Kawhi Leonard tallied 21 points and 11 rebounds and San Diego State pulled away in the second half to win its first-ever NCAA tournament game, 68-50, over Northern Colorado in a second-round matchup Thursday in Tucson, Ariz.

Billy White recorded his second double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds and Chase Tapley added 14 points for the second-seeded Aztecs (33-2), who face seventh-seeded Temple in a third-round West Regional game Saturday. The Owls beat No. 10 seed Penn State, 66-64, on Thursday.

Devon Beitzel scored a game-high 25 points, including six 3-pointers, to pace No. 15 seed Northern Colorado (21-11), which trailed 30-24 at the half. Chris Kaba scored 10 points and Elliott Lloyd added nine, while Taylor Montgomery grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds.

Beitzel’s back-to-back 3-pointers brought the Bears within three with 14:16 left, but San Diego State quickly took control of the game with a 21-6 run. James Rahon (12 points) scored eight straight points during the run, including two 3-pointers.

The Aztecs outrebounded Northern Colorado 42-30 and committed just three turnovers. D.J. Gay and Malcolm Thomas, who together average 22.7 points, finished with a combined nine points on 4-of-17 shooting.

In just their fourth year of NCAA Division I postseason eligibility, Northern Colorado earned its first NCAA tournament bid after winning the Big Sky championship game.