The Cougars hosted the Pittsburg Panthers in the first game of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) presented by Zebra Pen tonight. The game was the first in a best-of-three series for the CBI title. The start of the game was controlled by Pitt as they jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, but WSU fought back to within one with 15:23 left in the half. With 14:46, Abe Lodwick hit a three that spurred a 10-2 run and gave the Cougs a 17-12 lead. However, the Panthers responded with a run of their own, giving themselves a 25-17 lead before coach Bone would call a timeout with 9:30 left in the half. The Cougars shot an impressive .632 (12-for-19) from the field in the first half and were able to keep pace with the Panthers. At the half, the score was 35-38 in favor of the Panthers. The Cougs returned from the locker room on a 10-4 run to give them a 45-42 lead with 16:09 left to play. The run forced a Pitt timeout to prevent a further run from WSU. The teams exchanged baskets for the next seven minutes, but a 3-pointer by Patrick Simon with 9:32 left pushed WSU's lead to eight. The shot spurred a 7-0 Coug run that put them up 60-48 with eight minutes left to play. The Panthers returned the favor with a 12-2 run to close the gap to three. The Cougars maintained their small lead, but were unable to extend it to more than six for the remainder of the game. With 2:08 left to play, Lodwick drained a three, giving them their first field goal in over six minutes. WSU continued to drain the clock, while converting on the offensive end as Reggie Moore knocked down a jumper with 1:09 left to build WSU's lead to five. However, the Panthers wouldn't go quietly, going in for a layup, while being fouled on the shot for a three-point play. With 18.6 seconds left, WSU lead by two, 67-65, and Pitt had the ball at midcourt. The Panthers controlled the ball until they attempted a shot with five seconds left, but the shot wouldn't fall. However, Pittsburg nabbed the offensive board and went back up for the shot, drawing a foul. Pittsburg's Talib Zanna knocked down the first free throw, but the second fell short and Abe Lodwick secured the rebound before being fouled. Lodwick stepped up for one-and-one at WSU's end, but failed to convert the shot allowing Pitt a rebound and a quick timeout with 3.5 to play. The Cougars then called a second-consecutive timeout directly after Pittsburg's. When play resumed, a Pitt player threw a half court lob to Tray Woodall who drove to the paint, hoping for an easy two points and one-point lead to end the game. Sophomore D.J. Shelton wasn't about to let the Cougs' lead slip away and he swatted the attempted layin right back to the floor. Beasley erupted, but Pitt regained possession after the block bounced out of bounds. With 0.8 seconds on the clock and facing a one-point deficit, Pitt made one last attempt for the win, but a deep jumper from the corner fell short and WSU held on to win its final home game of the season at Beasley Coliseum, 67-66.
Player of the Game: Abe Lodwick. The senior's final home game at Beasley Coliseum ended on a high note. Lodwick went 6-of-12 from the floor including 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. He scored a team-high 16 points and added a team-high seven rebounds. The senior only turned the ball over once in his 31 minutes of play. Additionally, Lodwick is averaging 16.3 points per game in WSU's four CBI games. Congratulations to all the seniors in their final home game!
Play of the Game: Shelton's swat to seal the game. Pittsburg's Tray Woodall drove into the lane with one second left, hoping to give the Panthers a buzzer-beating victory, but the flash of hope died just as quickly as it had come. All six feet 10 inches of D.J. Shelton slid into the lane as Shelton elevated to smack the ball into the stands. The play sent the Beasley crowd into a roar, followed by a boisterous "You got swatted" chant that led into the ensuing timeout.
Turning Point: The final buzzer. While this game contained a number of runs by both teams, neither team could fully walk away with the game. With only four seconds left the Cougs grasped to a one-point lead. With some exceptional defensive efforts, the Cougs finally obtained a well-deserved victory.
Stat of the Game: 3-point shooting percentage. The Cougars shot a season high .600 (9-of-15) from beyond the arc. Abe Lodwick led the team, going 4-of-5 on the night. Lodwick now holds the record for 3-point percentage in a single season at .495 (47-of-95).
The Cougars are now 19-16 overall and will travel to Pittsburg, Pa. for the second game of the Championship. Should Pittsburg win, it would force a third game in the series. Game Two will take place at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) Wednesday night. The potential third game would be played Friday at 7 p.m. ET. Wednesday night's game can be seen on HDNet.
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.
WSU held its final regular-season home game at Beasley Coliseum this evening, hosting the Washington Huskies in front of a rowdy Beasley crowd. The Huskies opened the game on a 6-0 run with a pair of high-flying dunks, but the Cougs retaliated with a 14-0 run of their own. The WSU run lasted over six minutes and gave WSU an eight-point lead with 10:17 left to play in the half. The game continued with a second run by Washington to tie the game up at 14 before the eight-minute media timeout. The teams traded baskets back and forth for the remainder of the half as the Cougs benefited from early fouls by UW and went to the line often - converting 11-of-12 free throws in the first half. At halftime the game was all tied up at 28. Returning from the locker room, the Cougs swapped buckets with the Huskies before Brock Motum drove the baseline and rose up for a massive jam over UW's Terrence Ross with 18:13 left. Abe Lodwick and Marcus Capers followed Motum's jam with a breakaway dunk and lay in that brought the ZZU CRU to a roar and gave WSU a seven-point lead with 17 minutes to play. The Cougars continued to extend their lead to 11 until Washington's Austin Seferian-Jenkins was issued a technical foul with 13:09 left after shoving off Reggie Moore as the two walked past each other. WSU had the opportunity to extend its lead further; however, poor second half free throw shooting troubled the Cougars. With WSU missing free throws, the Huskies clawed their way back into the game, forcing a 47-47 tie with 7:50 left in the game. Both teams continued to make buckets, unable to extend their lead to more than two. With only 51 seconds left to play, the Cougars faced a one-point deficit and Washington had the ball. A blocking foul committed by Abe Lodwick sent UW to the line where it converted 1-of-2, giving itself a two-point cushion. WSU brought the ball back up the court and called a quick timeout to allow Patrick Simon to sub into the game and attempt a 3-pointer that fell short. The missed shot left the Cougs no choice but to foul with only 10 seconds left. UW extended its lead to four and a last second shot by Simon also rimmed out as the Cougars fell to Washington at home, 59-55.
Player(s) of the Game: Senior pair: Capers & Lodwick. Being the last home game, tonight's Player of the Game should go to a senior on the team, but there were two impressive performances by seniors tonight. Abe Lodwick scored eight points and pulled in nine rebounds tying his career-high. In addition, Marcus Capers tied a season-high and set a personal conference-high with 14 points. Capers also dished out five assists and pulled in six rebounds. The pair was instrumental in keeping WSU in the game until the very end. Congratulations to all the seniors!
Play of the Game: Motum's one-handed throw-down over a Husky. Anyone in attendance of tonight's game would agree that the Play of the Game was Brock Motum's posterizing jam over Washington's Terrence Ross. Motum cut the basket along the baseline and Reggie Moore dished Motum the ball. Motum took two steps and rose up over Ross to throw down a rim-rattling jam that sent the Beasley crowd into a frenzy. When the crowd finally settled down, it was discovered that the official had also called a blocking foul on Ross and Motum went to the line for a free throw. Despite missing the free throw, the dunk sparked a 12-0 run by the Cougs.
Turning Point: The final buzzer. There were runs by both teams in this game as one team would extend their lead and the other would pull them back in. Throughout the game there were nine ties and eight lead changes. Even with only 51 seconds left, WSU was trailing by just one point and a last second shot by Simon nearly brought the Cougs to within one. For the second time in three games the Cougs lost by just four points.
Stat of the Game: First half free throws and second half free throws. This game was a tale of two halves for WSU when it came to free throws. In the first half, WSU sunk 11-of-12 from the charity stripe and replaced the Cougs' lackluster field goal percentage of .267. In the second half the opposite became true as the team shot .455 percent from the floor, but only converted on 6-of-20 free throws. The poor second-half free throw shooting eventually cost the Cougs much needed points at the end of the game as WSU lost by only four points.
The Cougars are now 6-10 in Pac-12 play and 14-14 overall. WSU now travels to Los Angeles for their final two regular-season games against UCLA and USC. The Cougs will first face UCLA Thursday March 1 at 7:30 p.m. and then will play USC the following Saturday March 3 at 3 p.m. Following the final two regular-season games, the Cougs will return to Pullman to prepare for the Pac-12 Tournament beginning March 7 in Los Angeles.
The Cougars may only have one game this week, but they have been hard at work. From practices to video shoots, radio interviews, and community service events, this WSU team has been all over the Palouse this weekend. Click the link above to find a gallery full of these photos and more from the team's activities this week.
Don't forget to come support your Cougs as they take on the Washington Huskies Saturday at 5 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum in their final regular-season home game. Go Cougs!
The Cougars welcomed the Arizona State Sun Devils to a 'grayed-out' Beasley Coliseum this evening in a televised event on Root Sports NW. This is the second game in a three-game homestand for WSU. The Cougars opened the game on a 4-0 run spurred by a Brock Motum layin. The quick buckets forced an ASU timeout to prevent any further momentum. But the timeout proved fruitless, as freshman DaVonte' Lacy had a massive jam coming out of the timeout, to give the Cougs a six-point lead. The streak continued as senior Abe Lodwick sank a 3-pointer to give WSU a 10-0 lead with 16:55 left in the half. The Sun Devils finally managed to get on the board with a jumper on the ensuing possession. Lodwick hit a second three to give WSU a 13-2 lead before the game went scoreless for over three minutes until Arizona State nailed a 3-pointer with 11:26 to play in the half. However, the Cougs would respond with a 7-0 run, forcing a second Sun Devil timeout. WSU continued to extend its lead to 27-8 with only 6:03 left in the first half. Then, with 5:30 left to play in the half, Arizona State's Chris Colvin received a technical foul, allowing Reggie Moore to knock down a pair of free throws, extending WSU's lead to 29-8. This evoked a "single digits" chant from the ZZU CRU, taunting ASU for their lack of points with only five minutes to play in the half. When the first-half buzzer sounded the Cougars lead by 28 and the Sun Devils hadn't even reached double digits with a 36-8 score. Arizona State returned with a vengeance in the second half, opening on a 10-2 run, before DaVonte' Lacy snapped the Cougs' sluggish play with a 3-pointer. The Sun Devils continued to claw back into the game, coming as close as 12 points with 13:06 left to play. However, the momentum would swing back towards the Cougs as sophomore Patrick Simon came in off the bench to drain a three from the corner. Redshirt-sophomore D.J. Shelton continued the push with back-to-back dunks that brought the Beasley crowd to a roar and gave WSU a 50-33 lead with 11:26 left. ASU continued to slowly close the gap on WSU, but the Cougars used their nearly 30-point lead from the first half to maintain a comfortable lead and cruise to a 22-point victory, 72-50.
Player of the Game: DaVonte' Lacy. After a sub-par performance Thursday night against Arizona, freshman DaVonte' Lacy outperformed the rest of the Cougar team tonight, dropping a team-high 17 points and dishing out four assists while pulling in three defensive rebounds. Lacy shot an impressive 6-of-11 from the field including four from beyond the arc. He even outscored WSU's leading scorer, Brock Motum, who added 16 points, but only managed one rebound. At halftime the Tacoma native was single-handedly leading the Sun Devils by six, 14-8.
Play of the Game: Lacy's posterizing, and-one jam. DaVonte' Lacy also earns today's Play of the Game. The Cougars were off to a good start in the game, but Arizona State had just called timeout to prevent WSU from gaining any serious momentum. However, Lacy made sure the momentum continued with a posterizing jam over ASU's Jonathan Gilling. Lacy cut to the basket along the baseline and received a pass from senior Marcus Capers. Gilling stepped in to prevent an easy lay up, but Lacy went up and over Gilling, drawing the foul on the play as he slammed the ball home. The dunk set the tone for the rest of the half and the game, as the Cougs led the entire way and coasted to a 72-50 victory.
Turning Point: Simon's three with 13 minutes left. The start of the second half began shaky for the Cougars as ASU set out to close the gap on the Cougs. The Sun Devils stifling defense was creating problems for WSU's starting lineup and had forced three-straight turnovers. Coach Bone decided to shuffle the lineup around, putting in redshirt-freshman Dexter Kernich-Drew and sophomore Patrick Simon. The pair came off the bench and played oppressive defense. Then, with 12:59 left to play in the game, Simon sunk a 3-pointer from the corner, bringing life back to the crowd and spurring an 11-2 run that lasted three and a half minutes and gave the Cougs a 21-point lead with 9:29 left to play.
Stat of the Game: Point distribution. While the Cougars only had two players break into double digits, the distribution of points by WSU helped them win this game. DaVonte' Lacy led the Cougs with 17 points, followed closely by Brock Motum with 16. Marcus Capers added nine, while Abe Lodwick and D.J. Shelton each scored eight points. Compare this to ASU who only had one player score in double digits and no other player score more than six points. The distribution allowed the Cougars to turn to any player on the floor to score points when another was being closely guarded. Needless to say, if WSU continues to have so many hot hands, they will be tough to stop.
The Cougars are now 6-9 in Pac-12 play and 14-13 overall. WSU will hold their final regular season home game of the season next Saturday at 5 p.m. against the Washington Huskies at Beasley Coliseum. The game will be televised regionally on ROOT Sports NW and fans are encouraged to come as early as Friday night to camp out for the game and secure a good seat. Following the game next Saturday, the Cougars will travel to Los Angeles to face UCLA and USC for their final regular season games.
The WSU Cougars welcomed the Arizona Wildcats to Beasley Coliseum in a nationally televised event on FSN. This is the first game of a three-game homestand for the Cougars. The game was very slow what with it being on television and the teams having a combined 39 fouls. The Cougars opened the game on a 7-0 run that forced the Wildcats to take a 30-second timeout to slow WSU's momentum. Following the timeout, the Wildcats returned the favor and tied the game up at 11-11 with 13:17 left to play in the first half. For the remainder of the half the Cougars and Arizona traded buckets back and forth as neither team was able to pull away from the other. Entering the locker room at halftime, the Wildcats maintained a one-point lead, 40-39. The second half brought more back-and-forth battling as the score was tied on 11 occasions throughout the game and the lead changed 11 times. The Cougars tried to control the speed of the game, slowing the ball down when they had possession, while Arizona was looking to fast break any chance it got. As time winded down, no team could escape the other's grasp. With 1:04 left to play, the game was tied at 69-all. Arizona jumped out to a three-point lead off a layup and made free throw by Jesse Perry and WSU took possession of the ball with 38 seconds left, facing a three-point deficit. With 21 seconds left, Brock Motum forced up a 3-pointer as he leaned into his defender to draw the foul. Much to the Arizona bench's dismay, a foul was called and Motum was sent to the line for three shots and a chance to tie the game. Motum stepped up to the line for his first shot, the crowd went silent, and Motum released the ball. This time, much to the Cougars' dismay, the shot bounced off the rim. Motum repeated his free throw ritual once more, trying to bring WSU to within one, but the second free throw also rimmed out. Coach Bone decided to take a timeout before Motum's final shot to regroup and get the team on the same page following the free throw. Following the timeout, Motum stepped up for one final free throw and sunk it to the bottom of the net. After the free throws, the Cougars were forced to foul to stay in the game. The Wildcats made 4-of-4 free throws in the last 19 seconds. Despite a layup by Reggie Moore that brought the game to within two again, the Wildcats were able to hold on, making a second pair of free throws to give themselves a four-point lead and 76-72 victory.
Player of the Game: Reggie Moore. Reggie Moore earns tonight's Player of the Game award. Despite Brock Motum's 28-point performance, Moore was crucial in keeping this game as close as it was. With senior Faisal Aden out for the season, Moore has stepped into a more prominent scoring role on the team. He made a season-high eight field goals and scored a season-high 21 points while going 4-of-4 from the free throw line. In addition, Moore dished out four assists and pulled in two rebounds.
Play of the Game: Motum lob to Shelton for the jam. Tonight's Play of the Game couldn't have come at a more crucial time. With 3:25 left to play in the game and the Cougars trailing by only two points, Brock Motum lobbed a pass in to D.J. Shelton in the key. Shelton caught the ball in stride and rose up to slam it home with one hand. The play brought the Beasley crowd to a roar and tied the game at 67-67.
Turning Point: The final buzzer. As previously stated, this game had 11 ties, the last coming with only 1:04 remaining. Down the stretch, this was either team's game. Even with on 10 seconds remaining, WSU trailed by only two points as the Wildcats stepped up to the free throw line to extend the lead to four. Following the free throws, Reggie Moore raced up the court with the ball and shot a contested 3-pointer. The shot did not fall and there was a last-second scramble for the loose ball as the final buzzer sounded.
Stat of the Game: Bench points. The Cougars were severely outscored off the bench. The Wildcats' bench was able to score 25 points in the game, while WSU's only managed eight points. Redshirt-junior Mike Ladd and redshirt sophomore D.J. Shelton, who usually score the majority of the bench points for the Cougs now that Faisal Aden is out, scored a combined seven points. Redshirt-freshman Dexter Kernich-Drew also added a point for WSU. In a game decided by only four points, the 17-point difference by the benches proved to by a difference-maker.
The Cougars are now 5-9 in Pac-12 play and 13-13 overall. WSU returns to action Saturday at 5 p.m. against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Beasley Coliseum. The game will be televised regionally on ROOT Sports NW and fans are encouraged to wear gray as the Cougs attempt to 'gray out' Beasley Coliseum. The first 3,700 fans will receive a free gray t-shirt. In addition, it is 'Greek Night' and member of the WSU Greek community are encouraged to attend the game. The fraternity and sorority with the most members at the game Saturday will each receive reserved seating for the Cougars' final home game next Saturday, Feb. 25 as WSU hosts Washington at 5 p.m.
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 two 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), 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 schools. 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.
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.
Washington State hosted the Oregon State Beavers today in its second game of the week at the Spokane Arena. The Cougars started off on a torrid pace, leading 18-9 with 13:53 left in the first half. The rest of the first half was a back and forth battle as the Cougars and Beavers exchanged highlight reel plays. Oregon State fought back late in the first half with a 7-0 run that cut the Cougars lead to just 2, 30-28, with 4:05 left. However, DaVonte'Lacy hit a three pointer in the corner, and WSU entered the half leading 40-35. Brock Motum led the team in scoring with 14 points on 6-11 shooting, including two three points which tied his career high. Coming out of the locker room both teams made several short runs before Lacy hit two-consecutive three pointers to give the Cougars a 60-50 lead, but the game was not over. Oregon State's Ahmad Starks and Roberto Nelson combined to hit four three pointers and the Beavers cut the Cougars lead to just 3, 77-74. Washington State closed the game out on free throws, shooting 9-12 (.750) from the line to seal the win 81-76.
Player of the Game:
Motum. Brock Motum led the charge for the Cougs from the opening tip, scoring 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting with 8 rebounds. Motum was the leading scorer in the first half with 14 points as he connected on two 3-pointers, which, at the time, tied a career high. He was not finished at halftime though, as he hit a third 3-pointer and spearheaded a defensive charge in the last 30 seconds of the game that resulted in 0-for-4 shooting by Oregon State, all while WSU held on to a slim lead. Motum finished with a career high three 3-pointers made and 15 field goal attempts, as well as tying a career high with 10 field goals made.
Play of the Game:
Capers one handed jam from Lacy. The Play of the Game was a great transitional effort by the Cougars that resulted in a thunderous slam by Marcus Capers. WSU's defense trapped Oregon State's Joe Burton in the paint and forced him to shoot a wild shot that was rebounded by DaVonte' Lacy. Lacy pushed the tempo before slowing down as he pulled out near the rim. He then found a cutting Capers who finished the Cougars fast break with an electric dunk.
Turning Point:
Motum's tip-in. Washington State was in the midst of a struggle to hold onto a slim lead over the Beavers when Brock Motum tipped in a missed jumper by DaVonte' Lacy with 1:40 left that gave the Cougars a 73-66 lead. His tip in came on the heels of his third three pointer, which is a career high. Although the Beavers continued to make a late charge, the basket by Motum gave the Cougars some breathing room en route to a slim 81-76 victory.
Stat of the Game:
Free Throw Shooting. Free Throws would prove a difference in this game as the Cougars were able to shoot .792 from the free throw line and .750 (9-12) in the game's final three minutes. The Cougars set a season high in free throw percentage and free throws made and attempted (16 and 20 respectively) in the second half.
The Cougars are now 9-5 overall and 1-1 in the Pac-12 Conference. WSU will travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Utes in their first road Pac-12 game of the season, Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 6 p.m. Pacific Time. Washington State will then travel to Boulder, Colo. Saturday, Jan. 7 where it will take on the Colorado Buffaloes at 1 p.m. Pacific Time.
The Cougars hosted the Pepperdine Waves last night in the seventh annual Cougar Hardwood Classic at KeyArena. The game started slowly with both teams missing a combined 14 shots before Faisal Aden hit a three with 15:02 left in the first half. The game remained close throughout the first half, but the Cougs slowly extended their lead, going on an 18-2 run over a 7:49 span from the 13-minute mark to below the 6-minute mark. Entering the locker room at halftime, WSU held a 26-15 lead with Faisal Aden scoring half of the Cougs points (13) on 4-of-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line. Coming out of the locker room the Cougs continued to extend their lead and held a 23-point lead with a little over 11 minutes left to play, but the Waves wouldn't go out without a fight and brought the game within single digits with 21 seconds to play. However, it was too late for Pepperdine and WSU held on to beat the Waves 67-56.
Player(s) of the Game: Lacy and Aden. Last night's Player of the Game Award was a tale of two halves. Faisal Aden led the charge for the Cougs in the first half, scoring half of their points (13) on 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from the stripe. Pepperdine realized this and put more pressure on Aden, allowing DaVonte' Lacy to shoot in the second half. In the second half Lacy scored 12 points and went 3-of-4 from the floor and 4-of-4 at the line. Both Aden and Lacy combined for 32 of the Cougars 67 points, Aden had the only turnover of the pair, and they shot a combined 7-of-8 from the free throw line and 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Play of the Game: Shelton's steal for a Capers' dunk. The Play of the Game was a great defensive effort by the Cougars that ended with a massive jam by Marcus Capers. The Cougar defense got Pepperdine's Caleb Willis trapped at the top of the arc and forced him to attempt a drive towards the basket through three defenders. WSU's D.J. Shelton found the ball and poked it lose for the steal. Shelton then carried the ball up the court before dishing it to Capers who went "skyblue" as he slammed it home.
Turning Point: The first bucket. This game remained scoreless for nearly five minutes. The drought lasted through the first media timeout. The Cougars had several shots fall in-and-out, going 0-for-8 from the floor while Pepperdine suffered the same fate missing their first six shots. Faisal Aden scored the first points for the Cougs, knocking down a three. The game remained physical as both teams scrapped for points, but the Cougs were able to outscore the Waves 18-2 over a 7:49 span that was spurred by an Abe Lodwick three. At the end of the long run, WSU held a 14-point lead at 21-7. WSU never looked back, holding on to their lead following the Lodwick three-pointer and won the game 67-56.
Stat of the Game: Bench points. Bench points proved to be a difference maker in this game that was decided by 11 points. WSU's bench outscored Pepperdine's 25-11, led by the Cougars' Faisal Aden who scored a game high 17 points.
The Cougars remain undefeated in the Cougar Hardwood Classic and are now 8-4 overall. WSU has concluded nonconference play and will begin conference play against Oregon in their first Pac-12 game at 6 p.m. at Spokane Arena at Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Dec. 29.
The Cougars finished their home nonconference schedule this afternoon as they hosted the Western Oregon Wolves at Beasley Coliseum. There were no lead changes in the game as DaVonte' Lacy made a three-pointer to put the Cougs up 3-0 at the start of the game. The Wolves only managed to tie the game up on two occasions before the Cougs could pull away again. The first half was fairly even, with short runs by both teams, and at the end of the half the Cougars held a slight advantage, 28-25. The second half was a different story. WSU took control starting with a two-handed jam by Marcus Capers 20 seconds into the half. The Cougars continued to maintain a consistent lead until the 10:28 mark when Abe Lodwick hit a deep three from the top of the arc spurring an 11-0 run that put the Cougs up by 22 with 5:33 left in the game. WSU continued to pile on the points while burning the clock and finished the game up by 24 with a final score of 66-42.
Player of the Game: Marcus Capers. Marcus Capers earns his first Player of the Game Award of the year after leading the Cougs in scoring for the first time in his career. Capers was defensively sound throughout the game, pressuring players, diving for loose balls, and forcing turnovers. He finished with nine points (a season high) and pulled in five boards. In addition, Capers went 4-for-4 from the floor and 1-of-2 from the line.
Play of the Game: Shelton's block, steal, and finish. D.J. Shelton definitely earns today's Play of the Game in one of the most acrobatic plays of the season. Shelton blocked Western Oregon's Brandon Troxel's three-point attempt, hurried after the ball to prevent it from going out of bounds, and pushed the ball up the floor. It appeared that the Western Oregon players had prevented a fast break, but Shelton spun around a player and put up a circus shot that fell home, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Turning Point: Lodwick's three midway through the second. This game was close for the majority of the game, with the Cougars holding a slight lead, but the Wolves were able to keep WSU on a 10-point leash. Then, with 10:28 left in the game, Abe Lodwick hit a deep three from the top of the arc that sent the Cougars on an 11-0 run that put Western Oregon away for good. The Cougars went 3-of-5 from the field, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc in the 4:55 span and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. At the end of the run the Cougs held a 22-point lead, 57-35.
Stat of the Game: Point distribution. WSU did a great job of sharing the ball and the scoring load against the Wolves. Eleven Cougars scored points in the game (13 played) led by Capers's nine points. However, this game does mark the first time this season that Brock Motum didn't scored in double figures and ends Faisal Aden's (7) Reggie Moore's (3) and Charlie Enquist's (1) consecutive double-figure scoring streaks as well. Today marked the first time this season no Cougar scored in double figures and the first since the last game of last season against Wichita State in the NIT Semifinals.
The Cougars are now 7-4 overall and have completed nonconference play at home. WSU will travel to Seattle to face Pepperdine in their annual Cougar Hardwood Classic at KeyArena Saturday, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. Following the Cougar Hardwood Classic, the Cougs will begin conference play against the Oregon schools in Spokane, Wash., at Spokane Arena Dec. 29 and 31.
The Cougars played at Beasley Coliseum for the third time in four games, hosting the Santa Clara Broncos this afternoon. The game favored the Cougars from the start. WSU scored its first points on a Charlie Enquist layup to put the Cougs up 2-0 and never looked back. Spurred by Brock Motum and Enquist, the Cougs opened the game on a 13-3 run. At halftime the scoreboard read 48-27 with three Cougs scoring in double figures. The second half continued much the same way and WSU posted a dominating performance, beating the Broncos 93-55.
Player of the Game: Charlie Enquist. This was a tough Player of the Game Award to give out. Charlie Enquist posted only his second career double-double and second in three games, but Brock Motum also scored a career-high 27 points. What sealed the deal for Enquist was the fact that he shot 1.000 in the game. Enquist scored 18 points on 7-of-7 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. He also pulled in 10 rebounds and never turned the ball over.
Play of the Game: Lacy's dunk. There were a number of highlight dunks in this game for WSU, but DaVonte' Lacy's with 9:26 left in the game takes the cake. Lacy earns the award for making a defensive effort. Santa Clara's Evan Roquemore attempted to make a pass at the top of the arc, but Lacy got his arm in the passing lane and knocked the ball away. He hustled after it and picked up the ball at half court with no one in front of him. Everyone saw the dunk coming as Lacy rose up, brought the ball back, and slammed it home with one hand sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Turning Point: Opening tip. The Cougars controlled this game from the beginning. Led by Brock Motum and Charlie Enquist, the Cougs went on a 13-3 run to start the game. The game continued, with short runs by both teams, but WSU was clearly in control as they slowly extended its lead. There were no lead changes and no ties as WSU cruised to a 38-point victory.
Stat of the Game: Shooting percentage. While the Broncos also shot fairly well (.400), they could not keep up with the Cougars. Led by a perfect Charlie Enquist, WSU shot 31-of-46 (.674) from the field and .462 from beyond the arc. This is the best the Cougars have shot since Nov. 23, 1996 against Boise State when they shot 25-of-37 (.676).
The Cougars are now 6-4 overall and will play their fifth-straight game on the Palouse as they host Western Oregon Sunday, Dec. 18 at 4:35 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum.
The Cougars hosted the Eastern Washington Eagles this afternoon in a physical, defense-oriented game. For the first 10 minutes of the game the Cougars and Eagles were trading the lead back and forth. Then, slowly, WSU began to pull away. It was a physical game with both teams battling for every board and every inch in the paint. Entering the second half the Cougs led 41-25. With the help of a three by Brock followed by a dunk that got the crowd on their feet, WSU continued to extend their lead. Eastern Washington didn't help themselves. Three of the Eagles' starters had four fouls apiece with over 12 minutes left in the game. By the time the final buzzer sounded four Cougars had scored in double figures, the Eagles had been outrebounded by 16, and the final score was 75-49.
Player of the Game: Charlie Enquist. For the second consecutive game Washington State had a Coug post a double-double. Charlie Enquist posted his first career double-double with a career high 20 points and a career high 13 rebounds. Enquist shot 7-of-8 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. He also snagged seven offensive boards and six defensive rebounds to lead the team. In addition to career highs in points and rebounds, Enquist also broke his career highs in minutes played (31), field goals attempted and made (7/8), and free throws attempted and made (6/8).
Play of the Game: Brock's block. At the 15-minute mark and with the Cougs up by 14, Brock Motum had the ball at the top of the arc. He attempted to make a pass into the key, but the ball was stolen. Motum quickly got down the court to prevent a fast break bucket by the Eagles. Eastern Washington player Jeffrey Forbes attempted an easy layup, but Motum saw it coming the entire way. He elevated and caught the ball at the top of its arc, smashing it into the Eagles' bench. The ZZU CRU loved it and went nuts chanting, "You got swatted!" for a solid minute after the play.
Turning Point: With 7:22 left in the first half. With a little over seven minutes to play in the first half, the Cougars and Eagles were see-sawing back and forth. An "and one" layup by Marcus Capers followed by a made free throw got the ball rolling for the Cougars. This began a 14-0 run by Washington State that put them up for good. During the run, the Eagles went 0-7 from the field and committed four fouls to put the Cougs into double-bonus, while WSU went 4-of-6 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the stripe.
Stat of the Game: Rebounding margin. This was a physical battle, especially early on, and it was very clear that whoever could bring the ball down was scoring the points as well. The Cougars pulled in 45 rebounds compared to Eastern Washington's 29. WSU did a great job overall at controlling the paint. The Cougars also scored 32 points to the Eagles' 14 and this proved to be a difference maker in the game.
The Cougars are now 4-4 overall and will return to the hardwood Wednesday, Dec. 7 at Moscow, Idaho against the University of Idaho.
The latest episode of 'Cougars Courtside' is available. This week is a special one, as the entire thing is the 'Candid Cougars' segment. Jump back-and-forth from Anaheim to the U.S. Virgin Islands to follow the men's and women's basketball teams on their recent trips.
The Cougars faced the Grambling State Tigers tonight in the first part of a men's-women's double header at Beasley Coliseum. Grambling State scored the first bucket of the game to go up 2-0, but after a quick WSU-three the Cougars took the lead and never gave it back. Three Cougs scored in double figures (Aden-12, Motum-11, Lacy-10) as Washington State routed the Tigers, 69-37. Senior Faisal Aden and junior Brock Motum each scored double figures for the seventh consecutive game, while the Cougars' 32-point victory is the largest of the season.
Player of the Game: Brock Motum. Brock Motum takes home another Player of the Game award after notching his first career double-double. Motum led the Cougars in rebounding, pulling in 10 boards, while going 5-of-11 from the field and 1-for-2 from the free throw line to add 11 points. Motum's 10 rebounds break his previous career-high of eight, most recently achieved against New Mexico last weekend in Anaheim, Calif. This marks the sixth game of the season Motum has led the team in rebounding and the ninth of his career.
Play of the Game: Simon's back-to-back threes off the bench. Patrick Simon earns his first Play of the Game award of the 2011-12 season. Simon subbed into the game with 10 minutes to go and quickly made his presence known. Simon popped a three at the 9:34 mark to push the Cougars lead to 21. Shortly after a made layup by Faisal Aden, Simon received the ball at the top of the arc, elevated, and sunk another three-ball with 8:13 to go and put WSU's lead to 26.
Turning Point: Cougs' 13-3 run to end the half. With five minutes remaining in the first half the Cougars led the Tigers 21-14. Charlie Enquist quickly stepped up and hit a jumper to extend the lead to nine. This was followed later by a Faisal Aden steal with 3:22 to go, allowing DaVonte' Lacy to finish with a jam. During the five-minute span, WSU went 5-for-9 from the floor and converted three of four free throws, while limiting Grambling State to 1-of-8 from the field. At the half, the Cougars went into the locker room up 34-17.
Stat of the Game: Points in the paint. The Cougars outscored the Tigers 28-10 in the key, while limiting Grambling State's two big men (Steven Danridge and Peter Roberson) to a combined 14 points and 12 rebounds. The Cougars fought a hard battle in the paint tonight, pulling down 14 offensive boards and outrebounding Grambling State by 13.
The men's basketball team is now 3-4 on the season and will return to action this Saturday, Dec. 3 at 3:30 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum as the Cougars host Eastern Washington. The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Northwest.
The Washington State men's basketball team headed straight from Portland, Ore. (after playing at Portland Sunday), down to Anaheim Tuesday, arriving to plenty of sunshine. On Tuesday evening the team had dinner at ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney, following a practice at the American Sports Arena. After a hearty meal, the team played the arcade-type games upstairs. The biggest excitement for all came in the racing games, as the guys fought it out to see who was king of the raceway. There was also some basketball shooting, football and baseball throwing and hockey puck hitting, among other games.
The Cougars hosted the Sacramento State Hornets in their home-opener tonight at Beasley Coliseum. This marks the ninth all-time meeting between the two schools. WSU dug themselves a quick hole, not scoring a field goal for the first six minutes of the game and facing an 11-point deficit. Then the Cougs started scoring with their first field goal of the game, courtesy of Faisal Aden, but the Hornets fought back, maintaining a three-point lead at the half. After the half, the Cougars came out shooting, spurring a 7-2 run to start the half. Sacramento State stuck with WSU for a few minutes, but the Cougars took the lead with 11 minutes to go and never looked back, securing a 79-68 victory and their first win of the 2011-12 season.
Player of the Game: Brock Motum. Brock Motum claims his second-straight Player of the Game award for the 2011-12 season with a career-high and game-high 23 points. Motum led the Cougars, shooting 9-for-12 from the field and going 4-for-6 from the free throw line. Motum also led the team in rebounds, pulling in a career-tying eight boards. This is the second-straight game Motum has led the Cougs in scoring and rebounds and the 10th time of his career he has scored double figures.
Play of the Game: Aden's no-look pass to Lacy for the jam. DaVonte' Lacy and Faisal Aden share this week's Play of the Game. Aden rebounded a Hornet missed shot and pushed the ball up the court. Aden drove like he was going for the layup, but stopped at the block and made a no-look, backwards pass to Lacy on the arc who took a quick three steps and pulled the ball back behind his head to slam it home with emphasis, bringing the ZZU CRU to a roar.
Turning Point: Cougs' 8-0 run with 11 minutes left. Shortly before the 11-minute mark in the second half, the game was tied 51-51 with the Cougs and Hornets see-sawing back and forth. With 11 minutes to go DaVonte' Lacy started an 8-0 Cougar run to put Sacramento State away for good. WSU made two layups and got to the stripe five times, converting four free throws, in a 2:23 span. The two teams duked it out for the final eight minutes, but WSU continued to convert buckets and finished the game up by 11 points.
Stat of the Game: Free throws. The biggest reason the Cougars got to the line so much is because Sacramento State committed 25 fouls on the night. WSU stepped up to the stripe 32 times during the 40-minute span. While WSU didn't hit as many of their free throws as they would have hoped (19), they definitely should be glad to have gotten the opportunity. If the Cougars consistently earn this many free throw opportunities and improve their percentage, they will be getting a lot of free points in coming games.
The men's basketball team is now 1-1 on the season and returns to the hardwood this Sunday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at Portland against the University of Portland.
Washington State opened its season at No. 22 Gonzaga tonight in front of a crowd of 6,000. All eyes were on the game as it jump-started ESPN's 2011 College Hoops Tip-off Marathon, in which the network airs over 24-consecutive hours of college basketball on its family of networks. The Cougars rallied late, but fell 89-81, thanks in large part to the hot hand of the Bulldogs' Kevin Pangos who tied a school record with nine 3-pointers and a game-high 33 points.
A special thanks to all the Crimson ZZU's Twitter followers (@WSUHoopsBlog) for your input, support and follows! Our player of the game today was picked by those of you on Twitter.
Player of the Game:
Brock Motum. The 6-10 junior from Brisbane, Australia earns the prize for being the most consistent Cougar all night. He finished with a team-high 17 points and career highs with eight rebounds and four assists in 37 minutes. At the half he was 4-for-5 from the field for 10 points.
Play of the Game:
Motum Drives and Skies. Motum continues his accolades on this postgame as he earns play of the game for his first-half dunk. He started on the left baseline, drove against his man and ferociously went up with one hand for the easy two points. He was fouled on the play, but missed the free throw, but his dunk was a powerful one.
Turning Point:
Free throws down the stretch. The turning point looked to be early in the second half, but with the Cougars' late comeback, the turning points instead falls in the final 30 seconds. WSU clawed back from 21 points down with 13 minutes to go and pulled within three at 84-81 and 28 seconds to go in the game. Reggie Moore had just scored six-straight points for the Cougs, a 3-pointer and three free throws after a foul while shooting a trey. The Cougs fouled after Moore's 3-pointer and Robert Sacre made both his free throw shots. WSU couldn't convert on its next three opportunities and Gonzaga made three more free throws to hold on for the 89-81 victory.
Stat of the Game:
Specialty Stats. Points in the paint, points off turnovers and second chance points each waved heavily in one team's favor. Points in the paint and off turnovers belonged to Washington State. The Cougs held a 32-16 advantage in the paint, 12 of which came from Motum. The Cougs had a 23-11 advantage off turnovers, although each team committed 13 turnovers. When it came to second chance points it was all Gonzaga, 19 compared to six. The Bulldogs did win the battle on the boards with 41 compared to 33, 14 on the offensive end.
The Cougars will look for their first win of the season Thursday, Nov. 17 as they host Sacramento State in nonconference action at 7 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum.
Washington State men's basketball opens its season shortly, Monday, Nov. 14 in a 9 p.m. tipoff at Gonzaga's McCarthey Athletic Center. The late tip is because the Cougars and Bulldogs start ESPN's Annual College Hoops Tipoff which features 24-plus hours straight of college basketball.
The Cougars held an exhibition game tonight against Lewis-Clark State College for the fifth-consecutive season. The Warriors stuck with WSU for a few minutes, but the Cougars quickly pulled away and had built a 26-point lead by halftime. Entering the second half, LCSC managed to maintain a consistent margin of deficit. However, the Cougars slowly stretched the lead further and pulled away with an 88-41 win.
Player of the Game:
Davonte' Lacy claims his first Player of the Game award. Lacy played a crucial role in stretching WSU's second half lead, scoring 21 points, shooting 7-for-11 from the field, and going 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Lacy went 3-for-3 and scored five straight points in a 50-second span, including a high-flying dunk that brought Beasley to its feet.
Play of the Game:
Davonte' Lacy also earns the Play of the Game, giving the Cougars a burst of energy at the 10-minute mark of the second half. Lacy burned his defender in the deep corner with a quick jab-step and made an explosive, two-step drive down the baseline, elevating to slam it home.
Turning Point:
Early in the game, LCSC was sticking with the Cougars; at the 15-minute mark the game was tied at 8-8. At that point Mike Ladd got the ball rolling for WSU with a pair of free throws, followed quickly by a deep three from Dexter Kernich-Drew. Before you knew it, the Cougars had scored 17 unanswered points and WSU was up 25-8. The Cougs never looked back, extending their lead to 26 by the end of the half and 47 before the final buzzer.
Stat of the Game:
The Cougars shot lights out from all over the court tonight, finishing an impressive 34-of-57 (.596) from the field. WSU also went 11-for-22 (.500) from beyond the arc.
The men's basketball team will return to action Monday, Nov. 14 at 9 p.m. against No. 23 Gonzaga in Spokane. The game will be televised by ESPN, and will kick off ESPN's College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon.
This year, WSU Athletics has launched a new web series, 'Cougars Courtside', which features the Washington State men's and women's basketball teams. A new episode will be posted at www.wsucougars.com each Wednesday throughout the season and will include three segments, which will vary, including, an update on the Cougars in the community, coaching tips from coaches Ken Bone and June Daugherty, a behind-the-scenes candid look at the teams, and one-on-one Q&A's with various members of the team.
Three hours before Midnight Mayhem Friday, the Washington State University men's basketball team took to the hardwood in its newly redesigned practice gym for its first official practice of the 2011-12 season. The squad has a slightly different look with the departures of two starters, Klay Thompson and DeAngelo Casto, whom each left a year early to pursue professional basketball careers. However, third-year head coach Ken Bone and his staff had their squad, along with three returning starters, focused and ready for the new season. Check out some more photos from the first practice, along with the photo gallery linked to this blog post.
Five members of the Washington State University men's basketball team served as greeters for the YMCA's annual fundraiser, 'Keys to Success'. The event featured Chopstix, a dueling piano group out of Seattle, along with a silent auction and live dessert auction. Senior Charlie Enquist, junior Brock Motum, sophomore Royce Woolridge and freshmen Dominic Ballard and DaVonte Lacy were in on the action, greeting attendees at the door and assisting them to their tables. This event was just one of several the Cougar Men's Basketball team has been involved with, as it has participated in Habitat for Humanity, held camps and a free kids' clinic, participated in Lentil Festival and visited the senior center, among other activities.
The first official practice isn't until next Friday, Oct. 14, but that doesn't mean the Washington State men's basketball team hasn't been busy. Not only did the team spend a lot of time out in the community this summer, but it has been busy since school started in August as well. Below is a look at the last week alone with photos from the volleyball telecast Friday, Free Kids' Clinic Saturday, and a video shoot Wednesday.
Former Washington State men's basketball coach Dick Bennett came to Pullman to serve as the keynote speaker at 'An Evening with Cougar Basketball,' Saturday, Sept. 24 at the CUB Ballroom. Bennett spoke of the challenges in rebuilding a program and when he knew it was time for him to retire from coaching (for a second time). Both men's and women's teams were in attendance and head coaches Ken Bone and June Daugherty of the men's and women's teams, respectively, addressed the group as well.
Check out a few photos we have, and Dick Bennett's speech in whole here in this blog entry.
Former Washington State men's basketball student-athlete James Donaldson was on campus this week, brought to Pullman by the WSU office of student affairs. He gave several presentations, touching on leadership, mentoring and both his athletic and political careers. Among Donaldson's presentations were a small group meeting with the men's basketball team Wednesday, an auditorium presentation to all Cougar student-athletes Wednesday evening and a reception with WSU Athletics staff and mentors Thursday evening.
Each day this week the Crimson ZZU and www.wsucougars.com will have short video clips on the five newcomers for the 2011-12 men's basketball team. Today we conclude with Kansas-transfer Royce Woolridge. For more on the newcomers, checkout the story HERE.
Each day this week the Crimson ZZU and www.wsucougars.com will have short video clips on the five newcomers for the 2011-12 men's basketball team. Today we continue with junior college-transfer D.J. Shelton. For more on the newcomers, checkout the story HERE.
Each day this week the Crimson ZZU and www.wsucougars.com will have short video clips on the five newcomers for the 2011-12 men's basketball team. Today we continue with Washington-native DaVonte' Lacy. For more on the newcomers, checkout the story HERE.
Each day this week the Crimson ZZU and www.wsucougars.com will have short video clips on the five newcomers for the 2011-12 men's basketball team. Today we continue with walk-on Chuks Iroegbu. For more on the newcomers, checkout the story HERE.
Each day this week the Crimson ZZU and www.wsucougars.com will have short video clips on the five newcomers for the 2011-12 men's basketball team. Today we start with walk-on Dominic Ballard. For more on the newcomers, checkout the story HERE.
The Washington State University men's basketball team continued to make its presence known as it braved the heat Saturday to sign autographs prior the football team's 59-7 victory over UNLV at Martin Stadium. All 15 members of the basketball team were stationed at a booth in the middle of the field at Mooberry Track during the noon hour as part of WSU Athletics' Family Day. The team has been involved with the community all summer and will continue to do so all season long, as it will hold a Free Kids' Clinic, Saturday, Oct. 1.
With the 2011-12 school year officially starting last month, each Friday the Crimson ZZU will feature a photo from this year's team for 'Photo Friday' as a way to help count down the days to the first men's basketball practice, Friday, Oct. 14. The photos will range from fun to serious to spectacular and more.
As many of you Cougar Basketball fans know, the team was very busy this summer reaching out to the Palouse Community in various ways. This photo of this season's team was taken at the Lentil Festival Street Fair, August 19. This photo was meant to be a candid shot of the team, but Dexter Kernich-Drew looked up at the last second, as Will DiIorio attempted to lean out of the picture. Newcomers Royce Woolridge, Chuks Iroegbu, and Dominic Ballard (from left to right), at the end of the table, were too busy signing autographs for young fans to notice the photo being taken. For more about the team's community service this summer, click HERE.
With the 2011-12 school year officially starting last week, each Friday the Crimson ZZU will feature a photo from this year's team for 'Photo Friday' as a way to help count down the days to the first men's basketball practice, Friday, Oct. 14. The photos will range from fun to serious to spectacular and more.
As many of you Cougar Basketball fans know, the team was very busy this summer reaching out to the Palouse Community in various ways. This first photo from this season's team took place at Habitat for Humanity July 9. As you can see Marcus Capers had a hard time fitting his hands into the gloves provided. Newcomer Royce Woolridge, who will sit out this year after transferring from Kansas is figuring out his gloves in the background of the photo. For more about the team's work with Palouse Habitat for Humanity, click HERE.
Washington State University men's basketball spent the summer getting involved in the community. Redshirt junior Mike Ladd was there for all the events and talks about the importance of a presence in a the community below. Check out the story on www.wsucougars.com HERE.
Washington State University welcomed legends Dick Fry, Keith Lincoln and basketball's Jud Heathcote at the annual Cougar Sports Banquet held Thursday, Aug. 18 at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane. The banquet also featured current WSU coaches, including men's basketball head coach Ken Bone. Below is an excerpt from the round table discussion which featured those three along with Athletics Director Bill Moos and Bud Nameck. In the clip Heathcote discusses postseason in his time at WSU and what it means to be a Coug.
Improvements continued to the men's and women's basketball practice gym as the floor was redone to reflect the newly implemented branding of WSU Athletics and the move into the Pac-12 Conference. A photo gallery can be found HERE.
Each Friday the Crimson ZZU will feature a photo from this past season for 'Photo Friday' as a way to look back at the 2010-11 season and help count down the days to next season. The photos will range from fun to serious to spectacular and more.
Although the majority of the 2011-12 men's basketball squad was on campus this summer taking classes, two that weren't were the Australians, Brock Motum and Dexter Kernich-Drew. This week's photo features the duo from 'Down Under'. This photo was taken of the two during Creation, A Polynesian Journey, a show held at the Sheraton Princess at Wakiki which the team attended while at the Diamond Head Classic in December. If you look carefully you can see Klay Thompson (next to Brock) and Will DiIorio ducking out of the photo. A native of Brisbane, Australia, Motum will be looked upon heavily during his junior season. Last season he was fifth on the team with 7.6 points per game, adding 3.0 rebounds an outing. After redshirting last season, Kernich-Drew will look to pick up some of the scoring load at the guard position.
Each Friday the Crimson ZZU will feature a photo from this past season for 'Photo Friday' as a way to look back at the 2010-11 season and help count down the days to next season. The photos will range from fun to serious to spectacular and more.
We haven't had much of Reggie Moore on here this summer, so this week's photo features Moore and his unforgettable alley-oop against Washington in WSU's 87-80 victory over the then-No. 18 Huskies Jan. 30. Moore's dunk, dished out by Faisal Aden was named Best Alley-oop of the Year on CBS's Papa John's Dunks of the Year in April. On a breakaway Moore started the break by passing to Aden. Aden then laid the ball up for Moore for the jam. As an extra bonus, we've added the video, so you can watch it once again.
Each Friday the Crimson ZZU will feature a photo from this past season for 'Photo Friday' as a way to look back at the 2010-11 season and help count down the days to next season. The photos will range from fun to serious to spectacular and more.
In honor of this rising-senior's birthday month, today's photos are of Abe Lodwick, who celebrated his birthday earlier this month, July 4. I for one forget how high Abe can jump, until I see photos of him doing so. In the one on the left, the forward skies for a rebound, and looks like he could easily jump over Isaiah Thomas of Washington, standing in front of him. In the photo on the right, Lodwick gets up once again, also against the Huskies. Both games resulted in victories for the Cougars, an 87-80 win Jan. 30 at home and an 80-69 advantage Feb. 27 in Seattle. Lodwick had seven points in the win at UW in 28 minutes, adding five rebounds.
Marcus Capers was back in charge of the video camera and put together a little video for everyone. Don't be fooled, they were actually focused most of the time and got a lot accomplished.
Each Friday the Crimson ZZU will feature a photo from this past season for 'Photo Friday' as a way to look back at the 2010-11 season and help count down the days to next season. The photos will range from fun to serious to spectacular and more.
Rising-senior Faisal Aden is primarily known for his sharp-shooting, but this photo shows something else. This high-flying photo of Aden was taken Dec. 8, 2010 in WSU's huge 81-59 victory over Gonzaga. Beasley attracted 10,177 fans as the Cougars were able to bounce back from their 63-58 loss to Kansas State just five days prior. WSU will take on Gonzaga for the 15th-straight year this season, looking for its fourth win in the last six years over the Bulldogs.
WSU head men's basketball coach Ken Bone spent Monday, June 27 in Seattle, connecting with various members of the media. His first stop was the Seattle Times for a live online chat, followed by visits to Q13, King 5 and 710 ESPN.
Each Friday the Crimson ZZU will feature a photo from this past season for 'Photo Friday' as a way to look back at the 2010-11 season and help count down the days to next season. The photos will range from fun to serious to spectacular and more.
The middle of October is always an exciting time for college basketball and it was no different Oct. 16, 2010. Today's photo is from Midnight Mayhem which was held in conjunction with the first day of basketball practice for the 2010-11 season. All that were in attendance are sure to remember this dunk that Marcus Capers performed, jumping over 6-foot-10 Steven Bjornstad. Not only can Capers jump, but he sure knows how to get a crowd going. Freshman Dexter Kernich-Drew ended up winning the dunk contest. Kernich-Drew redshirted last season, but we should expect to see more of his hops this season.
Each Friday the Crimson ZZU will feature a photo from this past season for 'Photo Friday' as a way to look back at the 2010-11 season and help count down the days to next season. The photos will range from fun to serious to spectacular and more.
I'm sure many of you have seen this week's photo which was taken last night at the NBA Draft. This is a photo courtesy of Klay and his family taken in Newark, N.J. Klay was the No. 11 overall pick of the 2011 draft taken by the Golden State Warriors. He became WSU's highest drafted player, surpassing Don Collins who was the 18th pick in the 1980 draft taken by Atlanta. This photo proves that 'Once a Coug, Always a Coug' as Klay continues to 'Wave the Flag'.
Klay Thompson participated in a pre-draft workout with the Milwaukee Bucks today. Below are quotes from both Klay and the Bucks' Director of Scouting, Billy McKinney. Check out more at www.Bucks.com, including photos, video and more. A special thanks to the Bucks for sending along all the information.
Each Friday the Crimson ZZU will feature a photo from this past season for 'Photo Friday' as a way to look back at the 2010-11 season and help count down the days to next season. The photos will range from fun to serious to spectacular and more.
This photo is of Butch along with Colorado's mascot Chip, taken at a taping of the Today Show in New York as both teams were there for the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in March. The photo also serves as a glance into the future as beginning this upcoming season WSU and Colorado will compete in the same league, the Pacific-12 Conference. Unfortunately Cougar football and basketball fans will have to travel to Boulder to catch the Cougs and the Buffs face-off, as WSU football takes on Colorado on the road Oct. 1 and basketball faces the Buffaloes just once, Jan. 7, also on the road.
Each Friday the Crimson ZZU will feature a photo from this past season for 'Photo Friday' as a way to look back at the 2010-11 season and help count down the days to next season. The photos will range from fun to serious to spectacular and more. Since we missed last week (at the NCAA Rowing Championships in Sacramento, Calif.) we have two photos for this week.
This first photo was taken in October when the team photo was taken. We were trying to get the guys to pose a couple of huddle shots for use on different publications, etc. Someone must have done or said something funny to get Marcus Capers to react the way he did. There are usually a lot of laughs during photo shoots similar to this one, which can make for a fun, but long day.
The second photo honors the birthday boy, Charlie Enquist. This photo was taken at the hotel in New York when the team was there for the NIT in March, as Charlie 'Waves the Flag' proudly. A big happy birthday goes out to Charlie who celebrates his birthday today.
Each Friday the Crimson ZZU will feature a photo from this past season for 'Photo Friday' as a way to look back at the 2010-11 season and help count down the days to next season. The photos will range from fun to serious to spectacular and more.
Today's photo features one of the most important parts of a Cougar basketball game; the bench. Here Dre' Winston, Jr., Charlie Enquist, Will DiIorio, Ben Loewen, Dexter Kernich-Drew and (part of) Chris McNamera have a great time celebrating on the sidelines during WSU's NIT victory at home.
Each Friday the Crimson ZZU will feature a photo from this past season for 'Photo Friday' as a way to look back at the 2010-11 season and help count down the days to next season. The photos will range from fun to serious to spectacular and more.
Klay Thompson started the week off Sunday by announcing his decision to stay in the NBA Draft and forgo his senior season at Washington State. Today's photo goes with that theme. This photo is of Klay and former NBA and Pac-10 star Gary Payton, taken January 26 at the Seattle Sports Commission's Sports Star of the Year Awards, presented by Root Spots. Thompson was excited to meet 'The Glove', who was at the awards as a presenter. Thompson was nominated for the 2010 Male Sports Star of the Year award which went to Olympic Gold Medalist Apolo Ohno.
Each Friday the Crimson ZZU will feature a photo from this past season for 'Photo Friday' as a way to look back at the 2010-11 season and help count down the days to next season. The photos will range from fun to serious to spectacular and more.
Today's photo is in honor of WSU's graduation Saturday and Mother's Day Sunday. This is a photo of the Cougars' lone senior Ben Loewen and senior manager Mike Simonson along with their mothers at WSU's 'Senior Day' against UCLA March 5. Although Loewen doesn't graduate until next December, we want to honor both he and Simonson and all WSU students graduating within the next year.
Each Friday the Crimson ZZU will feature a photo from this past season for 'Photo Friday' as a way to look back at the 2010-11 season and help count down the days to next season. The photos will range from fun to serious to spectacular and more.
Today's photo is from the Cougs' trip to the NIT at NYC. This is head coach Ken Bone and assistants Ben Johnson and Curtis Allen checking out all the historical photos in the hallways of Madison Square Garden. The photo was taken by Bob Hubner at the team's shootaround the day of the game.
Each Friday the Crimson ZZU will feature a photo from this past season for 'Photo Friday' as a way to look back at the 2010-11 season and help count down the days to next season. The photos will range from fun to serious to spectacular and more.
Today's photo is the team photo from Creation, A Polynesian Journey, a show held at the Sheraton Princess at Wakiki which the team attended while at the Diamond Head Classic in December.
For those of you who know Marcus Capers, you know he's quite the jokester. He shows off his jokester side here in this video he filmed Monday at NIT Media Day at the Marriott Marquis at New York's Times Square.
The Washington State men's basketball team is heading to New York to play in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) semifinals at the infamous Madison Square Garden - a small change from the small town of Pullman, Wash. Below, Marcus Capers and Abe Lodwick speak about their future in this tournament.
The Cougars will move on to the NIT semifinals after a 69-66 overtime win against Northwestern at Friel Court, Wednesday. The Cougars had a chance to close the game out in regulation after Abe Lodwick was fouled with 0.2 seconds on the clock. Though he missed both shots, the Cougars rallied in overtime, outscoring the Wildcats 5-2, four of which came from Klay Thompson.
The Washington State men's basketball is now one of eight teams left standing in the NIT Tournament after a 74-64 win over Oklahoma State, Monday. The Cougars came out strong to open the game but the Cowboys surged back to take the lead midway through the first half. The Cougars responded well in front of their home crowd and led by at least six points throughout the entire second half.
Rather than have our usual postgame blog here at the Crimson ZZU, we're going to let head coach Ken Bone and junior guards Klay Thompson and Marcus Capers tell the story. Below are their postgame press conference interviews.
The Cougs will make their second NIT appearance in three years, hosting the 49ers of Long Beach State, Wednesday, March 16 at 7 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum. WSU is 4-4 all-time in the NIT and has not lost a home NIT game.
Washington State fell in a 58-54 overtime thriller against UCLA in the Pac-10 finale, Saturday at Beasley Coliseum. The Cougars were up 32-19 at the half but saw their 13-point disappear by the halfway point in the second period Faisal Aden had a chance to hit the game winner at the end of regulation but the shot was off the mark and the teams headed to overtime where the Bruins outscored the Cougars 10-6. The loss seals a sixth seed in the conference tournament with a 9-9 record. The Cougars could tie for fifth in the conference if Washington beats USC at home, but USC wins the tiebreaker in that scenario.
The Washington State men's basketball team fought hard in what felt like a "must win" game against USC at Friel Court, Thursday. Both teams were looking to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive but the Cougars emerged victorious with an 85-77 win. WSU improved to 19-10 (9-8) while USC fell to 17-13 (9-8). The win clinches at least sixth place for the Cougars, which means they will not have to play in the opening round of the Pac-10 Tournament.
Washington State University's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) collected donations for flood relief in Australia at the last two men's basketball games against Stanford and California, Feb. 10 and 12. The idea came about from WSU men's basketball sophomore Brock Motum, a native of Brisbane, Australia.
Washington State was able to make enough free throws down the stretch to hold off California and salvage a split weekend series with a 75-71 win at Friel Court, Saturday. Both the Cougars and Golden Bears came out looking sluggish after suffering tough losses earlier in the week, but after the halftime break the quality of play improved as players found their shooting strokes late in the game.
Washington State dropped to 6-6 in Pac-10 play after a 75-62 loss to Stanford, Thursday at Friel Court. After trailing by 17 at the half, the Cougars were able to bounce back and draw within one with 8:30 left in the game, but ran out of gas as the Cardinal regained their stride in the closing minutes.
WSU pulled off an upset of the No. 18/17 Washington Huskies in front of a packed and rocking Beasley Coliseum Sunday night. After owning a two-point lead at the half, the Cougars pulled away during the second period to finish with an 87-80 victory. The win gives WSU a winning record halfway through conference play at 5-4, while the Huskies fall to 7-2.
Washington State dropped a heartbreaker at home tonight, losing to Arizona 65-63 at Friel Court. WSU held a 10-point lead halfway through the first period but Arizona was able to chip away and come back to take a one-point lead at the break. The teams battled down the homestretch as neither team led by more than five points throughout the final 10 minutes of action. WSU moves to 14-6 on the season, 4-4 in Pac-10 play, while the Wildcats jump to 5-2.
The Cougars received some strong performances from juniors DeAngelo Casto and Klay Thompson on their way to beating the Arizona State Sun Devils 78-61. Sometimes it's easy to see why one team loses and another teams wins, and tonight was one of those nights. The glaring statistic that tells the story of the game is shooting percentage; the Cougars finished at 52 percent from the field while the Sun Devils came in at 33 percent.
The Cougars lost a tough one on the road tonight, an 88-81 overtime loss at California. The loss dropped the Cougs to 12-5 overall, 2-3 in Pac-10 play and 0-3 on the road in league action. We have an abbreviated version of the postgame blog here at the Crimson ZZU.
Hey Coug fans welcome back to the Crimson ZZU. Washington State notched its second conference win to even its record at 2-2 with a 77-63 victory over Oregon tonight. After struggling from the field early, the Cougars were able to find a rhythm and pull away late in the first half.
The Cougars ended their three game losing streak against Oregon State tonight after returning from a brutally long road trip. After the Cougars pulled out to an early double-digit lead, the Beavers fought back in the second half but could only cut the margin to four points before WSU pulled away to win by a final score of 84-70.
Juniors Faisal Aden and Klay Thompson combined for 50 of the team's 66 points as Washington State defeated Fresno State, 66-55, Friday at Fresno State's Save Mart Center.
Juniors Faisal Aden and Klay Thompson combined for 50 of the team's 66 points as Washington State defeated Fresno State, 66-55, Friday at Fresno State's Save Mart Center.
Welcome back to the Crimson ZZU Cougar fans! Thanks to all the 8,441 fans that were able to come out and catch the game despite the snow and ice outside. It got close there for a while, but the Cougars were able to pull away and defeat Portland, 84-68, in the sixth annual Cougar Hardwood Classic.
Welcome back to the Crimson ZZU Cougar fans! The team seemed to be making everything tonight as it put on a show tonight against Idaho. The Cougars shot 57 percent from the field in a 88-71 victory over the Vandals.
The Cougars defeated Lewis-Clark State Friday in exhibition action, 89-49. We will not have a postgame recap on the Crimson ZZU like last season, but look for that to continue following next weekend's season opener Saturday against Southern. For now, check out the recap, including a photo gallery above at wsucougars.com.
The Cougars held a Crimson and Gray Scrimmage Friday night at Bohler Gym. The WSU offense was on display as it shot 41 percent from beyond the 3-point arc on the night. You can read all about the event HERE. Check out photos from the event as well HERE.
Courtesy of the Pacific-10 Conference, we have Ken Bone and Klay Thompson on stage at Nokia Theater during Pac-10 Media Day Thursday. Check out all they had to say in front of various media outlets below.
Ken Bone and Klay Thompson participated in Pac-10 Men's Basketball Media Day Thursday, Oct. 28. Both Bone and Thompson spent the day doing various interviews throughout the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. For a brief look into the day, check out the video below.
The Cougs have been at it again this week in preparation for their exhibition game Nov. 5 against Lewis-Clark State. This week the men's basketball squad is practicing in Beasley Coliseum for the first time this season. Check out the video HERE.
It's a little delayed, but here is video from the men's basketball team's first practice of the season that took place Friday, Oct. 15 from 5-7:30 p.m. in the practice gym.
Less than 30 minutes prior to the start of Midnight Mayhem the Cougar men's basketball team wrapped up its first official practice of the season just down the hallway in the practice gym in PEB. The team practiced for just about two and a half hours, testing the players' conditioning the team had been working on since the summer. Click HERE for a photo gallery from the first practice.
