HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

DAYTON -- Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet each scored 14 points helping Wichita State defeat Vanderbilt 70-50 in a matchup of No. 11 seeds in the First Four on Tuesday night at University of Dayton Arena.

The Shockers advanced to face No. 6 seed Arizona on Thursday in Providence, R.I.

Wichita State (25-8) is healthy and it showed on Tuesday.

With VanVleet out with a hamstring injury, the Shockers lost three straight games in November. They won 15 of their next 16 and now are eyeing another run to the Final Four.

Freshman guard Joe Toye came off the bench and scored all 10 of his points in the first half for Vanderbilt (19-14), which also got 10 from guard Ryan LaChance in a losing effort.

The score was tied at halftime before Wichita State began the second half with an 8- run sparked by a pair of 3-pointers by Baker.

The run grew to 11-0 on VanVleet’s 3-pointer, putting the Shockers ahead 41-30.

Dating to the first half, Wichita State had outscored Vanderbilt 16-0 before guard Wade Baldwin’s 3-point play snapped the Shockers’ streak.

After a cold-shooting first half, the Shockers erupted for 40 points in the second.

Vanderbilt fought back, though.

LaChance’s 3-pointer cut the Commodores’ deficit to four, 47-43.

Vandy got within one point on center Damian Jones’ 3-point play, but a pair of youngsters provided the answer for Wichita State.

Sophomore guard Conner Frankamp and freshman forward Markis McDuffie hit consecutive 3s to give the Shockers a 57-48 lead with five minutes left.

Frankamp connected again from beyond the arc, making the score 60-48.

Tuesday's nightcap was expected to be low scoring, with both teams ranked in the top 10 nationally in field-goal percentage defense. Wichita State has the nation's top-ranked scoring defense.

While the shooting was paltry by both teams in the first half, with Wichita State making only one field goal in the first six minutes, both teams got hot late in the first half.

The Shockers went on a 5-for-7 spree that included three consecutive baskets to surge ahead 25-20.

Five points by Toye sparked a 10-0 run by the Commodores, helping them regain the lead 30-25. He finished the first half with 10 points.

The half ended with the score tied 30-30. The teams were a combined 2-for-15 from 3-point range, including 0-for-5 for Wichita State.

NOTES: Wichita State had 10 days off since losing to Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament semifinals. ... This was the second meeting between Wichita State and Vanderbilt. The Commodores defeated the Shockers 65-63 in the 2005 NIT on a full-court pass and layup on the final possession. ... Vanderbilt is making its 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, its first since 2012. ... The Shockers made their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, including 2013, when they reached the Final Four.