The No. 9-seeded Georgia Bulldogs could not get overcome a 21-point first-half deficit against the No. 8 Gonzaga Bulldogs on Thursday, falling 89-68 in the first-round matchup in the Midwest Region of the NCAA men’s tournament.
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Asa Newell led UGA with 20 points on 6-10 shooting and eight rebounds. Silas Demary Jr. chipped in 15 but struggled on 3-14 shooting.
Khalif Battle scored 24 points, Nolan Hickman had 18 and Braden Huff added 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting as Gonzaga (26-8) advanced to a second-round matchup with top-seeded Houston. The Cougars rolled to a 78-40 victory over SIU Edwardsville.
The Zags used a sharp, focused performance to move into the second round for the 22nd time since Mark Few took over as coach in 1999. They went 12 for 20 from 3-point range and shot 55% from the field overall.
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The Associated Press contributed to the report.