Dane Erikstrup and Ethan Price did their best to carry the Cougars to victory in their final home game, combining for 40 points as the Cougars defeated the Toreros 93-86 Thursday in Pullman.
The game was reminiscent of earlier wins this season against Boise State, Northern Iowa and San Diego. The Cougars jumped out to a huge lead, at one point up by 31 points. Erikstrup hit three triples in the first half, carrying the load offensively, but everyone put together strong showings.
Kase Wynott, Parker Gerrits and Rihards Vavers all drained threes from the bench, Nate Calmese and Isaiah Watts fed the ball and had the offense rolling, and LeJuan Watts controlled the backboards. San Diego, for their part, missed a lot of shots, and left a lot of points on the board.
At halftime, the Cougars were leading 53-25, and looked like they were sailing to an easy victory in front of their home ground.
The Toreros, a team with just one win in the West Coast Conference this year, a team that has lost fifteen straight games, did not intend to go down without a fight. In the second half, they switched to full-court press defense, which began to mess with the Cougars.
Still, the Cougs led by 24 when Dane Erikstrup fouled out of the game with seven minutes left, and led by 20 with five minutes to go. So when the Toreros had clawed back to get within five points with thirty seconds to play, the Cougars appeared to be shocked.
Dane Erikstrup said the Cougars slowed down and let the Toreros back into the game.
“I just think we were kind of being casual you know,” said Erikstrup. “We kinda took our foot off the gas, and at that point, the only chance the other team has is to shoot quick shots and turn us over. And they did just that.”
The Cougars had a similar scare the first time they played San Diego, when an 18-point lead slipped into a deficit and ultimately resulted in a nail-biting four-point win. Whatever lessons the Cougs learned from their previous matchup, they held onto those lessons in round two.
After allowing San Diego to go on a 20-5 run, turning an 84-64 lead into a 89-84 lead, the Cougars scored with thirty seconds left to extend their lead to seven. After another two from San Diego, the Cougs were able to hold the ball, and scored one more time with a second left, to win 93-86.
“Really excited to send these seniors off with the win,” said head coach David Riley after the game. “For Ethan and Dane to finish with 23 points and 17 points, just happy to send them off with the win.”
Price, who finished with a quiet 17 points, held the team together down the stretch. With Erikstrup fouled out of the game and Calmese on the bench dealing with an undisclosed injury, it was Price who carried the load in the second half and helped the Cougars secure the narrow win.
“I think it’s just a focus thing we gotta work on,” said Price.
He said the team’s 23 turnovers, a season-high, were not ideal.
Both seniors talked about how proud they were of their lone year in Pullman.
“I love it,” said Erikstrup. “When it’s you last year of college basketball, and your last time being in front of your home crowd, you try not to think about it, but eventually it hits you.”
Price said the year flew by for him.
“I think I kinda knew that was gonna happen,” said Price. “To be able to enjoy the moment, enjoy the game, to have my family here was really special too, so yeah, it was really enjoyable.
Price’s family, who are from across the Atlantic Ocean in England, flew to Pullman and surprised him by wearing matching t-shirts to show their support.
Cedric Coward was also honored at senior night. The senior forward played just six games before suffering a shoulder injury in early December. He could be eligible to return next season by utilizing a medical redshirt, but could also potentially garner interest from larger schools or even the NBA.
With their win, the Cougars have officially secured a winning season in 2025, with a record of 17-13 and one regular season game left to play. Even if they Cougs lose their first game in the WCC tournament, they would finish with an overall record of 17-15.
Seeding-wise, the Cougs took a big step in their quest for a top-six seed with the win. They now have a 7-10 record in the WCC, and hold the seven-seed. A win on Saturday at Pepperdine would propel them to a record of 8-10 and launch them ahead of Loyola Marymount, and into the sixth seed. LMU lost their last game of the season against Saint Mary’s last night, and finished with an 8-10 record. However, because WSU holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Lions, all the Cougs need to do is beat Pepperdine, and they will earn the sixth seed.
