Denver, CO -- (Sports Network) - Aron Baynes scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds as fourth-seeded Washington State, behind a second-half surge, crushed Winthrop, 71-40, in East Region action of the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Robbie Cowgill had 14 points and six rebounds, and Kyle Weaver had 14 points and seven boards for the Cougars (25-8), who advance to play fifth-seeded Notre Dame in the second round on Saturday. The Fighting Irish also coasted through their first-round matchup with a 68-50 win over George Mason on Thursday.

Derrick Low scored 11 points for Washington State, and Taylor Rochestie doled out 10 assists.

The game was tied at the break, but Washington outscored the Eagles 42-11 in the second half to win going away.

Taj McCullough led 13th-seeded Winthrop (22-12) with 17 points and eight rebounds. Chris Gaynor scored 15 for the Eagles, who upset Notre Dame last year as a No. 11, but couldn't duplicate that magic on Thursday.

Winthrop went ice-cold on the offensive end in the second half, and the Cougars heated up, turning a nip-and-tuck game into a laugher.

Washington State scored nine straight to start the half, and a Caleb Forrest layup pushed the Cougars ahead 38-29 with 14:55 remaining.

Then McCullough and Michael Jenkins dropped in baskets, sandwiching a Low jumper, and the Cougar lead stood at 40-33. Jenkins' jumper at the 12:43 mark was the last field goal for Winthrop for almost 10 minutes of action.

Washington State didn't experience similar struggles from the field. Low drained two three-pointers, and Cowgill scored eight points on an incredible 27-1 run that all-but ended the game. Forrest capped the burst with a jumper, posting the Cougars to a 67-34 lead with 3:04 left in regulation.

"I thought the difference in the second half was a few things. I thought we got great production from Aaron and Robbie ... Derrick Low got on track," said Cougars head coach Tony Bennett.

"But our defense, we're going to try not to give 'em the easy baskets. They're going to have to earn everything. No second-chance points, no easy breakdowns on cross screens, no stuff all the ball screens. When we did that, they got a little cold, our offense caught fire," said Bennett.

Gaynor made two three-pointers in the second-half, but it was much too little, too late for the Eagles, who made only 4-of-24 (16.7 percent) from the field in the second half.

"In my heart, I don't think there's any question that this team overachieved," said Eagles head coach Randy Peele. "The sad part about today is, what really hurts me is that you got four seniors, in terms of the way they're going out, I mean, it just breaks your heart. But, you know, we all learn lessons in life. One of the things that I try to do with them afterwards is, in terms of being grown men, is how we handle this."

Winthrop looked ready to again fill the role of Cinderella, or at least put up a fight during the first half. An early 6-2 Washington State edge was the largest lead by either team in the half, and Winthrop led 29-27 after a McCullough three with 1:31 left.

Cowgill threw down a dunk with 1:09 left, though, and the teams were tied at 29-29 at the intermission.

Game Notes

Winthrop shot 42.9 percent in the first half, but just 30.8 percent for the game...The Cougars dominated the glass, 40-21...It was the first-ever meeting between the schools on the hardwood...Washington State improved to 4-0 all time against current members of the Big South...Conversely, the Eagles are 0-4 versus Pac-10 teams.