Carlik Jones had a substantial and loud cheering section at University of Dayton Arena, a lot of folks traveling about an hour up Interstate 75 from his Cincinnati hometown to see him play for Radford in a First Four game.
Jones didn't disappoint them. The redshirt freshman guard was the engine that drove the Highlanders, scoring 12 points to go with career highs in rebounds with 11 and assists with seven as Radford beat LIU Brooklyn 71-61 on Tuesday night to get its first-ever NCAA Tournament win.
"It's just big to be able to come back home and perform in front of my family and friends that haven't been able to see me play," Jones said. "And it's just been a good feeling."
Radford didn't play its prettiest game, but the team from rural southwest Virginia will celebrate briefly before heading to Pittsburgh to play No. 1 seed Villanova on Thursday. The Big South champion Highlanders are making their third tournament appearance and first since 2009.
Ed Polite Jr. had 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Travis Fields Jr. also scored 13 for Radford.
ST. BONAVENTURE 65, UCLA 58
Courtney Stockard returned from a hamstring injury and scored 26 points, and Jaylen Adams made a jumper and three free throws in the final minute Tuesday night, rallying St. Bonaventure to a 65-58 victory over UCLA and its first NCAA Tournament victory in 48 years.
The 11th-seeded Bonnies (26-7) will play sixth-seeded Florida (20-12) in Dallas on Thursday night in the East region.
St. Bonaventure set a school record with its 26th win. Stockard got the Bonnies in position for the drought-busting tournament victory by leading a late 12-0 run. Adams -- who missed 14 of his first 15 shots -- closed it out in the final 49 seconds.
UCLA (21-12) bristled at having to play in the First Four for the first time in its history -- the Bruins have been to 18 Final Fours. They had trouble making shots against the Bonnies' zone defense and had 20 turnovers, a disappointing ending to a season that started with an international incident.
Freshmen Jalen Hill, Cody Riley and LiAngelo Ball were accused of shoplifting during a trip to China in November. All three were suspended for the season, and Ball left the school.
BIG PICTURE
LIU Brooklyn: Got hot in the NEC Tournament but couldn't sustain it on the big stage, shooting just 38 percent compared to 47.5 percent for Radford.
Radford: At times the Highlanders looked like they didn't want it, either, but they played better in the second half on the back of Jones.
St. Bonaventure: The undersized Bonnies lack depth and were glad to get Stockard back from the hamstring injury. He's scored 21, 31, 22, 19 and 26 points in the last five games.
UCLA: Holiday was the Bruins' indispensable player on offense in the last six games, averaging 26 points while sitting out for only 43 seconds. The Pac-12's leading scorer got the Bruins going early, hitting his first three shots as they pulled ahead 14-5. He missed his next eight shots as St. Bonaventure rallied.
UP NEXT
LIU Brooklyn: On to next season.
Radford: Faces No. 1 seed Villanova in the first round of the tournament on Thursday.
St. Bonaventure will try to win two games in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1970, when it beat Davidson, N.C. State and Villanova before losing to Jacksonville. The Bonnies had lost three NCAA Tournament games -- in 1978, 2000 and 2012 -- since that last win in 1970.
By Joe May and Mitch Stacy, AP Sports Writers.