College Basketball Today
Washington State at UCLA
The Cougars (2-1 in the Pacific-10 Conference and 6-4 overall) will try to bounce back from Thursday night’s ugly loss to Southern California when they face the sixth-ranked Bruins (2-1 and 8-1) in Pauley Pavilion. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. The game will be televised live by ABC-TV.
At a glance
WSU’s chances of breaking its Pauley Pavilion jinx were shaky at best when it made the trip to Los Angeles earlier this week. But with starting point guard Donminic Ellison and backup forward Tavares Mack suspended for at least one game for breaking a team rule, they now seem non-existent. Ellison was expected to miss the UCLA game anyway because of the knee sprain he suffered in Thursday night’s 85-76 loss to USC. And the added absence of Mack will make it almost impossible for the Cougars to match up against the Bruins’ strong, active and athletic front line of Ed and Charles O’Bannon and 7-footer George Zidek. WSU coach The Cougars have not won a regular-season game in Los Angeles since 1986 and are 0-38 against UCLA on the road. That drought includes 29 consecutive losses to the Bruins at Pauley Pavilion.
WSU: Isaac Fontaine, 18.1 points per game, 3.1 assists per game; Mark Hendrickson, 13.1 ppg, 10.1 rpg; Shamon Antrum, 13.8 ppg. Ed O’Bannon, 19.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg; Tyus Edney, 16.7 ppg, 5.9 apg; Charles O’Bannon, 14.4 ppg; George Zidek, 11.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg.
Television/Radio: KXLY-TV (Channel 4) Spokane, 1 p.m.; KXLY (920 AM) Spokane, KWSU (1250 AM) Pullman, KORD 870 AM) Tri-Cities, KCLX (1450 AM) Colfax, KCVL (1240 AM) Colville, KWWW (1340 AM) Wenatchee, KBSN (1470 AM) Moses Lake, KNSN (97.1 FM) Walla Walla, 12:40 p.m.
Gonzaga at San Francisco
The Bulldogs (0-1 in West Coast Conference,
11-2) visit USF (0-2, 6-9) at 7 p.m. at Memorial Gym.
At a glance
At the team dinner Friday night, GU coach Dan Fitzgerald asked the nearest priest to offer grace. “Listen up guys, the way we played last night, we need all the help we can get,” he said, referring to Thursday’s 80-70 loss to San Diego in which standout shooters John Rillie and Jon Kinloch combined for only 10 points.
What must they do against USF? “We have to show some poise on the road; we haven’t played good at all on the road this season,” Fitzgerald said. “USF is a very talented team.”
But it is a team with troubles of its own. Despite having arguably the best player in the conference in guard Gerald Walker, the Dons have lost to San Diego and Portland in their first two WCC outings. USF led Portland by six with less than 3 minutes to play, but Walker made two turnovers in the final 64 seconds as the Pilots rallied for the win.
“Sooner or later, the breaks are going to go our way,” USF coach Jim Brovelli said. “But right now, we’re going through some tough times.”
Gonzaga: John Rillie, 13.5 points per game; Jason Rubright 5.9 rebounds; Kyle Dixon, 4.0 assists. USF: Gerald Walker, 19.4 ppg; John Duggan, 7.4 rpg; Walker, 5.0 apg.
Radio: KJRB (790 AM) with pregame starting 15 minutes before tipoff.
CCS at Blue Mountain
The Community Colleges of Spokane (2-0
NWAACC, 5-9) take on Blue Mountain (0-2, 7-9) tonight at 8.
At a glance
Could it be? Are the Sasquatch ready to make some noise this season? Head coach Sam Brasch hopes so.
“I think we might be starting to come around,” Brasch said. CCS has some talent, but the team’s inexperience took its toll in non-conference play as the team won just 3 of 12 games. The encouraging thing is that CCS was at least competitive in most of those outings. On the road against Blue Mountain will be a good test.