By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Promising French forward, Killian Tillie, posted a season-high 17 points for Gonzaga that beat Fairleigh Dickinson, 87-49, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Serb Filip Petrusev added four points and French Joel Ayayi had two. The Bulldogs were indeed the favorites and didn’t face any problems in their first match at Salt Lake City. Next up is Baylor.
Ignas Brazdeikis was in action in Iowa and helped Michigan defeat Montana, 74-55. The freshman forward finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal in 28 minutes. The Wolverines will face Florida on Saturday.
At Jacksonville, senior Brit forward Kavell Bigby-Williams put up a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double, also rejected four shots for LSU in the 79-74 victory against Yale. Next opponent for the Tigers is Maryland.
Dutch sophomore center Matt Haarms notched 13 points, four rebounds and two blocks for Purdue, which also advanced with a 61-48 win over Old Dominion. Villanova is up next for the Boilermakers at Hartford.
Swiss freshman guard Anthony Polite only tallied one rebound in nine minutes, but will continue his 2018-19 NCAA campaign after Florida State’s 76-69 victory over Vermont. Murray State that upset Marquette is up next for the Seminoles.
Brit Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye scored 14 points and Dutch Luuk van Bree added three for Bradley that lost 76-65 to Michigan State. Junior Spaniard forward Ivan Aurrecoechea had 13 points and nine boards, but wasn’t enough for New Mexico State in the 78-77 defeat to Auburn.
Freshman Estonian Matthias Tass posted nine points for Saint Mary’s in its 61-57 defeat to Villanova. Slovak Marek Dolezaj ended up with five points, two assists, one rebound and one steal for Syracuse in the 78-69 loss to Baylor.
Senior Serb guard Vasa Pusica was also on the wrong side of a NCAA Tournament first round contest. He was held to seven points, one assist, one rebound, two steals and one block in 32 minutes and Northeastern lost to Kansas, 87-53.
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