College Basketball Today

Oregon State at Washington State

The Cougars (3-2 in the Pacific-10 Conference, 7-5 overall) try to make it 10 in a row at Friel Court when they entertain the Beavers (1-3, 4-9) at 1 p.m. The Raycom network will televise the game live, but no local station will carry the telecast. It’ll be shown on tape delay at 9 p.m. on PSN.

At a glance

OSU boasts two the league’s premier performers in seniors Mustapha Hoff and Brent Barry. Hoff, a 6-foot-7 forward, who missed last season after undergoing back surgery, ranks second in the Pac-10 in scoring and sixth in rebounding. Barry is tied for third in scoring and ninth in rebounding. Coach Jim Anderson has had problems, however, finding three others to complement them. The Beavers lost to Washington on Thursday night and have won only once in their last eight games. WSU, which has beaten three ranked teams at home this season, is coming off a 83-78 upset of No. 17 Oregon. The Cougars have played well at Friel Court all year, but firstyear coach Kevin Eastman would like to see his team turn on the jets a little sooner than they did against UO. Junior forward Mark Hendrickson is playing as well as anyone in the Pac-10 and sophomore guard Isaac Fontaine continues to rank among the league’s top scorers. Still, the Cougars are short on depth and need to stay out of foul trouble if they hope to keep OSU on the skids.

Oregon State: Mustapha Hoff, 20.6 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game; Brent Barry, 19.1 ppg, 3.7 assists per game, 6.5 rpg; Stephane Brown, 13.5 ppg. WSU: Isaac Fontaine, 17.9 ppg; Shamon Antrum, 13.4 ppg; Mark Hendrickson, 14.3 ppg, 10.1 rpg; Donminic Ellison, 11. 2 ppg, 6.6 apg.

Radio: 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.

Saint Mary’s at Gonzaga

The Bulldogs (0-3 in the West Coast Conference, 11-4 overall) play host to the Gaels (1-3, 6-8) in a 7 p.m. encounter at the Martin Centre that will be televised live on PSN.

At a glance

For the Bulldogs, it’s time to start a new streak. Having seen Santa Clara snap their 34-game home-court winning streak in overtime Thursday, the Bulldogs tangle with a WCC foe that seems to be struggling as well. GU’s problems are fairly easy to pinpoint: scoring in the clutch. In the closing moments of the last two losses, GU has made only 5 of 12 free throws and, on numerous occasions, was unable to even get off a decent shot on critical possessions. “We’re making the little mistakes in clutch situations,” GU coach Dan Fitzgerald said. “We’re putting ourselves in position to win, but not winning. We’re 0-3 in league and the fact is, a jump shot here, a free throw there and we’re 2-1.” The Bulldogs made more of an effort against SCU to get the ball to center Paul Rogers down in the low post. Rogers fouled out, though, and Scott Snider probably earned more playing time with good effort on the offensive end as a replacement.

Saint Mary’s “hasn’t been playing very well because they’re not shooting it well,” Fitzgerald said. “But they’ve got really, really good size and are very physical. They’re big and there’s a lot of them.” Gaels forward Brent Farris put in 26 points in Thursday’s loss to Portland. He made 11 of 13 shots and also had three steals.

Gonzaga: John Rillie, 13.2 points per game; Paul Rogers, 6.1 rebounds; Kyle Dixon, 4.0 assists. Saint Mary’s: Brent Farris, 13.0 ppg; Farris, 5.2 rpg; Kamran Sufi, 5.0 apg.

Radio/TV: KJRB (790 AM), pregame 15 minutes before tipoff. TV, Prime Sports Northwest, 7.

Eastern Washington at Idaho

The Vandals (6-8 overall) and Eagles (3-11), both 0-2 in the Big Sky Conference, tangle at 7:05 at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.

At a glance

Idaho has defeated EWU 18 straight times, but statistics indicate this one could be close. Some comparisons: Fieldgoal percentage - UI 43.7, EWU 43.3; points per game - UI 68.5, EWU 69.5; 3-point percentage - UI 32.1; EWU 31.8; rebound margin - UI plus 3.9; EWU plus 3.5. Idaho comes in with more momentum following Tuesday’s win over Sac State, which topped EWU on Thursday. But UI coach Joe Cravens cautioned: “We’re not the type of team that can show up and flounder around and beat a lot of people.”

EWU must contend with UI rebounding guru Harry Harrison and the Vandals’ new three-guard starting lineup. Idaho’s chore will be containing Eagles guard Curtis Porter’s dribble penetration and keeping Kevin Groves from the foul line. Groves hits 85 percent at the stripe, where EWU shoots 74 percent. UI has been strong at home, chalking up 77.6 points per game compared to 55.6 on the road.

Idaho: Harry Harrison, 13.7 ppg, 10.6 rpg; Mark Leslie, 12.6 ppg; Nate Gardner, 9.7 ppg. Eastern Washington: Kevin Groves, 12.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg; Joshua Lewis, 11.2 ppg; Carl Crider, 4.3 apg.

Radio: KRPL (1400 AM) Moscow; KVNI (1080 AM) Coeur d’Alene; KSBN (1230 AM) Spokane.

Walla Walla at CC Spokane

The Community Colleges of Spokane (2-2 NWAACC, 5-11) will entertain Walla Walla (3-1, 10-5) tonight at 8 following a women’s game between the school’s at 6.

At a glance

The Sasquatch are coming off back-to-back road losses to Blue Mountain and Columbia Basin after a 2-0 start in league play. In the 71-67 loss to CBC, the Sasquatch showed a lot of heart by fighting back from 11 points down in the second half. Dean Smith led CCS with a 16-point effort in that contest. CCS coach Sam Brasch desperately wants his team to regain the momentum it had before the previous defeats. Playing at home never hurt anyone.

Salt Lake at North Idaho

North Idaho College (3-5 Scenic West, 11-9 overall) can climb in the SWAC standings and give coach Rolly Williams his 700th career victory with a win over Salt Lake (3-5, 15-5) at 7:30 in Christianson Gym. NIC’s women (2-6, 6-11) meet Salt Lake (6-2, 13-5) at 5:30.

At a glance

NIC seems to face a premier player in every SWAC encounter and Salt Lake, a 15-point loser at Ricks on Thursday, is no different. Burly 6-foot-3 wing Marcel Johnson scored 73 points in two Bruins games last week, but was held to 14 by Ricks. He’ll probably be guarded by NIC’s Teodor Russinov, who put the clamps on Utah Valley star Bryon Ruffner on Thursday. NIC has thrived on the play of its guards and wings, but its inside players will need to step up tonight.