NCAA 2018 Men's Championship round of 64: Viejas Arena live blog
11:31 AM PT--
The Wichita State Shockers closed the first half on an 11-1 run to take a 37-34 halftime lead over Marshall in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena.
Senior guard Connor Frankamp led the Shockers in scoring, registering 14 points on 5-8 shooting. Frankamp was particularly effective from the three point line, going 3-4 in the first half. The rest of the team shot 1-11 from three. The Shockers currently hold a commanding advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Thundering Herd 23-16.
The Shockers assisted on nine of their 14 made field goals in the first half.
Playing in their first NCAA tournament game in 31 years, Marshall got to the free throw line early and often in the first half, going 12-14 from the free throw line. Leading the way was junior guard Jon Elmore. After averaging 22.8 points per game in the regular season, Elmore scored 14 points in the first half on 2-7 shooting. The West Virginia native was 9-11 from the free throw line.
Both teams struggled from the perimeter in the opening 20 minutes. Marshall shot 2-9 (22.2%) from three, Wichita State 4-16 (25%).
12:44 p.m. PT--
The Marshall Thundering Herd have upset the Wichita State Shockers 81-75.
Marshall was led by Jon Elmore, who scored 27 points in the contest. He was one of four to score in double digits. Adjin Penava (16), CJ Burks (13), and Jansson Williams (10) also reached double figures in scoring.
The Thundering Herd shot 53% from the field in the second half and 50% from three (7-14).
For the Shockers, the upset was a disappointing ending to a regular season that saw them go 25-7. Connor Frankam ended the afternoon 10-17 from the field, leading his team in scoring with 27 points. Gregg Marshall's team had 11 second-half turnovers and shot 30.8% from three. They finished the game 8-29 (27.6%) from beyond the arc.
2:16 p.m. PT--
West Virginia is leading Murray State 38-29 after one half of play. The Mountaineers shot 46% from the field in the first half, with contributions from a number of players. Six Mountaineers have scored. Jevon Carter and Esa Ahmad are leading the way with eight points apiece.
For Murray State, forward Terrell Miller Jr. leads the way with 12 points and 13 rebounds at the break. He is 3-3 from the field and 4-5 from the free throw line.
The Racers will need guard Jonathan Stark to get going if they want to pull off a comeback. After averaging nearly 22 points during the regular season, the senior guard has only seven points on 1-9 shooting.
Murray State shot only 33% from the field in the first half while turning the ball over 11 times. They have managed to stay close by capitalizing from the charity stripe. They have made 9-10 while also outrebounding WVU 21-16.
3:59 p.m. PT--
West Virginia is moving on. They have defeated Murray State 85-68.
Jevon Carter led West Virginia to the victory, scoring 21 points, assisting on eight made baskets, and recording six steals. Teddy Allen came off the bench to chip in 16 points on 5-8 shooting.
For Murray State, Terrell Miller scored 27 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. He was really the only player to get in a groove offensively. The Racers shot 41% from the field and 30% from three.
