BUFFALO, N.Y. — THE University of Dayton is to be reckoned with.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — THE University of Dayton is to be reckoned with.
Dyshawn Pierre scored 14 points and Jordan Sibert, held scoreless in the first half, hit a key 3-pointer with 47.7 seconds left as Dayton stunned Syracuse 55-53 Saturday night to earn a spot in Sweet 16 for the first time in three decades.
Syracuse was poised to pull out another close victory, but Tyler Ennis missed two jumpers that would have given the Orange the lead in the final seconds.
Dayton (25-10), the 11th seed in the South Regional, advances to the regional semifinals next week and will play Kansas or Stanford.
The third-seeded Orange (28-6), who finished second in their first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, struggled all game against the swarming Dayton defense, missing all 10 attempts from beyond the arc, while the Flyers hit seven times from long range.
After Sibert stepped out of bounds with 14 seconds left and Dayton up by one, Ennis took a jumper from just inside the 3-point line instead of driving the lane as he had all night. The standout freshman finished with 19 points on 7-of-21 shooting, including 0-5 on 3-pointers.
Syracuse fouled Pierre and he made one free throw. Ennis rushed down court and missed the potentially winning 3 as the buzzer sounded.
Sibert finished with 10 points and Sanford had eight.
It was another close win for Dayton after beating in-state rival Ohio State 60-59 Thursday. After that game, the Dayton Daily News mocked Buckeye fans who refer to “The Ohio State University” with a headline that read: “THE University of Dayton.”
Fair had 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting and 10 rebounds in his final game for the Orange. Jerami Grant had just four points and attempted only three shots before fouling out late. Trevor Cooney, who broke out of a long slum with four 3-pointers in the second round against Western Michigan, had two points and missed all four shots he took from behind the arc.
Dayton, which improved to 11-0 when holding opponents under 60 points, led by as many as seven in the first half and extended its two-point halftime lead to six on the transition strikes the Flyers thrive on. After Cooney missed a 3 from the left corner, Khari Price hit a 3 at the other end after a quick rush to make it 32-26 with 12:54 left.
The game went back-and-forth from that point, with Fair and Ennis hitting layups to give Syracuse a 40-37 lead with 7:48 left.
The Flyers reeled off seven straight points to regain the lead. Scoochie Smith hit a 3 from the top of the key and a wide-open Pierre drained another from the left corner after some slick passing.
Grant’s lay-in halted the rush and Ennis followed with a pair of court-long dashes and layups to pull the Orange within 47-46 with 2:42 left.
The Flyers extended the lead on Smith’s breakaway layup after a Syracuse turnover and Sibert’s 3 at the shot clock buzzer gave the Flyers a 52-46 lead with 47.7 to play.
Ennis came back with a three-point play just 7 seconds later and then hit two free throws to make it a one-point game with 24.8 seconds left.
Before the game started, the Syracuse fans were already chanting ‘Let’s Go Orange!’ It didn’t help, as Syracuse suffered through its worst first half of the year, hounded by Dayton’s intense man defense.
The Orange committed four turnovers in the opening minutes and fell behind 11-4 on Sanford’s jumper at 11:33, seven of those points coming off Syracuse miscues.
SOUTH REGIONAL
FLORIDA 61
PITTSBURGH 45
ORLANDO, Fla. — Scottie Wilbekin scored 21 points and top-seeded Florida beat Pittsburgh 61-45 in the NCAA tournament Saturday, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive year.
Patric Young added seven points and eight rebounds for the Gators, who extended their school record for consecutive wins to 28 with the victory in the South Regional.
Coming off a lackluster performance in its NCAA opener, Florida (34-2) played with considerably more energy and intensity against the Panthers (26-10).
Wilbekin and Young spearheaded the effort. The Gators were 5 of 20 from behind the arc, with at least five of those rimming in and out.
Florida advanced to the round of 16, where it will play either fourth-seeded UCLA or 12th-seeded Stephen F. Austin on Thursday in Memphis, Tenn. The Bruins and Lumberjacks play Sunday in San Diego.
Talib Zanna led the Panthers with 10 points, their only player in double figures.
MIDWEST REGIONAL
MICHIGAN 79
TEXAS 65
MILWAUKEE — Nik Stauskas had 17 points and eight assists to lead Michigan to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year.
Jordan Morgan added 15 points and 10 rebounds as Michigan (27-8) advanced to the regional semifinals in Indianapolis. The Wolverines will face the winner of Sunday’s Mercer-Tennessee game in Raleigh, N.C.
Michigan lost to Louisville in the national championship game a year ago.
Isiah Taylor scored 22 points for Texas on 8-for-22 shooting. The Longhorns (24-11) outrebounded the Wolverines 41-30, but got off to a slow start and never recovered.
WEST REGIONAL
SAN DIEGO ST. 63
NORTH DAKOTA ST. 44
SPOKANE, Wash. — Xavier Thames scored 30 points, and fourth-seeded San Diego State reached the round of 16 for the second time in school history.
The Aztecs (31-4) now get to make the short drive up the interstate to Anaheim, Calif., where they will face either No. 1 seed Arizona or eighth-seeded Gonzaga in the West Regional semifinals.
Thames, who was 9 of 19 from the field, had five assists and ended the comeback hopes of the Bison with a six-point spurt late in the second half.
Dwayne Polee II was the only other San Diego State player in double figures with 15 points.
Kory Brown led the 12th-seeded Bison (26-7) with 13 points, but the best shooting team in the country shot only 31.9 percent.
MICHIGAN STATE 80
HARVARD 73
SPOKANE, Wash. — Branden Dawson scored a career-high 26 points to help fourth-seeded Michigan State fend off a wild Harvard rally.
The 12th-seeded Crimson (27-5) trailed by 16 early in the second half but took a 62-60 lead when Laurent Rivard hit a 3-pointer with 7:12 remaining. Travis Trice answered with a 3 of his own on the next possession, and the Spartans (28-8) never trailed again.
Michigan State made it to the Sweet 16 for the 12th time in 17 years. Gary Harris had 18 points and five assists for the Spartans, who will play top-seeded Virginia or No. 8 seed Memphis next Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Wesley Saunders led Harvard with 22 points, two days after the Crimson won an NCAA tournament game for the second time in school history.
CONNECTICUT 77
VILLANOVA 65
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Shabazz Napier scored 25 points in leading Connecticut over second-seeded Villanova, which became the highest seed to get knocked out of the tournament so far.
No. 7 seed Connecticut (28-8) advanced to the regional semifinals in New York City next week, when they’ll play the winner of Sunday’s game between third-seeded Iowa State and sixth-seeded North Carolina.
Ryan Arcidiacono scored 18 points for Villanova (29-5) in a matchup of two former Big East rivals.
UConn coach Kevin Ollie improved to 2-0 in his tournament debut, two years since taking over after Jim Calhoun stepped down because of health issues, and a year after the Huskies were barred from postseason play because of academic sanctions.