Tigers win in 1st round of NCAA Tournament

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Memphis (9) took down Boise State (8) Thursday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers won 64-53 in the team’s first appearance in eight years.

Next game is Saturday against No. 1 seed Gonzaga.

Memphis went into the second half with a 19-point lead, but Boise State started the third quarter with an 8-2 run.

A large part to the grind was Alex Lomax, even after a scary moment at the end of the first half.

Lomax hit a three and, as he was falling, he went down and grabbed his ankle. It was a flashback moment to last year when he missed the NIT championship with an ankle injury that sidelined him this season as well.

He said thankfully it wasn’t as bad as it was last year.

Lomax fought back and finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, including the game-securing steal as Memphis knocks off the Broncos by 11.

Assistant Coach Larry Brown was out of his chair screaming “C’mon!” with Memphis up 9 and 2:22 to play.

Then Tigers took control with 20 seconds left, knocking out Boise State by 11 points.

“It was a fantastic win,” said Coach Penny Hardaway after the game. “Guys fought hard and knew the game wasn’t over at half because it’s March Madness.”

“I’m like a happy kid at the candy store right now. That’s my first win, my first time being here, and it was a hard fought, hard-fought game. We tried to -- we left it out on the court. That’s one thing that I can say,” Lomax said.

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