UMBC vs Howard

Howard held off a furious UMBC comeback in a First Four thriller at University of Dayton Arena. The Bison dominated early, building a 14-point lead behind three devastating scoring runs in the first half. But the Retrievers refused to quit, clawing back with clutch shooting down the stretch—DJ Armstrong Jr. buried a three with 44 seconds left to cut it to 83-81. The final minute was pure madness. Bryce Harris answered with a jump shot, then Jah'likai King answered right back with a layup, cutting Howard's lead to two. Isaiah Brown sealed it at the free-throw line with five seconds remaining. Howard 86, UMBC 83. A 16-seed upset bid falls just short in one of the tournament's most dramatic First Four games.