by guard, Joseph Yesufu. He finished the night scoring 21 points with three assists and two rebounds The Shockers were led by forward, Morris Udeze. In 34 minutes, Udeze had 22 points, four rebounds and one assist.

The third game of the evening was also a close one, as The Norfolk State Spartans defeated the Appalachian State Mountaineers 54-53. While looking at the team stats, the Spartans shot a better field goal percentage with 34.5% compared to the Mountaineers 25.8%. The Spartans were led by number 24, Jalen Hawkins. Coming off the bench, Hawkins played 29 minutes and scored 24 points (the team high), along with five rebounds. While the Mountaineers won the game on the glass with 46 total rebounds compared to the Spartans 35, it was not enough. The Mountaineers were led by guard, Justin Forrest, having 18 points, four rebounds and one assist in 29 minutes played.

The last game of the night was a battle that led to overtime. The UCLA Bruins came out on top in this high scoring battle vs the Michigan State Spartans 86-80. This game was a close one all around. Shooting 46.3% the Bruins trailed the Spartans 47.5%. The Bruins were led by two guards, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Johnny Juzang. Jaquez Jr. had 27 points, four rebounds and two assists while Juzang had 23 points, four rebounds and two assists. While the Spartans were led by forward Aaron Henry, with 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds. The Spartans won the first half and seemed in the driver’s seat, until the Bruins kicked into overdrive to finish it out in overtime.