WSU “Couged It” Against UW And Lose 59-55

The Cougars held the momentum for the majority of the game against the Huskies. The Cougar crowd was into it, the calls were going WSU’s way, and WSU was silencing the UW offensive attack. Yet, in spite of it all, the Dawgs won in Pullman.

Washington State couldn’t find a way to make free throws in the second half. And while they held a 13 point lead over the Huskies at one point, the Cougars were only 17-32 (53%) from the charity stripe. They had a chance to pull-away from the Huskies and close out the game but instead they couldn’t find a way to make their free shots.

To top it all off, it was an ugly game for the Huskies. They were only 35.8% from the field, 23.5% from three, and were out rebounded 42-35. The Huskies had two different stretches of about 8 minutes (one in the first and one in the second) where they were held without a field goal.

But the Dawgs hung around, stayed in the game, and found a way to win down the stretch. This was without their best player Terrence Ross and best post presence in Aziz N’Diaye in the final minutes.

The Huskies leave Pullman with a much needed win. They now have two more road games to close out the season. USC and UCLA.

Player Notes:

• Terrence Ross was on the bench for the majority of the game. He had 3 quick fouls in the first half and 0 points. He finished the game with 5 fouls and 2 points. He also had 3 rebounds.
• Tony Wroten had a game high of 21 points and he was 9 of 12 from the free-throw line. He also had 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers. Lorenzo Romar showed confidence in him, by giving him the ball in what could have been the final possession for the Huskies.
• Aziz N’Diaye also struggled with foul trouble. He fouled out late in the game and only played a total of 21 minutes. While he only played about half of the game, he still had 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 block.
• Abdul Gaddy was asked to step up by Romar in the second half and Gaddy came through with some big scores and smart possessions. He finished the game with 10 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers.
• Darnell Gant was an integral in this game regardless of how it looks on the box score. He was a senior, he lead this team, helped this team stay focused and motivated and played some solid defensive series. He had 3 points and 7 rebounds.
• Desmond Simmons had a forgettable night. He only played 6 minutes but in that short time on the court he had 1 turnover, 2 fouls, went 0-2 shooting, and 0-1 from the line. 0 points, 0 rebounds. He would like to forget this night.
• Shawn Kemp Jr. only played 3 minutes and picked up 2 rebounds.
• CJ Wilcox was the hot hand in the first half. He had 4 straight three-point shots. However, they were all over him in the second. He finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal.
• Austin Seferian-Jenkins played 6 minutes and in those minutes, showed that he brings intensity and an intimidating force down-low. He had a foul and within seconds picked up a following technical foul as Reggie Moore bumped into him and ASJ used his elbow to push Moore away. He has fire and takes no garbage. He had 2 rebounds and 4 fouls.