Play of the Game: Usually when Gonzaga center Robert Sacre attempts to dunk the ball, he succeeds. But with 12 minutes left in the second half, Sacre went up for the point-blank attempt and was met by Thompson, who matched the big man at the rim and rejected the ball out to Reggie Moore, but he wasn't done there. Moore took the ball down the floor and dished it to Thompson who nailed a three. Thompson admitted he was proud of the block after the game.

"It felt great, I felt like Casto blocking a 7-footer, I've never blocked a 7-footer like that before."

Player of the Game: Though he only managed three points in the first half on 1-of-4 shooting, Klay Thompson came out a man possessed in the second half. The junior guard went 7-for-10 from the field to finish with 24 points. Thompson was contributing more than just points though, leading the team in three other categories with six assists, six rebounds and a career high seven steals.

Honorable Mention: Faisal Aden battled foul trouble all night and played only 21 minutes. The San Diego, Calif. native worked efficiently to finish with 14 points, two assists and three steals. Aden was a game-time decision with a tweaked knee, but ended up playing.

Patrick Simon also gets a nod to the honorable mention list for some big momentum shots in the first half. The freshman finished with 11 points (3-for-5 from 3-point), just one point shy of his career high, and two rebounds in 19 minutes.

Stat of the Game: Defense. The Cougars mixed man-to-man pressure with a solid 2-3 zone that had the bulldogs baffled all game long. WSU forced 25 turnovers which resulted in 24 points. The Cougars also finished with a season-high 14 steals.

Turning Point: Heading into halftime the Bulldogs made a charge to put themselves back into contention, cutting what was a 24-point lead down to six points by the break. Gonzaga had possession to open the half and dumped the ball into Sacre who missed an open dunk. When the Cougars gained possession Thompson hit a quick jumper which was the start of 14-4 run over the next five minutes and foreshadowed a second-half onslaught.    

Until Next Time...Go Cougs!

Casey Johnson