Belmont secured the second win of the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday evening and the first in the program's history, defeating Temple 81-70 in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio.
"It means so much to our school and our program and these kids," Rick Byrd said on truTV after the win, acknowledging that the victory gives him a tally in the NCAA Tournament win column after carrying an 0-7 mark into the week. "It'll mean something to me someday, but not right now."
The Bruins knocked down nine of their 23 3-pointers on the night to breeze past Temple and coach Fran Dunphy, a legend who has coached his final game at the school. With the Owls' focus lasered on locking down star guard Dylan Windler, it was senior sharpshooter Kevin McClain who shouldered Belmont's load on the evening, scoring 29 points in the win. Windler managed just seven shots and scored five points.
Temple never quite found its rhythm despite a big statistical showing from Shizz Alston Jr., who lead the Owls with 21 points. He went 8 of 22 from the floor, and the team shot 28 of 71 from the field and 7 of 22 from 3-point range. With the win, No. 11 seed Belmont advances to the first round of the NCAA Tournament to face No. 6 seed Maryland on Thursday.
In the first of a doubleheader earlier in the night, Fairleigh Dickinson picked up the first NCAA Tournament victory in school history and the first victory of any school in this year's Big Dance by rallying to defeat Prairie View A&M 82-76.
Senior guard Darnell Edge scored a career-high 33 points and Jahlil Jenkins added 22 points as the Knights overcame a 13-point deficit in the second half of a game between No. 16 seeds to advance to face Gonzaga, the No. 1 seed in the West Regional on Friday.
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| Tip time | Game | Network | Site |
|---|---|---|---|
6:40 p.m. | (16) Fairleigh Dickinson 82, (16) Prairie View A&M 76 | truTV | Dayton |
| 9:10 p.m. | (11) Belmont 81, (11) Temple 71 | truTV | Dayton |
CBS Sports was with you the entire way Tuesday night updating this story with the latest scores, highlights and updates from the First Four. If you are unable to view the live updates below, please click here.
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