RALEIGH, N.C. — It took 39 years, but Davidson is back as a player in the NCAA tournament, thanks to a dynamic guard with a magic touch that none of the big schools wanted.

Stephen Curry scored 30 of his 40 points in the second half and hit the tie-breaking 3-pointer with just over a minute left to lead Davidson to an 82-76 win over Gonzaga today in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Displaying his lightning-quick release, Curry hit 8 of 10 3-pointers. His two free throws with 14.5 seconds left iced it for the 10th-seeded Wildcats (27-6), who won their first NCAA game since Lefty Driesell put this tiny liberal arts school on the map in the 1960s.

Curry, the son of former NBA 3-point specialist Dell Curry, wanted to play for his father's alma mater, Virginia Tech. But the big schools shied away from the baby-faced Curry, who has grown four inches to 6-foot-3 since signing with Davidson, and now has put the Wildcats into the second round of the Midwest Regional against the Georgetown-Maryland-Baltimore County winner.

Jason Richards added 15 points and nine assists for Davidson, which extended the nation's longest winning streak to 23 games. Andrew Lovedale had 12 points and one of his 13 rebounds came on the offensive glass, which led to Curry's deciding 3-pointer.

Freshman Steve Gray hit seven 3-pointers and scored 21 points for No. 7 seed Gonzaga (25-8), which blew 11-point leads in both halves to make a first-round exit for the second straight year.