Tired Cougs Can’t Handle Super Mario

Washington State, with its emotional gauge on empty, ran into an energetic, hotshooting Arizona State team Sunday afternoon and suffered a predictable fate.

The Cougars, coming off their most courageous effort of the season in Thursday night’s close loss to 12th-ranked Arizona, never really got started against No. 16 ASU and were dusted 87-60.

The defeat was the most lopsided in the history of the series and the worst under first-year coach Kevin Eastman, who seemed to take the thumping in stride.

“Plain and simple, the better team won,” he said after watching his Cougars lose their second straight game and fall to 5-4 in the Pacific-10 Conference and 10-7 overall. “They were better at every position today. They’re quicker than us, anyway, even when we play well. And they shot the ball a lot better than they normally do.”

Mario Bennett, the Sun Devils’ loose-moving 6-foot-9 junior forward, had his way with WSU’s frontliners, finishing with 24 points while sinking 14 free throws. Guards Ron Riley and Jeremy Veal combined to hit 9 of 16 from 3-point range. Riley, a junior, scored 20 points and Veal, a freshman, added 19.

ASU’s shooting success probably surprised many of the 9,287 who showed up at University Activity Center to watch in person and a lot more who watched ABC’s regional telecast.

The Sun Devils (6-3, 16-5) came in ranked sixth in the Pac-10 in shooting percentage (46.5) and eighth in 3-point percentage (32.0). But they buried 28 of 56 from the floor - including 10 of 21 from 3-point range - and could have turned the game into a rout much earlier had Bennett not missed 11 of his 23 free throws.

“I’m happy with the way we played today,” ASU coach Bill Frieder said after his team snapped a threegame losing streak to the Cougars. “I know what our shooting percentage is but we have stay with it. That’s why it’s important for us to play hard and press effectively. That is how we win games.”

The Sun Devils’ press bothered the Cougars, who played most of the game without starting point guard Donminic Ellison. It helped force 29 turnovers and created several easy transition baskets.

In contrast, WSU was never able to get its break going and looked ratty and disorganized in its halfcourt motion offense.

Isaac Fontaine scored 19 points but was the only Cougar in double figures. Junior forward Mark Hendrickson was held to six points and five rebounds and was a non-factor. So was Tavares Mack, his front-court mate, who ran into early foul trouble and played only 7 minutes before fouling out with 9:10 remaining.

“I was concerned with Hendrickson,” Frieder admitted. “He’s a very good player. He’s been excellent against us, but we got excellent weakside help on him.”

Eastman said he thought his front-line players were intimidated by Bennett, who made 6 of 8 from the field, mainly from close range, and grabbed eight offensive rebounds.

“Why, I don’t know,” he said. “When you front (him) and Bennett gets offensive rebounds and then you go behind and he kicks your butt by scoring over the top of you and then you double down and he kicks (the ball) out and 20-percent 3-point shooters hit 3s, then at that point you’re out of guesses.

“We don’t have enough stuff left - after we try 17 things - to try an 18th. But basically you saw a very good basketball team, that deserves their ranking, play at the top of their game.”

Eastman said he felt something was missing emotionally in the wake of Thursday’s 84-76 loss to Arizona. And not even the second-half insertion of Ellison, who missed the Arizona game because of chicken pox, seemed to spark the Cougars.

Ellison, who did not make the trip with the team but flew in late Friday after team physician Dr. Lloyd Perino cleared him to play, entered the game with 12:23 left and WSU trailing 49-38.

He finished with six points and two assists, but turned the ball over three times as ASU methodically pulled away in the last 10 minutes.

The loss, the Cougars’ seventh in eight road games, dropped them into a fifth-place tie with Oregon in the Pac-10 standings. WSU gets a chance to bounce back Thursday night when it entertains Southern California at Friel Court.

Arizona St. 87, Washington St. 60 WASHINGTON STATE (10-7)

Fontaine 7-11 4-5 19, Hendrickson 2-7 2-2 6, Mack 1-2 0-0 2, Antrum 1-9 0-0 3, Griffin 3-9 3-5 9, Daniel 2-10 0-0 4, Vik 3-3 2-2 9, Corkrum 1-3 0-0 2, Ellison 2-4 0-0 6, Warmenhoven 0-0 0-0 0, Bortles 0-0 0-0 0, Topper 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-59 11-14 60.

ARIZONA STATE (16-5)

Riley 6-15 2-2 20, Brewer 2-3 0-0 4, Bennett 6-8 12-23 24, Capers 1-2 0-0 3, Burton 4-8 1-3 9, Veal 7-10 2-3 19, Bacon 1-8 4-4 6, Zaletel 1-1 0-0 2, Hargrays 0-1 0-0 0, Lopez 0-0 0-0 0, Cunningham 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-56 21-35 87.

Halftime-Arizona State 32, Washington State 28. 3-Point goals-Washington State 5-13 (Ellison 2-3, Fontaine 1-1, Vik 1-1, Antrum 1-5, Hendrickson 0-1, Griffin 0-2), Arizona State 10-21 (Riley 6-12, Veal 3-4, Capers 1-1, Burton 0-3, Hargrays 0-1). Rebounds-Washington State 34 (Griffin 9), Arizona State 39 (Bennett 14). Assists-Washington State 12 (Fontaine, Antrum, Griffin 3), Arizona State 24 (Capers 7). Total fouls-Washington State 26, Arizona State 19. Fouled Out-Mack, Brewer. Technicals-None. A-9,287.