WSU is moving on in their first WCC tournament, handing Loyola Marymount University a 17-point loss to advance into the quarterfinals tomorrow.
The Cougars came out of the gates hot, getting off to a 12-3 lead in the first five minutes. The WSU defense protected the paint with extraordinary ferociousness. LMU attempted only threes in the first five minutes of the game, and not by choice.
Ethan Price, WSU’s senior forward who has taken the mantle as the leader of the team this year, took over the game offensively. He hit a pair of threes, slammed a dunk and made layups and free throws, doing it all and finishing the first half with 20-points. The Cougs stayed hot through the first 10 minutes of the game. With Price leading the charge, WSU built a 31-15 lead and looked like they were cruising.
That’s when LMU made lineup changes. Off the bench came MJ Amey, who sunk 11 points in the final nine minutes of the first half. The LMU bench also played much stronger defense, limiting the Cougs to a three-minute scoring drought. The Lions slowly clawed their way back to within eight, which was were the deficit sat at halftime. The Cougs headed to the locker rooms with a 47-39 lead.
The second half began relatively similar to the first. WSU’s defense locked down the Lions, holding them to just one point in the first five minutes. The Cougs built their lead back up to 62-42, opening the half on a 15-3 run. However, Dane Erikstrup was whistled for the fourth time and had to spend a majority of the second half on the bench.
Loyola Marymount was able to counter with a 15-3 run of their own, bringing the Wazzu lead back to eight. With 10 minutes to go, WSU led 65-57, but the Lions’ increased pressure on defense combined with a more efficient offense was helping them cut their deficit. Price, the scoring leader from the first half, had not attempted a single shot in the half.
The Cougs took a key timeout and made the bold choice to insert Erikstrup back in the game with 10 minutes to go. His presence had an immediate impact, as the Cougs halted the Lions momentum with a Nate Calmese three and an Isaiah Watts dunk. A minute later, Rihards Vavers hit his second three of the night to put the Cougars up 73-59.
WSU was holding onto a 15-point lead when Dane Erikstrup fouled out of the game with five minutes left. It was a situation eerily similar to the Cougs win over San Diego a week ago. Against San Diego, the Cougs led by 20 points when Erikstrup fouled out, but proceeded to allow a 19-2 USD run which nearly led to an upset loss. Just like San Diego had done a week ago, the Lions started pressing the Cougs, hoping to disrupt their offense.
This time around, the Cougs appeared to have learned their lesson from last week’s near-disaster. They finished strong, winding up with a 94-77 win to punch their ticket into the WCC quarterfinals.
Calmese and Price finished with 22 points each and Vavers finished with 16 points, having made three of five shots from deep. Price said Vavers impact changed the game in a positive way for WSU.
“His energy today … he is a great shooter, but for him to come in and grab three or four boards, that’s a game changer for us,” said Price.
Not only was it the Cougars first win in the WCC tournament, it was also David Riley’s first win in a tournament since 2022. Eastern lost in the first round in both 2023 and 2024. Nate Calmese said getting the win against LMU felt like the pressure was lifted.
“It was big, you know the first one’s always the hardest one,” Calmese told ESPN+ after the game. “We ended the way we wanted to … it feels really good, some relief off my back for sure.”
Head coach David Riley said the key to the victory was playing together.
“To finish with 26 assists is a great number,” Riley said after the game on the ESPN+ postgame show.
He gave credit to Calmese for taking over the game in the second half.
“He really controlled the game,” Riley said.
The Cougars will take on the University of San Francisco Dons tomorrow in the WCC quarterfinals.
