Gonzaga Makes Virginia Its Latest Victim With Late Shot

Gonzaga is causing trouble for the big guys again.

Casey Calvary put back a blocked shot with 9.2 seconds left to give the 12th-seeded Bulldogs an 86-85 victory over Virginia in the opening round of the South Regional on Friday.

After barely missing the Final Four in 1999 and reaching the regional semifinals last year, Gonzaga (25-6) doesn’t sneak up on anybody. In the past two years, it knocked out second-seeded teams in the second round.

“We weren’t crazy about playing them,” Virginia Coach Pete Gillen said. “They are much better than a 12 seed. It’s not the committee’s fault. They hadn’t seen Gonzaga. These guys are tremendous.”

Dan Dickau, a junior point guard who sat out last season after transferring from Washington, scored 29 points and took the shot that Calvary grabbed and put in for the winner.

Dickau scored 21 of his points in the first half and finished nine of 19 from the field and six of nine on three-point shots.

Roger Mason Jr. missed on a drive as time expired as players scrambled for the loose ball.

Calvary added 16 points and 15 rebounds for Gonzaga, Alex Hernandez 15 points and Zach Gourde 12.

Mason had a career-high 30 for Virginia (24-7).

Indiana State 70, Oklahoma 68--Kelyn Block’s reward for leading the Sycamores to another of this year’s first-round upsets in the NCAA tournament was an emergency trip to the dentist.

The sophomore had three teeth either knocked out or chipped late in regulation, then found a way to help 13th-seeded Indiana State defeat No. 4 Oklahoma in overtime.

Block scored five of his 17 points in overtime after he dramatically returned from the locker room just before the tipoff of the extra period.

Matt Renn had 22 points to lead Indiana State (22-11), which will face Gonzaga in the second round. Renn scored 16 points over the final 14 1/2 minutes of regulation as the Sycamores rallied from a 47-34 deficit.

Kelley Newton matched his career high with 26 points for Oklahoma (26-7).

Michigan State 69, Alabama State 35--The Spartans’ Jason Richardson and Andre Hutson made sure the 16th-seeded Hornets didn’t make NCAA tournament history with a victory.

After a poor first half, Richardson and Hutson got the defending national champions rolling in an easy first-round victory.

Richardson scored 14 points and Hutson added 15 points and 11 rebounds for Michigan State (25-4).

The Hornets (22-9) made their own history by scoring 10 second-half points and matching Wake Forest’s record-setting first-half production on Friday against Butler. Both totals are the lowest-scoring half in any NCAA tournament game since the introduction of the shot clock in 1985-86.

Fresno State 82, California 70--Demetrius Porter scored a career-high 27 points and helped stem three second-half comebacks by the Golden Bears as the ninth-seeded Bulldogs won a first-round game.

The victory gave Coach Jerry Tarkanian a 17-1 record in the first round of the NCAA tournament and set up a second-round matchup with top-seeded Michigan State.

It was Tarkanian’s first NCAA win at Fresno State (26-6) and the second in school history.

Shantay Legans had 15 points to lead the Bears (20-11), while Pacific 10 Conference player of the year Sean Lampley had 13, six below his average.