The game that was: WSU 72, Arizona State 50

COUGARS

FROM PULLMAN — WSU used a dominant first half to end a two-game skid, and we have our usual game in review for you below. Read on.

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PLAYER OF THE GAME — Marcus Capers came awfully close to a triple-double tonight, scoring nine points, grabbing 10 rebounds and handing out seven assists. He also did a nice job initiating WSU's offense in the high post, catching the ball in the middle of ASU's 2-3 zone and making smart decisions about where he went with it after that. The Cougars were very efficient in the first half, and, really, were pretty efficient all game in the half-court. Plus, Capers laid down a couple freestyle rap lines before doing interviews. So that counts for something, too, right?

PLAY OF THE GAME — Hard to pick just one on a night the Cougars so thoroughly dominated. Maybe Patrick Simon's 3-pointer with 12:57 left, just after ASU had cut the lead to 43-31. The Sun Devils never got closer than 15 points after that, and it sparked a quick run that kind of took the air out of ASU's press attack.

KEY STAT — How about this — Arizona State had more than three times as many turnovers in the first half (10) as made field goals (3). And the Cougars had as many assists (10) as ASU did turnovers.

QUOTABLE — “Shout out to the coaches. They’ve got a lot of confidence in us. As of lately they’ve been talking to us a lot like we’re going to make our push. That’s just real good. It’s good to hear from your teammates because we feel like we’re better than our record shows, but when you’ve got your coaches backing you up, that gives you a little bit more swagger and confidence in your game, and your whole approach in the whole matter.” — Marcus Capers

NEXT UP — Saturday vs. Washington, 5 p.m. The Huskies (19-8, 12-3) beat Arizona earlier today to stay tied with California for the Pac-12 lead. UW beat WSU 75-65 in Seattle on Jan. 15.

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