Northwestern State Runs Out of Magic

You got the feeling Northwestern State’s improbable NCAA tournament run was going to end when West Virginia’s Darris Nichols banked one in from downtown Detroit to end the first half.

The Demons had used all their miracles Friday in a buzzer-beating victory over Iowa, and on Sunday the Mountaineers advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 67-54 victory at Auburn Hills, Mich.

Northwestern State (26-8) fell behind, 41-19, at the half and couldn’t recover.

“That shot just epitomized where we were,” Northwestern State Coach Mike McConathy said. “I don’t think we doubted ourselves. They were stunned because they really believed they could get this done.”

West Virginia made the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season, matching the great Jerry West teams of the late 1950s. Kevin Pittsnogle scored 14 points, leading four Mountaineers (22-10) in double figures. West Virginia had several players, including Mike Gansey (11 points), on the sidelines for much of the game with cramps, bumps and bruises.

“We played just a brilliant first half,” said West Virginia Coach John Beilein, whose team will play No. 2-seeded Texas in a regional semifinal Thursday at Atlanta. “Just like [Friday]. To come back against that quickness and that physical defense ... look at us right now with ice bags all over the place. They did not quit.”

Beilein’s team shot 53% in the first half, including six for 14 on three-pointers.

The Mountaineers also played well on defense, with their 1-3-1 zone forcing Northwestern State into 17 turnovers and 33% shooting.

Clifton Lee and Keenan Jones each scored 11 points for the Demons, who got within 57-49 with 4:14 to play, but no closer.

Texas 75, North Carolina State 54 -- Guard A.J. Abrams came off Coach Rick Barnes’ bench to score 16 points, including a four-point play and a trio of three-point baskets, and reserve post player Mike Williams provided 22 minutes of shut-down defense as Texas swarmed the Wolfpack at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

“Coach told me I needed to stop passing up open shots, so I got more of them and just knocked them down,” said Abrams, who could become a bigger factor for Texas after guard Kenton Paulino reinjured an already sore left knee Sunday.

It marks the fourth Sweet 16 appearance for the Longhorns (29-6) in the last five seasons under Barnes. They reached the 2003 Final Four, losing a national semifinal to Syracuse.

Tenth-seeded N.C. State (22-10) ended its fifth NCAA tournament appearance in a row by failing to make consecutive trips to the Sweet 16.