The Washington State Cougars hosted the University of Wyoming Cowboys in a quarterfinal matchup of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) presented by Zebra Pen this evening at Beasley Coliseum. WSU returned to the Palouse after defeating the University of San Francisco in San Francisco in the opening round of the invitational. The game was highly physical and defensive and both teams struggled to score throughout the game. A 10-2 run by the Cougs in the middle of the first half put WSU up by seven with 7:02 left to play in the half. As the half came to a close, the Cougs extended their lead to as many as 10 and maintained a 26-21 advantage heading into halftime. Returning for the second half, WSU and Wyoming continued to trade buckets, but the Cougs continued to pull away and had an 11-point lead with 16:13 left to play. At the 11:45 mark, Mike Ladd sunk a free throw, spurring a 6-0 run by WSU that gave the Cougs a 15-point lead with 9:43 left to play. As the game continued and the game intensified, the two teams became more physical. With 4:49 left to play and the Cougars up 47-37, Wyoming's Larry Nance, Jr. committed a technical foul, ripping Brock Motum away from a rebound as the two went for the ball. Following the technical foul, Nance, Jr. received a second technical foul for verbal misconduct, ejecting him from the game and giving the Cougs four free throws in addition to a pair of shots for the original personal foul. The technicals spurred a second 6-0 run by the Cougs that put them up by 17 with 3:28 left in the game. The Cougs never looked back, extending their lead to 20 and closing the game on a 7-0 run, cruising to a 61-41 victory in the CBI quarterfinals.
Player of the Game:
Abe Lodwick. The two stand-out performers for WSU this evening were Brock Motum and Abe Lodwick. Lodwick earns tonight's Player of the Game despite Motum posting 25 points. Lodwick earns the award for his efficient shooting and hustle. He scored a career-high 16 points, going 4-for-7 from behind the arc and 6-of-9 from the field. In addition, Lodwick pulled in seven rebounds and dished out four assists, one shy of his career high.
Play of the Game:
Capers's posterizing jam and the foul. Tonight's Play of the Game came with 10:42 left to play in the first half. WSU's DaVonte'Lacy poked the ball free from a Wyoming guard and tossed the ball up to Marcus Capers who was on a fast break. Two Wyoming defenders stood between Capers and the hoop and rather than slowing down or driving around them, Capers went up and over the pair, drawing a foul as he slammed it home. Despite missing the free throw following the play, the dunk spurred a 10-2 run and put the Cougs up by seven with seven minutes left in the first half.
Turning Point:
Double technical foul on Wyoming. This game was a physical, defensive battle the whole time. As the clock was ticking away, the game became more intense and the game got more physical. This all culminated in back-to-back technical fouls on Wyoming's Larry Nance, Jr. with 4:49 left to play in the game. Nance, Jr. received a personal foul during a scramble for a rebound. Nance, Jr. disagreed with the call and began arguing with the referee. This drew a technical foul, sending Nance, Jr. further into a discussion with the official, leading to a second technical foul, ejecting him from the game. The fouls and resulting free throw spurred a 6-0 run by WSU and put Wyoming down 17 with 3:28 left to play. The Cougs closed the game on a 7-0 run and posted a 61-41 victory over the Cowboys.
Stat of the Game:
Second chance points. Throughout the game the Cougs managed to outrebound Wyoming 36-23. This led to a number of extra opportunities and 12 second chance points compared to only two put-back points for the Cowboys.
The Cougars are now 17-16 overall and will travel to Corvallis, Ore. to face the Oregon State Beavers Wednesday at 7 p.m. This marks the fourth time this season the Beavers and Cougars will meet and Wednesday night's game can be seen on HDNet. The matchup is one of two semifinals in the CBI and the winner will play Butler or Pittsburg in a best-of-three championship series to conclude the CBI.
Waving the flag for Wazzu,
Jim Crawford
Player of the Game:
Abe Lodwick. The two stand-out performers for WSU this evening were Brock Motum and Abe Lodwick. Lodwick earns tonight's Player of the Game despite Motum posting 25 points. Lodwick earns the award for his efficient shooting and hustle. He scored a career-high 16 points, going 4-for-7 from behind the arc and 6-of-9 from the field. In addition, Lodwick pulled in seven rebounds and dished out four assists, one shy of his career high.
Play of the Game:
Capers's posterizing jam and the foul. Tonight's Play of the Game came with 10:42 left to play in the first half. WSU's DaVonte'Lacy poked the ball free from a Wyoming guard and tossed the ball up to Marcus Capers who was on a fast break. Two Wyoming defenders stood between Capers and the hoop and rather than slowing down or driving around them, Capers went up and over the pair, drawing a foul as he slammed it home. Despite missing the free throw following the play, the dunk spurred a 10-2 run and put the Cougs up by seven with seven minutes left in the first half.
Turning Point:
Double technical foul on Wyoming. This game was a physical, defensive battle the whole time. As the clock was ticking away, the game became more intense and the game got more physical. This all culminated in back-to-back technical fouls on Wyoming's Larry Nance, Jr. with 4:49 left to play in the game. Nance, Jr. received a personal foul during a scramble for a rebound. Nance, Jr. disagreed with the call and began arguing with the referee. This drew a technical foul, sending Nance, Jr. further into a discussion with the official, leading to a second technical foul, ejecting him from the game. The fouls and resulting free throw spurred a 6-0 run by WSU and put Wyoming down 17 with 3:28 left to play. The Cougs closed the game on a 7-0 run and posted a 61-41 victory over the Cowboys.
Stat of the Game:
Second chance points. Throughout the game the Cougs managed to outrebound Wyoming 36-23. This led to a number of extra opportunities and 12 second chance points compared to only two put-back points for the Cowboys.
The Cougars are now 17-16 overall and will travel to Corvallis, Ore. to face the Oregon State Beavers Wednesday at 7 p.m. This marks the fourth time this season the Beavers and Cougars will meet and Wednesday night's game can be seen on HDNet. The matchup is one of two semifinals in the CBI and the winner will play Butler or Pittsburg in a best-of-three championship series to conclude the CBI.
Waving the flag for Wazzu,
Jim Crawford
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