Nick Boyd slashed to the basket for the decisive hoop with 2.5 seconds left as Florida Atlantic nipped Memphis 66-65 on Friday night in an East Region first-round matchup in Columbus, Ohio.

The ninth-seeded Owls (32-3) earned the first NCAA Tournament win in school history and advanced to face Fairleigh Dickinson, which stunned Purdue earlier in the evening to become just the second No. 16 seed to upset a No. 1 seed.

Boyd got the ball in the corner with seconds remaining and dribbled hard to his left, finishing just over the outstretched arms of two Memphis defenders. The eighth-seeded Tigers (26-9) did not get off a final shot before time expired.

The teams exchanged the lead on athletic one-handed tip-ins in the final minute. Alijah Martin put Florida Atlantic ahead 64-63 with his putback with 57 seconds to go, only to watch DeAndre Williams answer for Memphis with 34 seconds left, giving the Tigers a 65-64 lead.

The Tigers went on an 8-1 run to take a 51-44 lead on Malcolm Dandridge’s dunk with about 10 minutes left. However, the Owls made four 3-pointers — the final two coming from Johnell Davis — to forge a 60-60 tie with just under four minutes to play.

In the midst of that run, the Tigers’ Kendric Davis injured his ankle and hobbled off the court in serious pain. Shortly thereafter, he was seen screaming at Dandridge, who then shoved him while walking to the bench.

That wasn’t the only chaos that Memphis overcame in the second half.

After picking up two fouls in the first half, Williams committed two more fouls in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the second half. He only sat out for a few minutes despite the foul trouble and finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Additionally, Davis threw the ball away with the Tigers holding a one-point lead in the final seconds, leading to a tie-up with 5.5 seconds to go. That gave the possession back to the Owls, who inbounded to Boyd in the corner, setting up the winning drive.

Florida Atlantic created some first-half separation with a 17-4 run that turned a three-point deficit into a 25-15 advantage. The burst included nine points from Giancarlo Rosado, who came in averaging 5.6 points per game but led the Owls with 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting in this one.

Memphis eventually caught up at 29-29 on Jayden Hardaway’s 3-pointer and later took a 35-31 lead into the break.

–Field Level Media

For just the second time in 152 tries, a No. 16 wore the slipper perfectly against a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Sean Moore scored 19 and Grant Singleton added eight points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals as No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson shocked No. 1 Purdue 63-58 on Friday night in an East Region first-round game in Columbus, Ohio.

Despite sporting the smallest team in Division I basketball, FDU managed to overcome 21 points and 15 rebounds from 7-foot-4 All-America center Zach Edey.

With the Knights (21-15) leading 61-58, Purdue’s Braden Smith drove the lane, but Moore came from behind and blocked the shot. Fletcher Loyer’s corner 3-point attempt for the Boilermakers (29-6) was off the mark, and Demetre Roberts sealed it with two free throws.

East Region

No. 7 Michigan State 72, No. 10 Southern California 62

Joey Hauser recorded 17 points and eight rebounds and Jaden Akins had 12 points and six rebounds as the Spartans defeated the Trojans in first-round action in Columbus, Ohio.

Tyson Walker contributed 12 points and four assists while A.J. Hoggard added 11 points and five assists for Michigan State (20-12), which advanced to a second-round clash Sunday against second-seeded Marquette.

Joshua Morgan’s 14 points led USC (22-11). Kobe Johnson supplied 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while the Trojans’ usual leading scorer, Boogie Ellis, was held to six points. Ellis, who entered the game averaging 18.0 points, shot 3-for-12 from the field before fouling out.

No. 2 Marquette 78, No. 15 Vermont 61

Kam Jones scored 18 of his 19 points in the second half to help the Golden Eagles down the Catamounts in an East Region first-round game in the NCAA Tournament in Columbus, Ohio.

Jones made 7 of 9 shots from the floor — including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. He scored 18 straight points for his team during a pivotal second-half sequence to propel the Golden Eagles (29-6) to their 10th straight win and notch their first NCAA Tournament victory since their run to the Elite Eight in 2013. Marquette shot a robust 51.8 percent from the floor (29 of 56) and 50.0 percent from 3-point range (10 of 20) to advance to Sunday’s second-round clash against seventh-seeded Michigan State.

Vermont (23-11) was led by Robin Duncan, Dylan Penn and Matt Veretto who each scored 11 points. American East Player of the Year Finn Sullivan was limited to just four points after making just 2 of 9 shots from the floor and 0 of 6 from 3-point range.

Midwest Region

No. 11 Pitt 59, No. 6 Iowa State 41

Nelly Cummings scored 13 points and the 11th-seeded Panthers routed the sixth-seeded Cyclones in a battle of cold-shooting teams in Greensboro, N.C.

The Panthers (24-11) won despite having more turnovers (15) than field goals (14) while shooting 34.1 percent from the floor and 31.6 percent (6 of 19) on 3-pointers. Jamarius Burton added 11 points and Greg Elliott had 10, as the Panthers advanced to face No. 3 seed Xavier.

Gabe Kalscheur and Jaren Holmes scored 12 points each and Tre King added 11 to lead the Cyclones (19-14), who shot 23.3 percent from the floor and 9.5 percent (2 of 21) on 3-pointers.

No. 3 Xavier 72, No. 14 Kennesaw State 67

Trailing by 13 midway through the second half, the third-seeded Musketeers reeled off 15 straight points to rally past the 14th-seeded Owls in Midwest Regional first-round play at Greensboro, N.C.

Colby Jones’ free throw with 18.3 seconds left snapped the game’s final tie, then Jack Nunge swatted Terrell Burden’s go-ahead layup off the board with 7 seconds to go to save the Musketeers (26-9), who advance to face 11-seed Pittsburgh.

Burden and Chris Youngblood scored 14 points apiece while Spencer Rodgers added 10 for Kennesaw State (26-9), which nearly topped its first winning season and first NCAA Tournament appearance with a remarkable upset.

South Region

No. 3 Baylor 74, No. 14 UC Santa Barbara 56

Adam Flagler posted 18 points and five assists and Caleb Lohner scored a season-high 13 points off the bench as the Bears outlasted the Gauchos in Denver.

After trailing at halftime, Baylor (23-10) led by just 59-52 with less than nine minutes remaining, but then outscored UCSB 15-4 the rest of the way. The Bears will face sixth-seeded Creighton in the second round Sunday.

LJ Cryer added 11 of his 15 points in the second half and teamed with Flagler to account for all 15 points during the Bears’ game-ending run. Lohner made all five of his field goal attempts and added five rebounds in 18 minutes of action — the most he has played since before Christmas.

Miles Norris scored 15 points and Ajay Mitchell had 13 and four assists to lead the Gauchos (27-8), champions of the Big West Conference.

No. 6 Creighton 72, No. 11 NC State 63

Center Ryan Kalkbrenner poured in a career-high 31 points as the sixth-seeded Bluejays withstood the 11th-seeded Wolfpack’s comeback attempts in a first-round victory in Denver.

Kalkbrenner, a junior, made 11 of 14 shots from the field and also pulled in seven rebounds and blocked three shots. Creighton (22-12) will meet third-seeded Baylor (23-10) in Sunday’s second round. Baylor eliminated UC Santa Barbara 74-56 in the first game at the site on Friday.

NC State’s Terquavion Smith racked up 32 points — two shy of his career high — by making 12 of 27 shots from the field with one 3-pointer and going 7-for-9 at the foul line. NC State (23-11) shot 37.5 overall from the field and went 3-for-13 on 3-pointers.

West Region

No. 4 UConn 87, No. 13 Iona 63

Adama Sanogo notched a 28-point, 13-rebound double-double to lead the fourth-seeded Huskies to a victory over the No. 13 seed Gaels in a first-round matchup in Albany, N.Y.

Sanogo made 13 of his 17 shots from the field to help the Huskies (26-8) advance to the second round, where they will face fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s on Sunday. Jordan Hawkins chipped in 13 points, Donovan Clingan posted 12 and Andre Jackson Jr. supplied 10.

Walter Clayton Jr. paced the Gaels (27-8) with 15 points. Daniss Jenkins finished with 14 points, while Berrick JeanLouis tallied 13 for Iona, which entered the tournament on a 14-game winning streak.

No. 5 Saint Mary’s 63, No. 12 VCU 51

Mitchell Saxen racked up 17 points to lead four scorers in double figures as the Gaels earned a first-round victory over the Rams in Albany, N.Y and a second-round date with No. 4 seed UConn Sunday.

Saxen was an efficient 8-for-11 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots for the Gaels (27-7). Alex Ducas also had 17 points, Augustus Marciulionis had 13 and Logan Johnson finished with 12 to go along with 10 rebounds.

Adrian Baldwin Jr. paced the Rams (27-8) with 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Jayden Nunn chipped in nine points and seven rebounds for VCU, which has not won an NCAA Tournament game since 2016.

–Field Level Media

Nijel Pack scored 21 points and led a clutch comeback late to help the Miami Hurricanes beat the Drake Bulldogs 63-56 in a Midwest Region first-round game of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night in Albany, N.Y.

The No. 5-seeded Hurricanes (26-7) advanced to the second round for the second consecutive season and will face either No. 4 seed Indiana or No. 13 seed Kent State on Sunday.

Drake (27-8), a 12th seed, came close to winning its first NCAA Tournament game since 1971 thanks to a tremendous effort from Darnell Brodie, who finished with 20 points and nine rebounds.

But the Hurricanes used a 16-1 run over the final five-plus minutes to close out the victory.

“We went to the last media timeout, and I was like, man, this can’t be how it ends,” Pack said after the game. “I talked to my teammates. I felt like they felt the same way. We kind of brought some inner energy from within us. We picked up our defensive pressure.”

Miami turned up the defensive intensity with full-court pressure and did not allow Drake to convert a field goal during that final stretch.

The Hurricanes’ Norchad Omier was uncertain to play until just before tip-off after suffering a right ankle injury last week in an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament semifinal loss to Duke. Omier finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds, and his three-point play put the Hurricanes ahead 47-46 with 8:21 left in the second half.

“We knew he was a warrior. To see him go out, no matter how much percent well he feels, to see him go out and play his hardest, and he still had a double-double, it just means a lot,” Pack said.

But then the Bulldogs put together a 9-0 surge highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from reserve Sardaar Calhoun, who totaled 12 points and six rebounds.

Pack’s jumper with one minute remaining put the Hurricanes ahead 58-56 in a game that had nine ties and nine lead changes.

Although Brodie dominated Miami inside, the Hurricanes benefitted from a subpar performance from Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Tucker DeVries, who scored just three points. DeVries, who came in averaging 19 points per game, shot 1-for-13 from the field including, 1-for-11 from 3-point range.

Drake coach Darian DeVries said his team has been counting on Brodie all season long.

“Yeah, I thought the way he finished the year was a big reason why we’re here today. … His physicality gives us something that’s much needed. We’re not a very big team, so having him in there to give us some low post presence at both ends of the floor has been really big for us.”

Miami’s Isaiah Wong, the ACC Player of the Year, also had a rough game with only five points on 1-for-10 shooting. But Wooga Poplar helped the Hurricanes overcome a terrible shooting start with 15 points.

Miami shot just 7-for-30 (23.3 percent) in the first half, and only 17-for-56 (30.4 percent) for the game, but seven steals contributed to 12 Drake turnovers.

–Field Level Media

Julian Strawther scored a game-high 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as third-seeded Gonzaga pulled away in the second half of an 82-70 victory against No. 14 Grand Canyon in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament’s West Regional on Friday night in Denver.

Drew Timme added 21 points for the Bulldogs (29-5), who will play sixth-seeded TCU on Sunday after the Horned Frogs defeat 11th-seeded Arizona State 72-70. Gonzaga’s Anton Watson also had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Ray Harrison led the Lopes (24-12) with 20 points, Chance McMillian scored 16 and Gabe McGlothan had 11.

The Zags used a 16-0 run in the second half to pull away, taking a 64-42 lead with 9:54 left, as GCU went scoreless for more than 6 1/2 minutes.

Gonzaga led just 40-36 at halftime.

Bulldogs coach Mark Few said, “As I walked into the locker room (at the break), Drew was talking to guys about, ‘Hey, now the jitters are out of the way and now we’ve got to play.’ I thought we came out, certainly for that first 15 minutes in the second half, and we got back to the plan.”

Overall, Gonzaga shot 53.6 percent from the field (30 of 56) and was 7 of 15 from 3-point range. Grand Canyon shot 43.1 percent (28 of 65) and was 9 of 24 from long distance. The Zags had a big edge at the free-throw line, going 15 of 19 while the Lopes were just 5 of 7.

The Zags out rebounded Grand Canyon 39-25 and had a 40-26 advantage in points in the paint as well as 11-4 in fast-break points.

Gonzaga led 40-36 after a back-and-forth first half as Strawther scored 16 points.

The Zags scored the game’s first seven points, forcing Grand Canyon coach Bryce Drew to call a timeout less than two minutes in.

After Gonzaga extended the lead to 10-2, the Lopes went on a 10-0 run — capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Walter Ellis and McMillian — to pull ahead.

Grand Canyon was up 28-21 before the Zags responded with an 8-0 run to regain the lead.

Timme made a layup with 1:52 left in the half to put the Zags up and he then assisted on Strawther’s 3-pointer that made it 38-34.

–Field Level Media