No. 1 Gonzaga Up Just 35–33 vs. No. 16 Georgia State After Poor First Half

The Bulldogs are on the ropes early in Portland.

A subpar first half has No. 1 Gonzaga on the ropes in its first-round matchup against No. 16 Georgia State.

The heavily-favored Bulldogs are clinging to a 35–33 halftime lead against the Panthers in Portland. 

Bulldogs forward Drew Timme leads the team with 10 points and eight boards. Panthers guard Corey Allen also leads his team with 10 points. 

Both teams struggled mightily in the first 20 minutes of play as Gonzaga shot 12-of-30 from the field (2-of-11 from three) while Georgia State converted 10-of-35 attempts (3-of-6 from three).

With both team shooting poorly, free throw shooting has been a big difference in the early going with the Panthers making 10 of their 13 attempts and the Bulldogs going just 9-of-19 from the charity stripe.

With the second half soon set to begin, Gonzaga will seek to avoid becoming the first No. 1 seed to fall in March Madness this year, and just the second to lose in the first round in NCAA tournament history.