The Cougars coasted to an 89-73 win in their first West Coast Conference game at the University of Portland.
Once again without Isaiah Watts, the Cougs rolled with true freshman Tomas Thrastarson, who made his second start of the season. Despite the injuries, the Cougs have not been slowed down yet. Head coach David Riley has found ways to find production, and the Cougars are now 11-3.
“We came in with an edge,” Riley said. “There was no fooling around coming into the game.”
Ethan Price led the Cougs offensively, scoring 22 points. He was humming from beyond the arc, hitting four of six threes.
“He was rebounding, he was trying to attack the paint,” Riley said. “When he has that attack mindset…that’s when he shoots his best.”
Price was not the only Coug who was shooting well against the Pilots. The Cougs made 14 of 25 threes, a major factor in their win. The Pilots made only half the amount of three’s, making seven of 23.
Riley credited the Cougar fanbase for showing up in Portland and flooding the arena.
“I get chills down my spine every time we get the national anthem and we hit the home of the Cougs,” Riley said. “It felt like a home game.”
WSU led by as much as 28 points in the second half and ultimately settled in for a 16-point win. The offense continues to spread the points, with five Cougs reaching double-digits in scoring.
Nate Calmese contributed 18 points to go with five assists. LeJuan Watts scored 14 points and led the team with eight rebounds, while shooting a perfect three-for-three from beyond the arc.
Dane Erikstrup added a trio of three’s as well, scoring eleven points total, and ND Okafor came off the bench to score 12 points.
Freshman Kase Wynott and Parker Gerrits each knocked down a three as well and both continue to see more playing time as they get more comfortable in the WSU rotation.
Turnover’s were the lone issue for the Cougs against the Pilots. The Cougars turned the ball over 16 times, as opposed to the Pilots, who turned the ball over 11 times.
Next up for WSU is a game against Loyola Marymount on Dec. 3 at the Spokane Arena.
