The WSU men's basketball team welcomed the UCLA Bruins to Beasley Coliseum this afternoon in a televised event on ROOT Sports. This was the most physical game played at Beasley Coliseum this season with plenty of pushing and shoving and a combined 36 fouls on both teams. The first half was close the entire way as the two teams traded buckets back and forth. Then, with 3:21 left in the half, UCLA's Anthony Stover committed a flagrant foul on Brock Motum, pushing him over backwards after Motum rebounded and put up a shot that tied the game at 25 all. Returning from the stoppage in play, WSU went on a 7-0 run, forcing UCLA to take a timeout to slow the Cougs momentum. During the run, WSU made back-to-back threes. The run gave the Cougs a 32-27 lead that carried them to halftime as they led 34-29 at the buzzer. Following a 20-minute intermission, the two teams returned and traded buckets as the Bruins brought themselves to within 2 at 40-38 with 16:39 left to play. However, the Cougs fought back with a free throw and layup by Motum and a three from senior Abe Lodwick to extend their lead to six. The Bruins then countered with a run of their own to take a 50-49 lead with 9:25 left to go in the game. The two teams swapped baskets as the Cougs attempted to keep the Bruins in range. With three minutes to play, Lodwick drained a three to cut UCLA's lead to four and the Beasley crowd got rowdy, trying to spur a WSU run. Despite the fans' efforts, the shot proved to be the last field goal for over three minutes. With only 30 seconds left, and WSU still trailing 58-54, the Cougs were forced to foul to stop the clock. The Cougars only hope was that UCLA wouldn't convert clutch free throws and WSU could score off the missed shots. The Bruins gave WSU plenty of opportunities, going 5-of-9 in the final seconds, but an offensive rebound by UCLA, and a turnover by the Cougs prevented WSU from getting enough attempts to score. When the Cougs did manage to get the ball to their side of the court, junior Reggie Moore was able to knock down back-to-back threes that kept WSU's chances of winning alive. A last-second, full-court heave by Motum was on target, but fell a few feet short of the rim and the Cougs fell to the Bruins for the 19th-straight time in Pullman, 63-60. Mark it down in your record books: This is the first time this season WSU has lost at Beasley (8-1 on the season) and the first loss in 11 games on Friel Court. The last loss at Beasley was also to the Bruins last season when the Cougs lost, 58-54, in overtime.
Player of the Game: Brock Motum. For the second-straight game, Brock Motum earns the Player of the Game award. Motum posted the third double-double of his career with 25 points and 11 rebounds. In addition, Motum went 9-of-18 from the field and 5-of-6 from the stripe. Motum's 11 rebounds was a team-high and helped the Cougs outrebound the Bruins 37-30.
Play of the Game: Lodwick's one-handed, put-back dunk. Senior Abe Lodwick takes today's Play of the Game with his put-back jam early in the game at the 13:22 mark in the first half. Redshirt freshman Dexter Kernich-Drew caught a pass in the deep corner and rose up for a 3-pointer. The shot missed off the rim, but Lodwick was there to clean up jumping and hanging in the air long enough to grab the ball with one hand, and throw it back down into the rim in front of a ZZU CRU that exploded after the play.
Turning Point: The final buzzer. As previously stated, this game was close the entire way. There were 15 lead changes and four ties and neither team took more than a seven-point lead at any point during the game. Both coaches did a good job calling timeouts to prevent any extended runs by the other team. Even with only one second left the game was still close. UCLA held a three-point lead and Motum's last-second toss looked as if it could fall. Nevertheless, it didn't and the game was decided when the buzzer sounded.
Stat of the Game: Points off turnovers. The Cougars were severely outscored when it came to turnovers. While WSU didn't have significantly more turnovers than UCLA (15 for WSU and 10 for UCLA), but the Bruins capitalized more frequently on WSU mistakes. The Bruins managed 18 points off WSU's turnovers, while the Cougs were only able to score three points off UCLA's mishaps.
The Cougars are now 4-7 in Pac-12 play and 12-11 overall. WSU returns to action next weekend as they hit the road to face the Oregon school. The Cougs face Oregon State (15-8, 5-6) Thursday at 7 p.m. and then travel to Eugene to face Oregon (16-6, 7-3) at 2 p.m. in a televised event the following Saturday at 3 p.m. That game can be seen on the Comcast Sports Network NW channel.
The Cougars returned to Beasley Coliseum this evening to host the USC Trojans. This evening started off much better than last weekend's, as the Cougs opened the game on a 10-3 run in which the Trojans were forced to call two timeouts to slow WSU's momentum. But USC would return from the first media timeout and go on a 10-1 run that put it up 13-11 with 12:30 left to play in the half. During the run, the Cougs only attempted one field goal, which they missed, compared to USC which went 4-of-6 from the floor including two 3-point field goals. Following the 12-minute media timeout, WSU returned with an 8-0 run of its own, spurred by a Brock Motum lay in, and took back the lead, 19-13. For the remainder of the half the Cougs and Trojans traded buckets as WSU was able to maintain a single-digit lead. Entering the locker room at the half, the Cougs held a six-point lead, 30-24. The second half consisted of a series of runs by both teams in which the Cougars would extend their lead and USC would pull the Cougs back in. The half began with a run by WSU, extending its lead to 14 by the 13:24 mark before the Trojans would slow the Cougars. USC returned the favor with an 11-2 run of their own that cut WSU's lead down to four with 6:42 left to play. WSU made a short run to put itself back up by 11 with the help of free throws by Motum and Mike Ladd. However, USC wasn't going down without a fight and cut the Cougar lead to five with less than two minutes to play, but the Cougs were able to burn enough clock and force the Trojans to foul sending the Cougs to the stripe where they converted 2-of-3 to give the Cougs a seven-point victory, 60-53.
Player of the Game: Brock Motum. Brock Motum earns this evening's Player of the Game as he posted the only double-digit performance of the night for the Cougs with 26 points. Motum shot 9-of-11 in the game and 7-of-10 from the stripe while pulling in eight rebounds. Last weekend against the Sun Devils, Motum posted a career-high 34 points and is now averaging a team-high 16.8 while shooting .576 from the floor.
Play of the Game: Brock Motum fake and finish. Although DaVonte' Lacy also had an impressive play early in the game, Motum also receives tonight's Play of the Game. Motum had control of the ball on the wing early in the second half and made a quick, one-step juke move to throw his defender off balance allowing Motum to make an explosive, one-dribble, three-step drive to the basket, elevate in the open lane, and slam it home with emphasis.
Turning Point: When USC started fouling. This game was close throughout. Both teams exchanged runs as the Cougs would extend their lead and the Trojans would cut it back down. With only 1:43 to play, the Cougs maintained a five-point lead, but USC was on an 8-2 run and attempting to take one final lead. However, WSU was able to burn enough clock and prevent any Trojan field goals and USC was forced to foul with less than 30 seconds to go, signaling to the crowd and the Cougars that the game was over.
Stat of the Game: Free throws. The Cougs shot 16 more free throws than the Trojans on the night and committed a season-low eight fouls. WSU was able to convert 14-of-19 from the stripe while USC was limited to only three attempts, two of which it made. Free throws proved to be a difference-maker in this game as WSU held on to win by seven points.
The Cougars are now 4-6 in Pac-12 play and 12-10 overall. WSU returns to action this Saturday at 2 p.m. as it faces UCLA (5-5, 12-10) in a televised event on ROOT Sports. Following the game Saturday, the Cougs will hit the road to face the Oregon schools down in Oregon the following weekend.
The WSU Cougars welcomed the conference-leading California Golden Bears to Beasley Coliseum this afternoon. The game started slow with the teams trading buckets back-and-forth before Faisal Aden came in with 16:51 left in the half and went on a tear, scoring WSU's next eight points. However, the Bears maintained their lead throughout the first half, at one point leading by as many as 11 before the Cougs managed to reel them back in. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded Cal led by six at 40-34. Returning from the locker room, the Cougs went on a 13-4 run to take the lead by three with 17:27 left to play, but California would respond with a run of its own to go back up, 56-49. The Cougs continued to trail California by low single digits until just under the seven-minute mark when WSU tied the game up for a third time at 62 all. This time the Cougs stuck with the Bears, preventing any large runs and pressured them for the lead. With only 1:32 left to play in the game WSU and Cal were tied at 74-74. The two exchanged missed shots before freshman DaVonte' Lacy hit a three from the corner with only 17 seconds left in the game to give the Cougs one final lead, 77-74. Cal managed one last push, but only got a free throw with two seconds left. After an intentionally missed second free throw, Cal's Jorge Gutierrez threw up one final three that missed off the rim and the Cougs knocked off the conference-leading California Golden Bears 77-75.
Player of the Game: Faisal Aden. Faisal Aden earns back-to-back Player of the Game awards for his impressive performance this week. Coming off the bench just three minutes into this game, Aden made his presence known scoring the Cougs ensuing eight points. After dropping a career high 33 points on Stanford Thursday, Aden made a strong showing against the Bears this afternoon. Aden scored 24 points on the night to lead the game going 9-of-12 from the field and 6-for-7 from the stripe. Also in double digits for the Cougs were Brock Motum (15), DaVonte' Lacy (14), and Abe Lodwick (12).
Play of the Game: Lacy's 3 with 17 seconds left. DaVonte' Lacy made a statement for "Play of the Year" with his clutch 3-pointer from the corner to give the Cougs one last lead. Lacy caught a pass from Reggie Moore in the corner in front of the Cougar bench and rose up for a shot that sunk to the bottom of the net. In addition to nailing the shot, Lacy was also fouled and sent to the line. The potential four-point play electrified the Beasley crowd, and sent a deafening roar through Beasley Coliseum. Lacy did miss the free throw, leaving the potential for Cal to tie it, but they were unable to convert and the Cougs pulled out a victory.
Turning Point: Capers jam for the tie. This game see-sawed back and forth many times. There were seven lead changes and seven ties in the game. It was either team's game with one 2:15 left, but Marcus Capers made it clear the Cougs weren't going down without a fight. Capers got the ball from Reggie Moore and drove hard to the rim. He rose up and threw down a massive dunk to tie the game at 72-72. Capers's dunk got the crowd on their feet and produced a deafening roar that didn't cease until the Cougs walked off the court with a two-point victory over conference-leading California.
Stat of the Game: Bench points. The WSU bench poured in 42 points on the night, while Cal's only managed four. The main contributors to the Cougs bench productivity were Faisal Aden and Abe Lodwick who scored a combined 36 of WSU's bench points. Also adding to the total were D.J. Shelton and Dexter Kernich-Drew with three apiece.
The Cougars have knocked off two-straight conference leaders and are now 3-4 in Pac-12 play and 11-8 overall. WSU returns to the hardwood next Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. PST in a televised event against the Arizona Wildcats (13-7, 4-3) at Tuscan, Ariz. Following the game Thursday, the Cougs will travel to Tempe, Ariz. to face the Arizona State Sundevils (6-13, 2-5) at 2 p.m. PST.
In his latest podcast, Director of Athletics Bill Moos discusses the snow at WSU (check out photo of Martin Stadium from Friday morning), and gives an update on Cougar Athletics, including The Cougar Football Project and the upcoming Night With Cougar Football events.
Listen to the "Cougar Calls With Bill Moos" show, coaches' news conferences, and interviews with coaches, student-athletes, and more at the WSUCougars.com Podcast Network Page HERE
The WSU Cougars returned to Pullman tonight for the first time in over a month and welcomed the Stanford Cardinal to a frozen Palouse. The Cougs got off to a quick start, leading 10-5 before the Cardinal went on a 13-2 run with 14 minutes left to take a 21-17 lead. During the seven-minute Stanford run, WSU went 1-of-8 from the floor. However, WSU would bounce back, spurred by a pair of free throws and a quick lay up by Faisal Aden that kept the Cougs in the game. The Cardinal kept WSU at bay for the remainder of the half, maintaining a two-point lead entering the locker room, 27-29. The Cougs started the second half slow, allowing Stanford to go on a 8-0 run to extend its lead to 10, but Ken Bone called a quick timeout and the Cougs managed to slow the Cardinal momentum and hold them to around a 10-point lead. The game continued with the Cougars trailing by single digits until Dexter Kernich-Drew hit a three-pointer with 13:10 left in the game that cut Stanford's lead to eight. Kernich-Drew's three spurred a 26-6 run by the Cougs that lasted over six minutes and put WSU up by nine points. Stanford was able to slow the Cougs momentum, holding WSU to around a 10-point lead, but the Cardinal were never able to reel the Cougs back in and WSU cruised to an 81-69 victory.
Player of the Game: Faisal Aden. Faisal Aden earns tonight's Player of the Game award, dropping a career-high 33 points on the Cardinal. Aden shot a perfect 13-of-13 from the line and scored 23 of his 33 points in the second half. Aden shot an impressive .588 from the floor and went 6-of-8 in the second half. In addition, Aden went 3-for-3 from the field and 6-of-6 from the stripe during the Cougs second half 26-6 run.
Play of the Game: Kernich-Drew's three with 13:10 left. Dexter Kernich-Drew earns the accolade for Play of the Game after he put life back into the Beasley crowd. Up until this point, Stanford had maintained around a 10-point lead and the Cougs were beginning to fade, but Kernich-Drew got the ball at the top of the arc and nailed a three that sent the ZZU CRU into a frenzy. Kernich-Drew's three spurred a 26-6 run by the Cougs that gave them a nine-point lead with seven minutes to play.
Turning Point: Back-to-back threes with eight minutes left. The turning point in the game came with 8:37 left to play in the second half. The game was tied at 55 all and everyone in Beasley Coliseum was holding their breath to see if WSU could continue their run and pull away from the Cardinal. DaVonte' Lacy got the ball rolling in the right direction as he hit an open three from beyond the arc to put the Cougs up by three. Reggie Moore followed by draining another three-pointer to extend the WSU lead to six. The Cougs never looked back, extending their lead to 10 before Stanford could pull them in, but the Cougs maintained their lead and finished the game up by 12.
Stat of the Game: Second half field goal percentage. The Cougs shot an incredible .727 from the field in the second half, going 16-of-22 from the field and 19-of-21 from the stripe. Faisal Aden shot lights out for WSU going 13-of-13 from the line (11-of-11 in the second half) and 10-17(6-8 in the second half) from the field. The Cardinal didn't help its cause, shooting 8-of-33 from beyond the arc for the game, while tossing up 19 threes in the second half.
The Cougars are now 2-4 in Pac-12 play and 10-8 overall. They will return to action Saturday, Jan. 21 at 3:05 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum to take on the California Golden Bears (15-4, 6-1). Following the game Saturday the Cougs will travel to Arizona to face the University of Arizona and Arizona State.
Members of the Washington State men's basketball team spent their lunch, Tuesday, Jan. 17, in Mrs. Robinson's third grade classroom at Sunnyside Elementary. The class earned a pizza party with the men's basketball team by winning a competition which involved attending the men's basketball game against Western Oregon Dec. 18 at Beasley Coliseum. Abe Lodwick, Patrick Simon, Dexter Kernich-Drew, Dominic Ballard, Chuks Iroegbu, Marcus Capers, Reggie Moore, D.J. Shelton and Royce Woolridge each attended the pizza party, along with operations assistant Tim Marrion and video assistant Mike Simonson from the coaching staff.
