The San Diego Aztecs finally broke on through to the other side and won their first NCAA Tournament game in seven tries, defeating the Northern Colorado Bears, 68-50. The Bears played a first close half, down only six when that buzzer went off, but outside of Devon Beitzel the Bears lacked another scoring option to keep the score close in the second half.
Senior guard Devon Beitzel scored 17 of his 25 points in the second half, his teammates scoring only nine points then. Beitzel made six three-pointers on 10 attempts, though as a team the Bears were 8-of-22. The team never found its scoring stroke, shooting on 33.9 percent from the field. They Bears were also hurt by their inability to get to the free throw line, making only eight trips. Chris Montgomery pulled down 12 boards.
Kawhi Leonard and Billy White lead the Aztecs with doubles-doubles in points and rebounds. Leonard finished with 21 points and 11, and White added 12 and 13. They improved their shooting in the second half, finishing with 40.9 percent of their shots scoring points.
The Northern Colorado Bears finished the season with a 21-11 record and a Big Sky Championship. The Aztecs move on to the next round of the NCAA Tournament and will face No. 7 Temple over the weekend.