Stanford Has Too Much Depth For Cougars Bench Performance Big Difference As Cardinal Defeats Cougars

Playing 10th-ranked Stanford is a depth wish for undermanned teams like Washington State, a lesson the Cougars knew long before Saturday night’s 72-56 loss at Maples Pavilion.

For Stanford, depth means Ryan Mendez - ever hear of him? - coming off the bench to drill five 3-pointers, including four during a 6-minute span that helped the Cardinal take a 36-26 halftime lead.

“The last one he hit, I touched the ball,” marveled WSU wing Chris Crosby. “I actually deflected it and it went in. Great shooter.”

Depth means watching 7-footer Tim Young pick up his second foul and Stanford casually scanning the fleet of Peterbilts for a 235-pound diesel named Mark Madsen, who had hammered away for six points in the opening minutes.

Madsen played a critical role in holding WSU forward Carlos Daniel to eight points and eight rebounds. Madsen had been out of the lineup with a stress fracture when these teams played last month, and Daniel had feasted with 25 points and 16 boards.

“We had Madsen this time - it’s that simple,” Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. “Madsen is a great defender and he’s strong enough to handle him and he works very hard.”

Madsen was a bit more diplomatic.

“The ball just wasn’t dropping for him,” Madsen conceded, noting Daniel’s 1-for-7 shooting. “He had position on me several times, he got some jump hooks off and they just went in and out.”

Depth means having nine players get into the game for at least 11 minutes, despite the fact that WSU trailed just 60-53 with 3:31 left.

Ultimately, depth means being 23-3 overall and 12-2 in the Pacific-10 Conference. WSU, at 9-17 and 2-13, could only admire from afar.

“They’re ranked 10th in the nation for a reason,” Crosby said.

For all its struggles this season, WSU has played remarkably well on defense, ranking second only to Stanford in the Pac-10 defensive statistics.

“I personally think that we’re one of the best defensive teams - if not the best - in the conference,” WSU coach Kevin Eastman said. “Our guys have bought into defense. We just can’t put the ball in the basket.”

The Cougars held Stanford to 35 percent shooting, including 29 percent in the second half. Stanford also fared well defensively, holding WSU to just 31 percent from the field.

“That was probably one of the best defensive performances I have ever been involved with with our basketball team,” Eastman said. “When you shoot only 31 percent against the No. 10 team and can keep the game within 10 points (until late), you’re doing a lot of things right defensively.”

The Cardinal won because they made 25 of 31 free throws, taking full advantage of the bonus after WSU committed its seventh second-half foul with more than 13 minutes remaining.

The Cougars’ 10th team foul came with 8:42 remaining, giving Stanford two free throws every time WSU was whistled for a foul. Stanford made 13 of 14 free throws from that point.

From Stanford’s perspective, the game was probably never in doubt. But there were several redeeming moments for WSU, starting with the resurgent Crosby.

Crosby, shooting an icy 33 percent in Pac-10 play coming in, scored 14 points on 4-for-7 shooting. He also grabbed a conference-high six rebounds, playing with renewed aggression.

Crosby, who turned 20 on Saturday, was rewarded by a Maples crowd of 7,391, many of whom offered mock salutes with several renditions of “Happy Birthday.”

Forward Kojo Mensah-Bonsu also played well, getting 12 points and six rebounds while committing only one turnover - five fewer than he had committed in each of the Cougars’ past three games.

, DataTimes