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Washington State Cougars Maul Winthrop Eagles
Tony Bennett saw his Cougars run away with an opening-round victory over Winthrop. (AP Images)
Hey, it was close...for a while.
After a promising first half which had many thinking they were in line for another March Madness upset, the No. 13 Winthrop Eagles fell apart in the second half and got blown out by No. 4 Washington State, 70-41.
Amazingly, this game was actually tied at half time, 29-29. Then Winthrop decided not to come out for the second frame, and it cost them. The Eagles only scored eight points to Wazzu's 42 - you can to the math from there.
Four Cougars - Aron Baynes, Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver and Robbie Cowgill - all registered double figures in points with Baynes leading the way with 19 on a perfect nine-for-nine shooting.
Many thought that Winthrop would recapture last year's glory, when they upset Notre Dame in the opening round of the 2007 tourney. It looked good for 20 minutes, but Wazzu's slow-it-down style and physicality proved too much.
So Washington State advances from the opening round. To see other March Madness first-round results, visit the Bodog Sportsbook!