Weekend, chances lost

PULLMAN – In a game of lost opportunities in a weekend of the same, Washington State’s men’s basketball team did a couple of things Saturday it hasn’t done all year.

It played into overtime and it lost a second consecutive contest.

Stanford made more of its opportunities down the stretch and in the extra period to edge the Cougars 67-65, post a fifth straight win and cement its hold on second place in the Pac-10.

WSU, which entered a four-game homestand Thursday holding down that spot, saw its conference mark fall to 5-4, partly because a 74.5 percent free-throw shooting team couldn’t hit 50 percent in the final 2 minutes, 23 seconds of regulation – at home, before 9,202 in Beasley Coliseum.

“Basically we had the game in our hands,” said Kyle Weaver, who had a career-high 23 points, which included 15 of 19 from the line. “When you are given free looks, you have to be able to sink them. We didn’t really take advantage of putting them down tonight and it hurt us.”

The ninth-ranked Cougars (17-4) had their opportunities. They led by nine twice in the second half. They led by six with a little more than 7 minutes to play. And they led 52-51 when Weaver stepped to the line with 2:23 left. To that point, WSU had converted 12 of 13 from the stripe.

But Weaver missed 1 of 2. Aron Baynes, who played just 15 foul-plagued minutes in his matchup with Stanford’s 7-foot Brook Lopez, did the same. In between, Stanford reserve Taj Finger scored on a layup.

Lawrence Hill, who started in place of the injured Anthony Goods (sprained ankle) and came through with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, made one free throw and Brook Lopez added two more to give Stanford a 56-54 lead. With 46 seconds left, Weaver hit 1 of 2 before Lopez, who was just 4 of 16 from the floor against WSU’s double teams, missed a baseline jump hook.

But with a chance to give WSU the lead, Cowgill missed two free throws.

It was contagious. Cardinal point guard Mitch Johnson, who finished with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds, did the same. So, with 9.8 seconds left, WSU had one more opportunity to pull out the win.

Weaver took it to the rim and was fouled by Hill. He hit the first to tie, but the second skimmed out. Stanford called timeout and, in the final 5 seconds, got shots from Robin Lopez and Finger, but both missed.

“We got to the spot where we maybe could have put it away or come out on top, and we didn’t,” WSU coach Tony Bennett said. “You just have to play well to be in games. Then you have to execute and make some plays down the stretch, whether it’s free throws or a big stop.”

The Cougars didn’t do either in the 5-minute extra period, only forcing two stops and missing two free throws. The 14th-ranked Cardinal (18-3, 7-2) had just two stops as well, but a 3-pointer from Hill and a spinning 10-footer from “the other twin” gave them a 66-63 edge before Weaver stepped to the line with 6 seconds left, fouled on a long-range attempt by Hill.

Weaver, who also had a game-high 11 rebounds, made the first, missed the second and made the third, before quickly fouling Johnson, who made 1 of 2. With 5.4 seconds left, WSU had one more opportunity to tie.

Point-guard Taylor Rochestie took the inbounds pass and attacked. He received a high screen from Cowgill and Brook Lopez switched. The rim was open and Rochestie took it there.

“I was surprised he was able to get all the way to the rim like that,” said Derrick Low, who bounced back from a five-point night against Cal on Thursday with 19 points, including nine consecutive midway through the second half. “I think he was a little surprised too.”

“I was thinking, ‘Brook, please block the shot,’ ” Finger said, watching from the bench after fouling out with eight points and eight rebounds.

Lopez, who was credited with five blocked shots, didn’t get this one. But he bothered Rochestie enough the ball spun out as the horn sounded. Rochestie slumped to the floor and the Cougars had their first losing streak of the Tony Bennett era.

With fifth-ranked and Pac-10-leading UCLA coming to town Thursday, the Cougars need a win.

“In this league, either you improve or you get left behind,” Bennett said. “If you just stay the same, it’s not good enough. That’s the challenge. Can we improve and keep up with the rest?”