DAYTON, Ohio — Tyrone Garland led La Salle’s guard-driven offense with 22 points, and the Explorers wrapped up the NCAA tournament’s First Four by getting the better of an old-fashioned shootout, beating Boise State 80-71 on Wednesday night.
The 13th-seeded Explorers (22-9) play fourth-seeded Kansas State on Friday.
Ramon Galloway, one of the Atlantic 10’s top scorers, added 21 points in a fast-paced offense that did pretty much whatever it wanted. The Explorers shot 63 percent from the field — 16 of 22 in the second half.
Thirteenth-seeded Boise State (21-11) got its first at-large bid and was looking for the first NCAA tournament win in its history. Anthony Drmic had 28 points for the Broncos.
In the other first-round game on Wednesday, A.J. Davis, who stepped in as a starter because James Madison’s leading scorer was suspended for a half, led the way with 20 points as the Dukes beat LIU Brooklyn 68-55.
The Dukes (21-14) advance to meet top-seeded Indiana (27-6) on Friday night, again in Dayton.
For a look at today’s NCAA tourney games, see C3.
— The Associated Press
