LOS ANGELES – It was an excellent run. And now it’s over.
On Thursday at the Staples Center, nine-seed Wichita State beat 13-seed La Salle, 72-58, in the West Region Sweet 16. It was La Salle’s fourth game in nine days. The Explorers (24-10) trailed Wichita State (29-8) the entire evening.
First half
Wichita State jumped out to a 14-2 lead in the first five minutes. The Explorers, who missed eight of their first nine shots, hit just 26.7 percent from the field before the break.
The Shockers dominated the Explorers down low. Wichita State scored 24 of its 38 first-half points in the paint. The Shockers also outrebounded La Salle, 26-12.
Inside the box score
The Shockers did an excellent job guarding Ramon Galloway, who was held to 11 points on 4-for-15 shooting. Tyrone Garland hit just five of his 15 attempts from the field for a team-high 16 points. As a team, La Salle shot 35.7 percent from the floor and 38.9 from distance.
Wichita State was led by Malcolm Armstead, who had a game-high 18 points. The Shockers had 47 rebounds, while La Salle mustered 29. Wichita State shot 44.8 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three-point range and scored 40 points in the paint.
News
History
La Salle became just the second school in history to go from the First Four play-in game to the Sweet 16. (VCU was the first). The Explorers appeared in their first Sweet 16 since 1955. And La Salle was just the fifth 13 seed ever to reach the Sweet 16, joining Bradley (2006), Oklahoma (1999), Richmond (1988) and Valparaiso (1998).
What’s next?
Wichita State moves on to face second-seeded Ohio State on Saturday at the Staples Center. The winner will advance to the Final Four.