Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga Fend off Georgia State’s Upset Bid in March Madness Round 1

AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer

The No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga Bulldogs survived a scare from the No. 16 seed Georgia State Panthers en route to a 93-72 first-round win in the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament Thursday at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

The score does not tell the story of this game.

Gonzaga led 35-33 at halftime and trailed 54-52 with 13:10 remaining in regulation after an Evan Johnson two-pointer. Georgia State went punch-for-punch with Gonzaga for the better part of the game’s first 30 minutes.

However, Gonzaga fought back and eventually went on a 21-0 run to give itself a 83-58 lead with Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren leading the way.

Timme had 32 points on 13-of-21 shooting and 13 rebounds. Holmgren dominated on both ends with 19 points, 17 rebounds, seven blocks, five assists and two steals. Andrew Nembhard added 11 assists.

Corey Allen led four Georgia State players in double-digit scoring with 16 points.

Gonzaga, which is a No. 1 seed in this tournament for the third straight time, is looking for its first national championship.

Georgia State made its fourth NCAA tournament since 2015.

Notable Performances

Gonzaga F Drew Timme: 32 points, 13 rebounds

Gonzaga C Chet Holmgren: 19 points, 17 rebounds, 7 blocks, 5 assists, 2 steals

Gonzaga G Andrew Nembhard: 9 points, 11 assists

Georgia State G Corey Allen: 16 points, 2 assists

Georgia State G Kane Williams: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals

Georgia State F Jalen Thomas: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks

What’s Next?

Gonzaga will face No. 9 Memphis, which beat No. 8 Boise State 64-53 earlier Thursday.

Those teams will play Saturday in Portland at a to-be-determined time.

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

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