North Carolina A&T survives Liberty in First Four, advances to play No. 1 Louisville

DAYTON, Ohio  --  No. 16 North Carolina A&T shot 51.9 percent from the floor, twelve percentage points above its season average, outlasting fellow No. 16 seed Liberty, 73-72, in the opening game of the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday night.

A&T missed the front end of two separate one-and-one situations in the final 19 seconds, leaving the door open for Liberty to win it on the final possession. After Lamont Middleton missed a free throw for A&T with seven seconds to play, Liberty guard John Caleb Sanders drove the length of the floor but missed a contested layup as time expired. There was no foul called on the play.

Bruce Beckford led the way for A&T with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor. He added nine rebounds.

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NEXT GAME: at LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY
Thursday, March 21
#1 Louisville (29-5) vs. #16 North Carolina A&T (20-16)  6:50 PM ET