March 20, 2008
Washington State buries Winthrop in second half
DENVER (Ticker) -- Washington State made sure it didn't become another first-round victim to upset specialist Winthrop.
Aron Baynes had 10 of his 19 points in the first half to lead a balanced attack as the fourth-seeded Cougars coasted to a 71-40 victory over the No. 13 seed Eagles on Thursday in the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
Kyle Weaver collected 14 points and seven rebounds and Derrick Low also scored 14 for Washington State (25-8), which shot a sizzling 59 percent (29-of-49) from the field.
The Cougars will face the winner between Notre Dame and George Mason in Saturday's second-round matchup.
With the contest tied at 29-29 at halftime, Washington State wasted little time putting this one away by using a 9-0 run to open up the final half.
Taj McCullough's dunk finally ended Winthrop's 7 1/2 minute scoring drought in the second half, but it wasn't enough to cool off the red-hot shooting of the Cougars.
After trading baskets, Washington State's offense continued to pile points on the board as Low drilled two 3-pointers during an impressive 14-0 burst to extend the lead to 54-33 with 7:39 left.
The Cougars shot a blistering 65 percent (17-of-26) after the break en route to holding a commanding 42-11 advantage.
McCullough had 15 of his 17 points before the intermission for Winthrop (22-12), which shocked Notre Dame as an 11th seed in last year's NCAA Tournament.
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