Herd mentality: Just win
East: Marshall joins Buffalo as a No. 13 seed to pull off big upset
SAN DIEGO — 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 Friday in the East Region.
The Thundering Herd (2510) also got big shots down the stretch from Ajdin Penava and C. J. Burks to win in its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1987. Marshall joined Buffalo as the second No .13 seed to advance to the second round.
Wichita State (25-8) got 27 points from Conner Frankamp and seemed to be in control midway through the second half, but the Thundering Herd refused to fade despite its lack of NCAA tourney experience.
After Frankamp’s long jumper gave the Shockers a 70-69 lead with just less than 5 minutes togo, Penava made a layup. The next timed own the floor, West buried a long 3 and raised his right hand in celebration after giving the Thundering Herd a 74-70 lead.
Shaquille Morris responded with a slam dunk for the Shockers before the6-foot-9 Penava made another layup and Burks had a steal and a layup to give Marshall a six-point lead.
Frankamp hit a 3 with 44.1 seconds left before Marshall benefited from a critical call. With 36.2 seconds left, Zach Brown of Wichita State blocked a shot by Jannson Williams and the ball went out of bounds. After a long video review, the referees awarded the ball to Marshall, and Penava had a slam dunk off an inbounds pass.
Purdue 74, Cal State Fullerton 48: Cars en Edwards scored 15 points-and-second-seeded Purdue eventually shook off the rust from a long layoff and got the rout. Butler 79, Arkansas 62: Kelan Martin scored 27 points and Kamar Baldwin added 24 to lift 10 th-seeded Butler to a victory over seventh-seeded Arkansas. The Bulldogs (21-13) raced to a 21-2 lead in the opening minutes. West Virginia 85, Murray
State 68: 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. 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.