COUGARS

FROM KENNEWICK -- Washington State's 74-39 win over Idaho State at the Toyota Center on Saturday was about as easy as it gets. We have details after the jump. Read on.

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PLAYER OF THE GAME -- WSU coach Ken Bone has praised Mike Ladd's adjustment to point guard a number of times in the past couple weeks. Mostly, Bone has been pleased with Ladd's ability to "run the show," so to speak, despite never really playing the position before. On Saturday, more was required of him. The Cougars couldn't seem to figure out ISU's 1-3-1 zone in the early going, so Ladd was relied upon to get the offense going. He did that by scoring the team's first eight points, and wound up tying Brock Motum for game-high scoring honors with 17 points. Ladd also led the team in rebounds with nine on a night when the Cougars held a 43-16 advantage in that category.

PLAY OF THE GAME -- There really isn't a turning point in a blowout like this, so we'll give it to Bryce Leavitt, who drove to the hoop and flipped in a little runner with 10 seconds left in the first half, a shot that drew the loudest cheer of the day. Leavitt is a Kennewick native and said he had several friends and family members watching in the crowd.

STAT OF THE GAME -- The rebounding totals are most glaring, though the byproduct of WSU's offensive boards, a 20-0 advantage in second-chance points, also stands out.

QUOTABLE -- "If I were to put a letter grade on it I would say a B-plus. It’s not exactly where we want to be, but I think we’ve made great strides in certain areas that could really help us out in Pac-12 play." -- WSU coach Ken Bone on his team's nonconference schedule

UP NEXT -- WSU begins Pac-12 play on Jan. 5 against Washington. That game will be played in Beasley Coliseum at 6:30 p.m. and televised on ESPNU.

Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple

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