East Region – First Round: After one half, No. 13 Winthrop appeared poised to pull a first-round upset in the second consecutive year after the Eagles, as a No. 11 seed, beat Notre Dame last season. The Eagles battled No. 4 Washington State to a 29-29 tie in the first half. But they couldn’t maintain any momentum after the break, posting only 11 points as Washington State blew out Winthrop 71-40. Junior center Aron Baynes led the Cougars with 19 points and eight rebounds. Washington State will play Notre Dame in the second round.
No. 5 Notre Dame made sure No. 12 George Mason would not reprise its Cinderella role this year by beating the Patriots 68-50 in the first round. The Fighting Irish played solid defense on everyone not named Will Thomas, who scored 25 points, the only Patriot to reach double figures. The rest of the team shot 20.5 percent from the field. Sophomore forward Luke Harangody led the Fighting Irish with 18 points and 14 rebounds, helping Notre Dame dominate the post with 42 rebounds to the Patriots’ 31. [3/20/08]
