Jacob Thorpe

PULLMAN – D.J. Shelton’s first 3-point attempt hit the rim, the top of the backboard, and in the words of coach Ken Bone, “maybe the flag,” before falling into the basket. His next three were never in doubt. But not even Shelton’s sweet shooting was enough to prop up the Washington State offense as the Cougars fell 66-55 to Oregon State in a Pac-12 men’s basketball game in front of 2,632 fans at home Wednesday night.

PULLMAN – Enjoy Junior Longrus’ final two and a half seasons while you can. The 6-foot-7 Washington State forward is a nuanced style of basketball player that appears to be going the way of milk trucks and the dodo bird. Undersized forwards have been mainstays in the Pac-12, with guys like Jeff Varem, Sam Clancy, Jamal Williams and others who used deft body positioning and superior quickness to make up for their lack of prototypical height.

PULLMAN – Last week the Washington State men’s basketball team put together 40 minutes of impressive basketball, considering the opposition.

BERKELEY, Calif. – For the third time this season, the Washington State basketball team showed the talent and skill to build a lead on the road against a Pac-12 team. And for the third time this season the Cougars lacked the depth to sustain it, falling 76-55 at California on Saturday. The difference in the game occurred exclusively in the second half. The Cougars (8-10, 1-5 Pac-12) built a moderate lead early and trailed just 34-33 at halftime. But just like Stanford and Arizona State before them, Cal (14-4, 5-0) was able to wreak havoc in the second half, taking advantage of a depleted WSU offense that routinely goes three or four minutes without scoring.