National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
San Diego St. 68, Northern Colorado 50
When: 4:40 PM ET, Thursday, March 17, 2011
Where: McKale Center, Tucson, Arizona
Officials: # Terry Moore, # Gregory Nixon, # Ted Valentine
Attendance: 10101

Kawhi Leonard tallied 21 points and 11 rebounds and San Diego State pulled away in the second half to win its first-ever NCAA tournament game, 68-50, over Northern Colorado in a second-round matchup Thursday in Tucson, Ariz.

Billy White recorded his second double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds and Chase Tapley added 14 points for the second-seeded Aztecs (33-2), who face seventh-seeded Temple in a third-round West Regional game Saturday. The Owls beat No. 10 seed Penn State, 66-64, on Thursday.

Devon Beitzel scored a game-high 25 points, including six 3-pointers, to pace No. 15 seed Northern Colorado (21-11), which trailed 30-24 at the half. Chris Kaba scored 10 points and Elliott Lloyd added nine, while Taylor Montgomery grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds.

Beitzel’s back-to-back 3-pointers brought the Bears within three with 14:16 left, but San Diego State quickly took control of the game with a 21-6 run. James Rahon (12 points) scored eight straight points during the run, including two 3-pointers.

The Aztecs outrebounded Northern Colorado 42-30 and committed just three turnovers. D.J. Gay and Malcolm Thomas, who together average 22.7 points, finished with a combined nine points on 4-of-17 shooting.

In just their fourth year of NCAA Division I postseason eligibility, Northern Colorado earned its first NCAA tournament bid after winning the Big Sky championship game.

Top Game Performances
 
Northern Colorado   San Diego St.
Devon Beitzel 25 Scoring Kawhi Leonard 21
Elliott Lloyd 3 Assists D.J. Gay 3
Taylor Montgomery 12 Rebounds Billy White 13
Devon Beitzel 3 Free Throws Made James Rahon 2
Devon Beitzel 1 Steals Billy White 3
N/A Blocks Brian Carlwell 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Northern Colorado 50 33.9 8-22 4-8 8 31 0 2
San Diego St. 68 40.9 9-22 5-8 11 42 5 5