WSU men’s basketball (10-5, 1-3 Pac-12) faced their first rough stretch of the season over the end of winter break, winning just two of their six games and just one of their first four in-conference matchups.
First for the Cougs was Santa Clara (11-6). After ripping off a six-game win streak, the Cougs went down to Phoenix to face the Broncos in a neutral-site game. Unfortunately for the Cougs, this game was lost in the first half. The final score was 69–61, a score which was somehow still not indicative of how bad the game went.
With 14:42 left in the first half, Andrej Jakimovski made a shot to put the Cougs up 16–12. The Cougs did not make another field goal until the score was 17–35 more than 12 minutes later. Their sole point during that time came from a free throw.
Kymany Houinsou finally stopped the bleeding with a fast break dunk off a great steal. Houinsou and Jakimovski did what they could to trim the lead after that, but WSU still entered halftime at a 16-point deficit.
The second-half offense looked a lot better, but it did not end up mattering. The Cougs were down 16 again with less than five minutes left, and while a 10-0 run got the game close it was never truly in reach.
Isaac Jones, Jakimovski and Myles Rice led the team in scoring with 16, 14 and 12 respectively. Both Rice and Jones fouled out.
While the Cougs got to come back to Washington after that game, they were not home yet. Next up was another game against another set of Broncos, this time Boise State (10-4).
These Broncos were not much easier than the previous ones, but the Cougs managed to pull it out by a score of 66–61.
The Cougs led for much of the first half of the game, but Boise responded out of the half and kept it close. With just over five minutes left, the Broncos went on a quick run and took their first multi-possession lead of the half. The Cougs responded and tied the game at 54 each.
From that point until the final shot clock, it was shot for shot. Boise State got within one with just over a minute left but missed their last two shots in the final minute. All WSU had to do was hit free throws, and they did.
Jones again led with 21, followed by Rice and Jabe Mullins with 14 and 13, respectively.
The Cougs played in a lot of games like this last year, but they tended to let them slip away late. If the Cougs make a serious run this year, it will be because they play more like they did against Boise State than they used to in previous years.
Following that game came the start of PAC-12 play and two away losses in a row.
First was Utah(11-4, 2-2 Pac-12). It was close at the half, with Utah holding just a 31–29. About ten minutes into the second half, the lead was just 48–44. Those are both close. The final score was not.
In the last 15 minutes of the game, Utah went on a 46–18 run. As the final buzzer sounded, the board read 80–58. It was a disastrous collapse, as bad as it could get.
There was no specific scoring drought, but the same old issues plagued the Cougs. Untimely turnovers and strings of missed easy shots sunk them, and they went off to Colorado (11-4, 2-2 Pac-12).
While the Colorado game went better, it was still a 74–67 loss. The game got close a number of times but Colorado led for most of the game. As the second half dwindled, the Cougs managed to get as close as one point.
Over the remaining three minutes, the Buffaloes went on a mini-run and built their lead back up to seven at the end of the game.
The Cougs came home still winless in the conference but with two quick chances at home. First, the Oregon State Beavers (9-6, 1-3 Pac-12).
The other half of the Pac-2 put up a very good fight, but the Cougs were victorious by a final score of 65–58.
After the first half, the Cougs were down three. That was when Oscar Cluff stepped in. Already hot after a good first half off the bench, Cluff scored nine straight to take the lead and stretch it out.
That lead grew as big as 11 before getting down to just two as the end approached. A pair of timely three-pointers and some free throws made sure that the Cougs stayed on top.
Cluff finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, all career highs. He did so well that he earned himself the start in the Coug’s following game against Oregon (12-3, 4-0 Pac-12).
Unfortunately for the Cougs, Oregon is on a roll, having won every in-conference game so far. WSU was no different for the Ducks, and the final score being as close as 89–84 is something of a miracle considering how well Oregon played.
The biggest thing keeping the Cougs out of the game was Oregon’s shot-making as they hit 14 of 24 three-pointers, a 58.3% rate. While WSU made 50% of their 18 three-pointers, it was not enough to keep up.
Down the stretch, it felt like every single Cougar make was met with an equal or greater make on the other end by Oregon. While the Cougs were scoring better than they had all year, they were only managing to keep up with a white-hot Ducks offense.
Myles Rice finished with 22 points and tied his career-high with seven assists. Also in double-figures were Jones and Jakismovski, as well as Jaylen Wells and Isaiah Watts, who both managed it off the bench.
After a string of rough offensive performances, the Cougs managed to put together a really good game. Breaking 80 is something teams only do a few times a season, and if the offense can look like it did against Oregon while the defense looks more like itself, the Cougs can stick with just about anybody.
Next time the Cougs are in Pullman, they will play host to No. 6 Arizona (12-3, 3-1 Pac-12). Last year, the Cougs managed one of their greatest wins in program history when they took down No.8 Arizona in Arizona. Now, on a day with a low temperature of -10° and a high below 10°, they have a chance to do it again.
That game is an afternoon match. It will tip-off at 3 p.m. Saturday in Beasley Coliseum and will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.
