Wichita State 72, La Salle 58: Malcolm Armstead scored 18 points and Carl Hall had 14 of his 16 points in the first half as the Shockers defeated the Explorers to reach Saturday’s West Regional final in Los Angeles.

Ron Baker added 13 points for ninth-seeded Wichita State (29-8), which faces second-seeded Ohio State for a spot in the Final Four. The Shockers never trailed while following up their upset of top-seeded Gonzaga.

Jerrell Wright and Tyrone Garland scored 16 points apiece for 13th-seeded La Salle (24-10), which shot just 35.7 percent from the field.

The Shockers led by 22 early in the second half before La Salle made a bid to get back into the contest. Ramon Galloway drained a 3-pointer to cap a 10-0 run but Baker hit a 3-pointer to stymie the bid and Wichita State got the lead back to 20 on Cleanthony Early’s fast-break dunk with 3:54 remaining.

Hall hit his first five shots en route to 10 quick points as Wichita State jumped out to a 14-2 lead with 15:49 left in the first half. La Salle cut its deficit to 29-21 on Galloway’s basket with 3:39 to go before the Shockers finished the half with a 9-1 run for a 38-22 lead at the break.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Wichita State outrebounded La Salle 47-29 and had a 40-26 edge in points in the paint. … Garland made four of La Salle’s seven 3-pointers. … The Shockers are in the regional finals for the first time since 1981 when the roster included future NBA players Antoine Carr and Cliff Levingston.