In the wild, a Coug beats an Eagle, and in the 509 Classic, they do as well.
The 2025 509 Classic is in the books, and three point shooting led by the “Bench Mob” leads to a Cougar victory over the Eagles.
WSU came out trying to establish two things: three pointers and pressuring the ball handler from their 2-3 zone. Eemeli Yalaho got the game started off with a wing three, and then ND Okafor blocked a EWU shot. The first half shifted as soon as Okafor got going in the post on offense, finishing the first half with 12 points and a steal. Another Coug who took life in the middle of the first half was Ace Glass, who went two for three from beyond the arc and four for five from the field, totaling 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Glass and Okafor went on a run of their own, dominating the game for a brief stretch. Glass hit a top of the key three and his second floater of the game, while Okfar had a baseline slam. Then, Glass hit a top of the key three off a screen from Okafor. To put the cherry on top, Glass threw an alley-oop to Okafor, who made the shot with the foul.
Bench scoring was the biggest difference between the two teams. WSU had Glass and Emmanuel Ugbo coming off the bench. Ugbo scored 14 points in the first half, shooting five for seven from the field, and three out of four from the free throw line.
For the Eagles, it was all Isaiah Moses and Jojo Anderson. Moses played nearly 18 minutes in the first half, finishing with 10 points, two assists, one steal and three turnovers. The entire Eagle offense runs through their point guard Moses, who has a shifty game.
Every time he would drive, either he kicked it out to a shooter or he took the shot. He struggled to finish at the rim in the first half, making three out of nine of his shots. However, his driving led to foul calls to get to the free-throw line. His counterpart, Anderson, came out shooting hot, making his first two shots, causing David Riley to tell Jerone Morton to give him no space on defense.
In the second half, Rihards Vavers turned it up. Vavers was 0-3 going into the half, but came out hot in the second. Vavers hit a baseline jump shot, and on the next possession, he hit a wing three to get the Cougs started. Glass struggled shooting the ball in the second half, going two for six, but he was able to create opportunities for others. WSUs’ offense in the first was mainly due to Ugbo, Okafor and Glass, but in the second, the wealth was thoroughly spread. In the first half, three players scored more than seven points, but in the second, seven players hit that mark.
However, the Cougs did get cold from three for a brief stretch of time, allowing the Eagles to get the game within reach (10 points). However, every time they made a run, the Cougs answered right back, either with a three or with Okafor trying to posterize somebody and getting to the free throw line.
The Eagles gained momentum due to Moses and Anderson continuing their great play, while also getting help from Alton Hamilton IV, who was lights out from the corner for three. It was not enough though, as the Cougs were able to distance themselves and ice the game by getting to the rim, where there was no rim protection from the Eagles.
Cougs won 78 -63 WSU, as Ugbo and Glass led the “Bench Mob,” and were the difference for the Cougs in the 509 Classic.
