Washington State had not won a second game in the NCAA Tournament since 1941, but these aren’t your great-grandfather’s Cougars.
Playing with a swagger and answering every Notre Dame spurt, fourth-seeded Washington State sent the beast of the Big East packing with a convincing 61-41 victory Saturday in an NCAA Tournament second-round game at Pepsi Center.
Washington State (26-8) advanced to the East Regional Sweet 16 and limited fifth-seeded Notre Dame to its lowest point total of the season. The Cougars will play the North Carolina-Arkansas winner Thursday in Charlotte, N.C.
Ranked 15th nationally, Notre Dame entered the tournament scoring 80.5 points per game. The Irish had not scored fewer than 64 points, that coming in a Nov. 18 loss to Baylor.
But Notre Dame (25-8) shot just 24.5 percent from the field against a determined Washington State defense that clogged passing lanes and double-teamed shooters.
Big East player of the year Luke Harangody grabbed 22 rebounds but was pushed away from the basket. He hit just 3-for-17 from the field and scored 10 points.
The Irish had to work for nearly every basket. Notre Dame hit just 25 percent (7-for-28) from the field in the first half and trailed 32-19 at the break.
Washington State, getting 18 points from guard Derrick Low and 15 from fellow senior Kyle Weaver, took control early. A 12-0 run that featured six points by Low put the Cougars up 17-7 with 10:14 to go before halftime. Notre Dame went scoreless for six minutes, coming up empty on 10 possessions during the drought.
Notre Dame pulled to within seven points (38-31) early in the second half, but Low bagged a jumper from the right side and then drove for a layup to spark a 14-4 run that included eight unanswered points.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
