PITTSBURGH, Pa.--The Bulldogs came out of the gates firing and never looked back as they beat the West Virginia Mountaineers 77-54 in their second round matchup in the East region.
Robert Sacre and Gary Bell Jr. scored 14 points apiece as Gonzaga rolled to their first victory of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
Kevin Pangos added 13 points and five assists for the seventh-seeded Bulldogs (26-6), who will play Ohio State at 11:45 a.m. in the third round on Saturday.
Gary Browne led the Mountaineers (19-14) with 15 points off the bench and Kevin Jones scored 13 in his final game for West Virginia, which endured its worst postseason defeat in 28 years despite a decided home-court advantage.
Gonzaga never let the crowd get into it. The Bulldogs took control during a 13-0 run midway through the first half and cruised, shooting 56 percent from the floor while harassing the 10th-seeded Mountaineers into tough shots all night.
Gonzaga’s stifling defense held the Mountaineers to 32% field goal shooting and 17% from the three point line.
The Bulldogs were on fire; shooting 56% from the field and hitting 9 of 17 of their shots from behind the arc.
