LeJuan Watts recorded the second triple-double in WSU history during the Cougars loss at Santa Clara.

Coming into the game, it felt like the Cougars had found their groove back, after their 22-point win over Portland. Unfortunately, whatever groove they had found against the Pilots, they lost in the second half against the Broncos, as they fell behind and lost by 28 points on the road.

Still, LeJuan Watts’ big night gave WSU something to be proud of. The sophomore scored 20 points, grabbed ten rebounds and recorded 11 assists. He is the second male basketball player to record a triple-double in school history, following Kyle Weaver in 2007.

The Cougs also got a boost in the lineup, as sophomore Rihards Vavers returned. Vavers played just two games before suffering a broken hand during the Cougars win over Nevada in early December. In his first game back, the sophomore came off the bench and scored a season-high 11 points, including three triples.

Unfortunately for Wazzu, two of their starters went cold. Dane Erikstrup scored five points before fouling out, and Nate Calmese scored three. Without their production, it became difficult to keep up with the Broncos, who made 13 threes en route to an offensive explosion of 93 points.

The Broncos had been in a cold stretch before their 103-99 upset win at Gonzaga. The Cougs caught them at the wrong time.

The loss drops the Cougars to a 15-6 record, with a 5-3 record against the West Coast Conference. The team still has enough Quad 1 opportunities remaining that the chances of an NCAA tournament bid is still possible, but the path grows more and more thin with each loss. The Cougars can probably afford eight losses to reach March Madness, and ten losses to reach the NIT.