SEATTLE (AP) -- Vionise Pierre-Louis had 17 points, nine rebounds and nine blocked shots and No. 6 seed Oklahoma used its early hot shooting to hold off 11th-seeded Gonzaga 75-62 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
Pierre-Louis controlled the interior throughout, making sure the Sooners' torrid shooting from behind the 3-point line in the first quarter withstood all of Gonzaga's charges. The Sooners (23-9) led by as many as 15 and watched Gonzaga (26-7) trim the deficit to five in the fourth quarter before holding on in the final minutes.
Oklahoma hit six 3-pointers and scored 29 points in the first quarter, a season-high in points for the opening 10 minutes.