NCAA Tournament: Tennessee beats Iowa in OT in First Four game

The Associated Press

Published: March 19, 2014 9:56 pm
NCAA Tournament • Cal Poly (14-19) also wins play-in game.
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Dayton, Ohio • Jarnell Stokes dominated inside as Tennessee finally caught up in the closing minutes of regulation, and then opened overtime with a three-point play that got the Volunteers headed to a 78-65 victory over Iowa on Wednesday night in the NCAA's First Four.

The Volunteers' late comeback sent them Raleigh, N.C., where they'll play sixth-seeded Massachusetts on Friday in the Midwest Regional.

Tennessee (22-12) didn't lead until Antonio Barton's 3-pointer put the Vols up 59-57 with 3:05 left regulation. There were five lead changes before the Vols' Jordan McRae missed a jumper missed at the buzzer, leaving it tied at 64.

Stokes' three-point play was the key moment in his 18-point, 13-rebound performance. Iowa (21-13) managed only one free throw in overtime, ending a hectic and stressful day for coach Fran McCaffery.

Cal Poly 81, Texas Southern 69 • In Dayton, Ohio, Chris Eversley scored 19 points and Cal Poly avoided its 20th loss of the season and won its first NCAA tournament game with a win over Texas Southern in the First Four. The Mustangs (14-19) were 0-3 and 4-9 early before losing nine of 11 heading into the Big West Conference tournament — which they won to earn the program's first NCAA bid.

The team with the worst record in the tournament now moves on to face the one with the best — top-seeded Wichita State (34-0) — in the second round in St. Louis on Friday.

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