With a packed house at the Pepsi Center on Saturday night, BYU and Richmond advanced to next week’s Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
BYU used a strong second half to beat Gonzaga, 89-67, in the Southeast Regional third-round game and will play next week in New Orleans.
Richmond was solid through out and dismissed Morehead State 65-48. The Spiders (25-10) will next play in San Antonio in the Southwest Regional.
The bands started playing about 2 o’clock, and has been going strong since. Not even the players were on the floor warming up when the broke out into their first song.
BYU moves on with ease
With an solid second half that include big runs and long 3-pointers, BYU advanced to the Sweet 16 with an 89-67 victory over 11th-seeded Gonzaga.
BYU shooting star Jimmer Fredette finished with a game hight 34 points, hitting 7-of-12 3-pointers, 11-of-23 overall from the field.
Cougars come out strong
With Jimmer Fredette hitting a long 3-pointer to start the second half, BYU went on an 11-2 run to take a 56-40 lead with 16:22 left in the game.
Gonzaga was plagued by turnovers and bad shooting coming out of the locker room.
Cougars hitting treys
BYU’s offense was sluggish to start the game, but once Jimmer Fredette found his shot, the Cougars followed. BYU took a 45-38 lead at halftime over Gonzaga.
Fredette had 14 points in the first half, hitting 4-of-6 3-pointers, while teammate Jackson Emery was 3-of-6 from long range for 11 points. BYU hit 9-of-17 3-pointers in the first half.
Other first-half stats: BYU 15-of-28 overall with seven turnovers and five blocks; Gonzaga 13-of-33 from the floor with six turnovers and 11 assists.
Fredette clicking
With guard Jimmer Fredette finding his shot, the BYU Cougars went on a 9-2 run to take a 31-24 lead with 5:41 left in the first half. Fredette hit his third 3-pointer and had a game-high 11 points to that point.
Fredette quiet early
With an equal amount of BYU and Gonzaga fans filling the Pepsi Center for the second game, national scoring leader Jimmer Fredette of BYU went 8-1/2 minutes into the first half without a point as Gonzaga took a 15-12 lead with 12 minutes to play before halftime.
Fredette’s first make was a 3-pointer to tie the game at 15 with 11:32 to play.
Spiders moving on
Lead by Justin Harper’s 19 points and Kevin Anderson’s 14, the Richmond Spiders advance to the Sweet 16 with a 65-48 win over Morehead State.
Coming out of halftime, Morehead State had no answers to reeling Richmond as the Spiders built the lead to 56-45 late in the game.
