Tyson Ward poured in 23 points for North Dakota State to push the Bison into the First Round, while Luguentz Dort was the catalyst for Arizona State in First Four action on Wednesday night in Dayton.
Leading by as many as 13 points early in the second half, North Dakota State endured a late North Carolina Central run and ended the game on a 10-4 spurt to hold off the Eagles, 78-74. Ward scored seven of the Bison’s final 10 points and notched his game-high 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field.
In the night’s second game, Arizona State pushed its way past St. John’s, 74-65, as Dort led the Sun Devils with a team-high 21 points.