Cougars seek 6-3 record in final Pac-10 tuneup

PULLMAN – On the verge of waking up from a nightmarish non-conference schedule, the Washington State University Cougars have already realized that the monsters from their dreams aren’t nearly so bad in reality.

Fearful of a disastrous start because of a brutal road schedule, WSU has managed to squeeze by with a winning record, going 5-3 in its first eight games and with a chance to make it one better.

The Cougars, in their final game before Pacific-10 Conference play, face host Wyoming (5-3) at 6 p.m. today.

“We still have to correct things,” WSU head coach Dick Bennett said. “But if you told me in the beginning of the season, with the schedule we’re facing, with six road games and three home games, that we would win three road games, that’s not easy to do. I don’t care who you’re playing against.”

Still, Bennett couldn’t help but get in a self-deprecating jab with so many narrow wins, including a one-point squeaker over Portland in the last outing.

“We slaughtered three teams by (five) points,” he said, letting out a bass groan. “So that’s been good. Now we have one more.”

The Cougars were also encouraged to a certain degree by Gonzaga’s win over No. 3 Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Cougars lost to GU by one basket on Dec. 7 and had a chance to win on the last possession.

Wyoming does pose a threat, however. Steve Leven has averaged 20.8 points per game in four games, and other offense comes from Jay Straight (16.5) and Alex Dunn (11.5).

Thomas Kelati, coming off of a season-high 17 points at Portland, leads the Cougars with 11.8 points a game.