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INDIANAPOLIS – Behind a stout defensive performance No. 10 Wichita State held off No. 7 Dayton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, 64-58.

The Shockers advance to the second round where they await the winner of No. 2 Kentucky and No. 15 Northern Kentucky. Game time and TV information will be announced later tonight.

With the win, Wichita State (31-4) is one of only five schools (Gonzaga, Kansas, North Carolina and Oregon) to have won an NCAA Tournament game in each of the last five tournaments.

The Shocker defense proved to be the deciding factor in the game, holding UD to only 31 percent shooting and outrebounding the Flyers, 48-29. WSU shot 40 percent overall, despite making only 6-of-20 attempts from beyond the arc.

On a night when very little came easy on the offensive end, Landry Shamet led Wichita State with 13 points. Zach Brown was nearly perfect going 4-of-5 and 3-for-3 from long range for 12 points. Shaquille Morris added 10 points and six boards, while Rashard Kelly grabbed a team-best 11 rebounds.

Scoochie Smith led Dayton (24-8) with a game-high 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Kendall Pollard added 13 for UD.

The first 20 minutes was an evenly-matched contest with neither team leading by more than five points, featuring four ties and nine lead changes.

Neither team shot above 40 percent, but Dayton converted on five of its first 10 three-point attempts to give them a 24-22 lead with 4:00 minutes left in the half.

After Brown cashed in on a trey to open the game, the Shockers missed their next 10 attempts before Kelly's buzzer-beating three from the top of the key sent WSU into the break trailing by just two, 29-27. Prior to Kelly's three, the Flyers had all the momentum and a five point lead.

No Shocker had more than five points in the half. On the other side, Scoochie Smith torched WSU for 15 first half points.

Wichita State outrebounded UD 24-16, but the Shockers turned the ball over eight times compared to only three for the Flyers.

Back-to-back long range bombs from Brown and Shamet gave Wichita State a 41-38 lead with 11:56 to play.

With 5:35 remaining, Brown cashed in his third three-pointer of the game to give WSU its largest lead, 51-45. The triple forced a Dayton timeout with the Shockers looking to land a knockout punch.

A Dayton three with 1:57 left cut WSU's seven point lead to four, 55-51. On the ensuing Shocker possession Conner Frankamp's first basket of the game was a huge one. His trey put WSU up by seven once again.

Looking for a stop, Dayton was whistled for a foul on a Shamet three-point attempt sending the redshirt freshman to the line for three crucial shots. He would make 2-of-3 giving the Shockers a 60-53 lead.

Scoochie Smith's three-point play cut the deficit to five after Shaquille Morris' free throw put Wichita State ahead by eight. Markis McDuffie would add two more free throws to clinch the win.

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