LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Darrion Trammell and the San Diego State Aztecs use a dominant defensive performance to knock off No. 1 seed Alabama out of the tournament with a 71-64 victory in the Sweet 16.
Trammell scored 21 points while Brandon Miller, whose outstanding season was marred by off-the-court complications, was held to just nine points on 3-of-19 shooting and had six turnovers.
San Diego State finished with a total of eight blocked shots — five by Nathan Mensah —, forced 14 turnovers, and bottled up All-America freshman Miller in the process.
The Aztecs trailed 48-39 midway through the second half before going on a 12-0 run to take full control of the game from that point on.
Trammell scored the first eight points of SDSU’s big run. He made a 3-pointer, stole the ball from Miller and converted a layup, and then buried another 3.
Mark Sears had 16 points and Jahvon Quinerly and Charles Bediako scored 10 each for Alabama.
The Tide cut the Aztec lead to 66-64 on a layup by Sears with 46 seconds remaining, but Matt Bradley made two free throws and Micah Parrish followed by making three of four attempts,to seal the win.
After the final horn sounded, Aztecs players and coaches rushed the court and celebrated the historical win.
Jaedon LeDee finished with 12 points for the Aztecs.
The Aztecs (30-6) will now face either Creighton on Sunday in the West Region final as they seek their first Final Four in program history.
Creighton 86, Princeton 75
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Creighton Blue Jays ended the 15th-seeded Princeton Tigers Cinderella run with a 86-75 win on Friday Night in the Sweet 16.
The Blue Jays (24-12) used their size, 3-point shooting and swarming second-half defense to advance to their first regional final since they were part of an eight-team NCAA Tournament in 1941.
Princeton (23-9) took a 37-33 lead during the first half, making 9-of-11 shots from the field to grab the lead.
Creighton responded with a 12-1 run, with Ryan Kalkbrenner scoring five points, to help the Blue Jays take a 47-43 edge in to the half.
The Blue Jays took control early in the second half, using a 9-2 run to build a double digit lead at 56-45 and then eventually pushing the lead out to 16 at 68-52 eight minutes into the half.
Kalkbenner, the two-time Big East defensive player of the year, scored 22 points to lead the Bluejays to their sixth win in seven games. Baylor Scheierman made five 3s and finished with 21 points.
The Tigers were led in scoring by Ryan Langborg with 26 points and Ivy League player of the year Tosan Evbuomwan finished with 24 points, six rebounds and nine assists.
Creighton will now face No. 5 seed San Diego State in Sunday’s South Region final, with each team seeking its first Final Four.
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