Marshall upsets Wichita St. in East Region
SAN DIEGO » The Marshall Thundering Herd celebrated like never before.
For the first time in six tries during 62 years, the Thundering Herd won an NCAA Tournament game.
Jon Elmore scored 27 points and Jarrod West hit a huge 3-pointer with three minutes left to help No. 13 seed Marshall topple fourth-seeded Wichita State 81-75 in the East Region.
When the buzzer sounded, West raised his arms in the air and joyously ran practically the length of the court before joining his teammates in celebration.
The Thundering Herd (25-10) made its first NCAA tourney appearance in 1956 and made its most recent one in 1987, losing all five along the way. The 1987 loss was later vacated due to infractions. Its only postseason victories were in the NIT in 1967, when head coach Dan D’Antoni was on the team.
WEST VIRGINIA 85, MURRAY ST. 68 SAN DIEGO » Jevon Carter scored 21 points, had eight assists and six steals, Teddy Allen added 16 points and No. 5 seed West Virginia overwhelmed 12th-seeded Murray State 85-68 in the first round of the East Region on Friday.
The Mountaineers (25-10) pulled away in the second half and advanced to the round of 32 for the third time in the past four seasons as four players finished in double figures.
Next up for West Virginia: A Mountain State showdown with 13thseeded Marshall far away from home.
Carter had 13 points in the second half and was the trigger of a secondhalf surge by the Mountaineers after Murray State had trimmed a 14-point lead down to five.
BUTLER 79, ARKANSAS 62 DETROIT » Kelan Martin scored 27 points and Kamar Baldwin added 24 to lift 10th-seeded Butler to a 79-62 victory over seventh-seeded Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament’s East Region on Friday.
The Bulldogs (21-13) raced to a 21-2 lead in the opening minutes. Although Arkansas wiped out that entire deficit before halftime, Butler took control again early in the second.
The Bulldogs advance to play second-seeded Purdue on Sunday. PURDUE 74, CSU FULLERTON 48 DETROIT » Center Isaac Haas broke his right elbow in Purdue’s 74-48 victory on Friday and will miss the rest of the NCAA Tournament.
The 7-foot-2, 290-pound senior took a hard foul midway through the second half when Cal State Fullerton forward Dominik Heinzl pulled him down, trying to defend him. Haas hurt the same elbow in a win over Louisville in November.
Second-seeded Purdue (29-6) will play Arkansas or Butler in Sunday’s second round with 7-3 center Matt Haarms likely replacing Haas, who averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game and had nine points and 10 rebounds in the firstround victory.