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.

Waving the flag for Wazzu,

Jim Crawford


Ken Bone Press Conference

Student-Athlete Press Conference

Game Highlights