COUGARS
When the offense isn't working, defense has to keep you in a game. Washington State's defense did just that in the early going of this NIT matchup. After 14 minutes, Long Beach State was 2 for 19 from the floor. That allowed the Cougars to overcome their own sloppy play, some shooting woes and build a 21-8 lead. The 49ers hit 5 of their final 14 first-half shots, but by then WSU was going better as well. Or at least Klay Thompson was. The junior has 15 points at the half, hitting 6 of 12 shots as he's attacking the mid-range with authority. The 49ers are not letting him come off screens at the 3-point line – switching those screens – with a clean look, so he's putting the ball on the floor, getting space and pulling up. … On the other end, where WSU is really winning the battle, Marcus Capers took CSULB's Casper Ware out of the game early, denying the 5-10 junior the ball and, when he got it, making him give it up, especially off ball screens with help from DeAngelo Casto and the other bigs. Ware was 1 of 6 shooting, with his one basket coming on a blow-by past Faisal Aden. … As for the rebound battle, which usually tells the tale for WSU, the Cougars are up 23-20. That's it for now. We'll be back about 90 minutes after the end of this one.
Jim Allen Sports reporter Jim Allen's primary coverage areas are Eastern Washington University football and men's basketball, Whitworth University men's basketball, and college and high school soccer. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.
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Christian Caple Sports reporter Christian Caple covers Washington State University athletics. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.
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Greg Lee Greg Lee covers high school sports in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.
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Jim Meehan Jim Meehan's coverage areas include Gonzaga University men's basketball, Whitworth University football, the Spokane Shock, golf and volleyball. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.
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Chris Derrick Chris Derrick is a sports reporter for the sports section. His primary coverage areas are the Spokane Chiefs, women's basketball and high school sports in the fall and spring.
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Josh Wright Josh Wright is a freelance correspondent who covers the University of Idaho football team and men's basketball team.
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Vince Grippi is the online producer for SportsLink, a product of The Spokesman-Review.
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