Escape from Pullman
PULLMAN – Washington State came back home to play Gonzaga on Tuesday night wondering what the damage would be after a 52-point loss at Oklahoma State.
Turned out to be very little, but maybe just enough. The Cougars improved on the scoreboard by 50 points, falling just shy of an upset win over the No. 25 Bulldogs by a score of 54-52.
WSU (3-3) gave an inspired effort before 8,151 fans around Friel Court, but couldn’t hit on two shots on the game’s final possession that could have meant a win or at least overtime.
“We survived and got out of here with a W. That’s what we wanted to do,” said Gonzaga coach Mark Few, whose team is now 6-1 on the year. “We knew it wasn’t going to be pretty, and we sure as heck knew it wasn’t going to be easy. And it wasn’t.”
The Bulldogs fed the ball to power forward Ronny Turiaf, who scored a game-high 17 points despite spraining an ankle just 10 seconds into the second half. Few said he’s uncertain if Turiaf will be able to play Saturday against Saint Louis, but the senior gutted it out for 11 minutes after the injury as the Bulldogs squeaked by with a win.
“I’m never going to let my team down. If I have to play with a cast on, I’ll play with a cast,” Turiaf said. “My team needs me. I might not be able to take some shots, but I can get some rebounds and do the little stuff. By me just being on the court, the other team thinks differently.”
While Turiaf’s toughness was evident in the second half, the Cougars played hard-nosed, inspired basketball for almost the entire game. They jumped out to a 13-3 lead after the opening tip, and held a two-point lead at halftime. When Gonzaga surged to a six-point lead in the second half, WSU fought back to take a 50-49 lead with 3:14 to play.
But on the game’s final possession, freshman Josh Akognon, given the green light by head coach Dick Bennett, missed a straightaway 3-pointer from NBA distance, and another freshman, Robbie Cowgill, had a putback attempt spin off the rim as the clock neared zero.
“He said take the ball one-on-one, you’ve got 11 seconds. Whatever you feel you have to do to win,” Akognon said of Bennett’s instructions. The freshman had hit 4 of 7 from 3 before the final miss. “It’s disappointing that you can’t come out with it.”
The Cougars’ effort was hindered by significant foul trouble throughout. Forward Chris Schlatter collected three in the first 10 minutes, and that was just the start. Both Jeff Varem and Shami Gill fouled out, and Cowgill and Akognon both had four. Ten of WSU’s 25 personal fouls were absorbed by Turiaf, who forced double-teams all night, even after the injury.
“The big kid was just simply the difference,” Bennett said. “We did the best we could against him, but he’s a fine one and they showed poise that goes with a winning program.”
Notes
Turiaf’s injury wasn’t the only one suffered by the Bulldogs. Junior guard Nathan Doudney hurt his right knee in front of the Gonzaga bench, and Few said he fears the Texas native’s ACL is damaged. … WSU freshman Derrick Low made his collegiate debut after missing the beginning of the season with a broken foot. Low played 10 minutes off the bench, missing all three of his shots. … WSU didn’t attempt a single free throw in the second half after hitting 7 for 9 in the first. … The crowd was the largest for a WSU non-conference home game since Dec. 16, 1995, against Idaho.
Gonzaga 54, Washington St. 52
Gonzaga (6-1) – Morrison 4-9 3-4 12, Mallon 2-6 4-7 8, Turiaf 5-9 7-11 17, Altidor-Cespedes 1-1 3-4 5, Raivio 2-7 0-0 6, Doudney 0-3 0-0 0, Batista 2-5 0-0 4, Knight 1-1 0-0 2, Pendergraft 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-41 17-26 54.
Washington State (3-3) – Schlatter 0-0 0-0 0, Varem 3-10 2-2 8, Cowgill 3-8 1-3 7, Kelati 2-10 2-2 7, Green 4-10 2-2 12, Akognon 4-10 0-0 12, Low 0-3 0-0 0, Gill 1-3 0-0 2, Simmons 1-2 0-0 2, Harmeling 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 19-58 7-9 52.
Halftime—Washington State 27, Gonzaga 25. 3-point goals—Gonzaga 3-11 (Morrison 1-3, Raivio 2-6, Doudney 0-2), Washington St. 7-24 (Varem 0-1, Kelati 1-4, Green 2-7, Akognon 4-8, Low 0-3, Harmeling 0-1). Fouled out—Varem, Gill. Rebounds—Gonzaga 38 (Mallon 10), Washington St. 32 (Varem 9). Assists—Gonzaga—8 (Morrison 4), Washington St. 14 (Simmons 5). Total fouls—Gonzaga 16, Washington St. 25. A—8,151.