Notre Dame 81 Wichita State 70
Third-seeded Notre Dame controlled N.o 7 Wichita State in the second half to pull away for an 11 point victory in the Midwest Regional semifinals, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time in 36 years.
The Irish led the Shokers 33-30 at halftime, depsite a rough first half for floor general Jerian Grant, who missed all five of his field goals in the half. Wichita State started the second half strongly, pulling ahead 38-37 off of a Darius Carter layup four minutes into the half, but it would be a very short-lived lead — the Irish caught fire soon after, as one of the nations top offenses finally got rolling. The Shockers closed to within 60-54 with 8:19 remaining, but Grant’s three-pointer ignited a 15-2 Notre Dame run to put the game away for good.
Notre Dame guard Demetrius Jackson led four starters in double figures with 20 points. Pat Connaughton added 16 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals. The only starter to not reach double figures? Jerian Grant. The team’s leading scoer during the regular season, Grant managed just nine points on 3-of-8 shooting, but did dish out a tournament-high 11 assists.
The Irish shot 75 percent (18 of 24) in the second half and 55 percent overall.
Fred VanVleet led Wichita State with 25 points. Ron Baker, the Shockers’ leading scorer, totaled nine points, and didn’t have a made field goal after the 12:05 mark in the first half.
Notre Dame moves on to play unbeaten Kentucky on Saturday night with a Final Four spot on the line.
