National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Wichita St. 76, Gonzaga 70
When: 8:40 PM ET, Saturday, March 23, 2013
Where: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Officials: # Brian Dorsey, # John Gaffney, # John Higgings
Attendance: 16060


Wichita State 76, Gonzaga 70: Ron Baker and Cleanthony Early each hit four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points as the ninth-seeded Shockers stunned the top-seeded Bulldogs in the third round of the NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City.

Freshman Fred VanVleet scored 13 points and added two 3-pointers of his own – including a crucial insurance basket down the stretch – as Wichita State (28-8) drilled a season-high 14 3-pointers. The Shockers will meet either Mississippi or La Salle in the Sweet 16 later next week in Los Angeles.

Kelly Olynyk tallied 26 points and nine rebounds, Kevin Pangos had 19 points and guard Mike Hart added a career-high 14 rebounds for Gonzaga (32-3), which saw its 15-game winning streak – as well as the most successful season in school history – come to an end.

Wichita State bookended a 16-1 spurt with two 3-pointers to turn a two-point deficit into a 26-13 cushion with seven minutes left in the first half. Pangos and Elias Harris each drilled 3-pointers to rally the Bulldogs, who made only four of their first 20 field-goal attempts but pulled within 36-31 at intermission.

Gonzaga held the Shockers to two field goals over the first 8:12 after the break, riding a half-opening 18-5 run to build a 49-41 advantage. The Shockers followed with five straight 3-pointers over a 3:11 span to go ahead 72-67. Malcolm Armstead and VanVleet each hit a pair of free throws to account for the final margin.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Wichita State advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2006. … Gonzaga shot 8-for-23 beyond the arc Saturday, losing for the first time in 13 tries when hitting at least eight in a game. … The Shockers improved to 2-6 all-time in games against the nation’s top-ranked team.

Top Game Performances
 
Wichita St.   Gonzaga
Ron Baker 16 Scoring Kelly Olynyk 26
Ron Baker 4 Assists Kevin Pangos 5
Cleanthony Early 7 Rebounds Mike Hart 14
Fred Van Vleet 5 Free Throws Made Kelly Olynyk 10
Malcolm Armstead 2 Steals Elias Harris 3
Carl Hall 3 Blocks Sam Dower 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Wichita St. 76 50.0 14-28 12-18 16 27 6 8 15
Gonzaga 70 35.6 8-23 20-29 13 36 2 8 13