NEW YORK (AP) — Alijah Martin, Vlad Goldin and ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic grew to become the very first and cheapest-seeded workforce to achieve this year’s Closing Four as the Owls withstood a different enormous game by Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell to defeat the Wildcats 79-76 on Saturday night.
FAU (35-3), making just its next visual appeal in the NCAA Event, won the East Region at Madison Sq. Backyard garden and will head to Houston to perform the winner of Sunday’s South Location last in between Creighton and San Diego Point out.
“I be expecting the prognosticators to choose us fifth in the Remaining Four,” fifth-12 months FAU coach Dusty May claimed.
The winningest team in Division I this period had under no circumstances gained an NCAA Match recreation right before ripping off 4 straight, all by solitary digits, to come to be the very first No. 9 seed to attain the Ultimate Four considering the fact that Wichita Condition in 2013 and the 3rd to get that considerably because seeding began in 1979.
Nowell, the 5-foot-8 indigenous New Yorker, was outstanding yet again at Madison Sq. Backyard, with 30 points, 12 assists and five steals, coming off a Sweet 16 activity in which he established the NCAA Match record with 19 assists. He didn’t get adequate assist this time.
Nae’Qwan Tomlin was the only other participant in double figures for Kansas Condition (26-10) with 14 points. Keyontae Johnson, the Wildcats’ main scorer, fouled out with nine factors.
Martin scored 17 factors, including a large 3 down the extend, the 7-foot-1 Goldin experienced 14 details and 13 rebounds, and Michael Forrest made 4 clutch totally free throws in the closing 20 seconds for the Owls, who held constant as the Wildcats built a late drive.
Cam Carter made a 3 from the wing with 22.8 seconds still left to minimize FAU’s lead to 75-74 and Kansas State fouled and despatched Forrest to the line with 17.9 seconds left. The senior made both equally to make it a a few-place sport.
Nowell identified Tomlin within for a layup with 8.6 remaining to slash the direct to one particular again, and once again K-Condition despatched Forrest to the line. With 6.9 still left, he designed them equally.
With no timeouts still left, Nowell rushed down the court docket, gave up the ball to Ismael Massoud outside the house the 3-position line, and by no means bought it again. FAU’s Johnell Davis swiped it absent and time ran out.
The Owls rushed the floor to celebrate a historic minute for the school. FAU did not even have a basketball method until eventually the late 1980s and has only been a Division I faculty for the previous 30 several years.
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