CJ Elleby, Marvin Cannon spark Washington State past Old Dominion 66-50

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands – CJ Elleby scored 21 points and Marvin Cannon had 10 of his 14 in the second half Tuesday when Washington State took control to defeat Old Dominion 66-50 in the consolation bracket of the Cayman Islands Classic.

Cannon scored 10 points in less than 10 minutes, part of a 25-6 run that broke open a one-point game. The run started with a flurry of 3-pointers, starting with one by Jeff Pollard, that pushed WSU’s lead to 38-34. Elleby and Cannon followed with 3-pointers and after a Monarchs’ layup, Cannon and Elleby added 3-pointers to make it 50-36. Those five 3s came in a 5:20 span.

The Cougars kept going, getting two Cannon free throws and a dunk in quick succession, as the lead reached 60-40 with 7:42 to play. The Cougars were 9 of 15 during the 25-6 run, while the Monarchs went 2 of 13 with three turnovers.

Jervae Robinson and Pollard added 10 points apiece for the Cougars (3-3).

“This was a great win for us,” WSU coach Kyle Smith said. “Old Dominion does a great job, they’re strong and they’re physical, and we had to really play as a team. I thought we were really strong defensively in the second half.”

Xavier Green led the Monarchs (3-4) with 20 points and Marquis Godwin had 11, all in the first half.

Both teams made 10 field goals in the first half and WSU led 30-28. Old Dominion was 6 of 12 from 3-point range, 4 of 16 inside the arc. The Cougars were just 2 of 9 on 3-pointers and made 8 of 13 free throws.