Cougars still looking up
Coming off their best game in the Dick Bennett era, Washington State thought an effort similar to the one they gave in defeating Utah would be enough to challenge Arizona in the Pacific-10 Conference basketball opener.
Whether that would have been the case remains a mystery.
The baby-faced Cougars, playing so many freshmen and sophomores, seemed unable to handle the athleticism of a Wildcats squad that was a clear step up from the competition afforded by recent opponents.
In a 70-52 loss in the Arena Thursday night, WSU (7-3, 0-1) never quite figured out how to play up to the level they found a week earlier – and the level they’ll need to compete in the conference.
“They broke us down easily,” lamented Bennett, the WSU head coach. “We mounted a charge several times, which is a good sign, but then we could not stop them.”
Arizona scored 35 points in each half and WSU 26 in each half, but the Cougars had their chances to make it interesting after the break. Twice they brought the score within seven points (at 49-42 and 51-44) and got an Arena crowd of 6,684 roaring to their defense. But Arizona (8-3, 1-0) responded with a lightning-fast 8-0 run to extend the lead to 15.
Even when the Cougars brought the margin back into single digits on two Robbie Cowgill free throws with 5:14 to play, the Wildcats responded by shutting out WSU the rest of the game while cruising to the win.
Playing the lead in Arizona’s upset-stopping mission was guard Hassan Adams, who alone scored 10 consecutive Wildcats points in the second half interrupted only by a Derrick Low 3-pointer. Adams finished with 25, and his remarkable athleticism left WSU’s heads spinning.
“We’re coming out with the mentality of getting better,” said Adams, whose team is on a seven-game winning streak, “and pushing it down teams’ throats on offense and defense.”
Adams’ above-the-rim game, along with that of his teammates, also showed up on the glass, where Arizona outrebounded WSU 47-27, including 21 offensive boards.
The Wildcats pressure was also apparent when WSU had possession of the ball. Arizona opened the game using a full-court press, and while the Cougars handled that ably they were not as successful in their half-court offense.
There, WSU broke down as Arizona’s quickness made interior passes difficult and short, uncontested shots a rarity. Despite hitting 7 of 16 3-pointers, the Cougars fared poorly inside, shooting 10 of 35 (28.6 percent) from inside the arc.
“Arizona likes to play an up-tempo game,” said Low, who led the Cougars with 11 points, all but two coming in the second half. “We obviously had the tools to make it a good game. … But we didn’t play all 40 minutes.”
WSU returns to Pullman on Saturday to play Arizona State, the victim of a 24-point loss at Washington Thursday night.
“This game is one we’ll be able to use with these kids as long as they’re in school,” Bennett said. “You need to be able to go back. These are the lessons. They were the teachers and we were the students.”
Note
This was the second of two home games WSU moved to the Arena, and while it lost both (the first was to BYU), Thursday’s crowd was the biggest for a Cougars home game in Spokane since drawing 11,084 against Gonzaga in 1999. The crowd was much louder than in any of the recent WSU games in Spokane.
Arizona 70, WSU 52
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
| Arizona (8-3, 1-0) | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Williams | 21 | 7-10 | 1-1 | 3-5 | 0 | 4 | 15 |
| Radenovic | 29 | 1-7 | 2-2 | 1-4 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Rodgers | 21 | 1-8 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Shakur | 36 | 2-10 | 2-3 | 4-9 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Adams | 37 | 11-22 | 3-4 | 6-8 | 4 | 1 | 25 |
| Dillon | 7 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Prince | 22 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 0-4 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| Brielmaier | 7 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Walters | 20 | 4-5 | 1-1 | 2-7 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Totals | 200 | 29-68 | 9-11 | 21-47 | 17 | 15 | 70 |
Percentages: FG .426, FT .818. 3-Point Goals: 3-10, .300 (Prince 1-2, Radenovic 1-3, Rodgers 1-5). Team Rebounds: 6. Blocked Shots: 6 (Prince 2, Walters 2, Williams, Adams). Turnovers: 14 (Shakur 4, Prince 3, Rodgers 2, Brielmaier 2, Williams, Adams, Walters). Steals: 12 (Adams 3, Prince 3, Rodgers 2, Walters 2, Radenovic, Dillon). Technical Fouls: None.
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
| Washington State (7-3, 0-1) | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Cowgill | 22 | 1-4 | 5-6 | 0-2 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Henry | 21 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Low | 37 | 3-13 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| Green | 25 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Weaver | 18 | 2-5 | 3-3 | 1-3 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Akognon | 25 | 3-10 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| Matthews | 6 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Baynes | 4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Clark | 23 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 2-8 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Edgerson | 9 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Forrest | 10 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Totals | 200 | 17-51 | 11-13 | 9-27 | 14 | 18 | 52 |
Percentages: FG .333, FT .846. 3-Point Goals: 7-16, .438 (Low 3-5, Akognon 3-6, Weaver 1-1, Green 0-1, Edgerson 0-1, Matthews 0-2). Team Rebounds: 4. Blocked Shots: 7 (Cowgill 3, Clark 2, Weaver, Forrest). Turnovers: 18 (Low 4, Weaver 4, Green 3, Clark 3 Baynes 2, Cowgill, Akognon). Steals: 8 (Low 3, Akognon 2, Green, Baynes, Clark). Technical Fouls: None.
Halftime–Arizona 35, Washington State 26. A–6,684.