Little Rock, Iowa State Advance in Denver

Behind a career-high 31 points from Josh Hagins, the 12th-seed Little Rock Trojans pulled the first upset in Denver beating fifth-seed Purdue, 85-83, in double overtime.

Hagins knocked down a 35-foot three-pointer with 5.1 seconds left that forced overtime. He made two free throws in the final 19 seconds of the second OT that helped clinch victory. It’s the Trojans first win in the tourney since 1986.

The Little Rock senior guard, Hagins, said they believe in themselves and had confidence they could win the game.

"I'm a senior. I've waited 22 years, to be honest, to get to this point, this one game. I wasn't going to go out like that. I wasn't going to go without a fight. I made shots, missed them. I was going to go out swinging... We just kept fighting, that's the bottom line."

Hagins single-handedly out-scored the Boilermakers 21-20 in the final five minutes of regulation and both overtime periods. In addition to scoring, he had seven rebounds, six assists and five steals.

Little Rock shot 39 percent from the field compared to 42 percent for Purdue. The Trojans had attempted 15 more shots than the Boilermakers.

Purdue blew a 14-point lead with five minutes left. The Boilermakers committed 18 turnovers in the game that led to 25 points for Little Rock. Purdue was led by Vince Edwards with 24 points and 13 rebounds. A.J. Hammons added 16 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks.

The Trojans will face fourth-seed Iowa State Saturday at the Pepsi Center.

Fourth-seed Iowa State took care of business Thursday with a 94-81 first round victory over the 13th-seed Iona Gaels in the NCAA Tournament.

All five Cyclones starters scored in double figures. They accounted for 92 of Iowa State’s 94 points. The Cyclones were led by Georges Niang with 28 points and Monte Morris’ 20.

Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm said, “I thought our first-half defense was really good. Gave us a double-digit lead going into half. We kind of traded buckets in the second half, but were able to finish the game. Now we're on to the next round.”

Iona grabbed a quick 5-0 lead. Iowa State responded with 11 straight and went ahead 2:24 into the game. They stretched it out to 45-33 by half. The Cyclones built their edge to 18 points before the Gaels rallied within seven points with 2:50 remaining. That’s as close as it would get.

Both teams shot well in the up-and-down pace. Iowa State hit at 50 percent from the field, while Iona was 48.4 percent.

A.J. English led the Gaels with 28 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. Jordan Washington added 26 points and 12 rebounds.

Iowa State advances to play 12-seed Arkansas-Little Rock Saturday in Denver.