The Gonzaga Bulldogs locked in their first round opponent on Thursday night after the Norfolk State Spartans squeaked out a narrow 54-53 victory over the Appalachian State Mountaineers.
The Spartans got out to a hot start in their play-in game, seemingly hitting every three they attempted to build a 36-20 lead at halftime thanks in large part to a 15-0 run midway through the half. It looked like Norfolk State was going to cruise into their showdown with the top overall seed, but the March Madness gods had other ideas as their offense disappeared in the second half while Appalachian State mounted its comeback.