Cougars deny Baylor

WACO, Tex. – They had, according to coach Tony Bennett, misplaced their identity somewhere between Eastern Washington and central Texas and couldn’t find it in the first half.

But the Washington State Cougars didn’t lose their poise, and Derrick Low found his jumper. The combination allowed the sixth-ranked Cougars to rally from a 14-point second-half deficit and defeat previously undefeated Baylor 67-64 Friday night as part of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.

The fourth-largest crowd in the 19-year history of the Ferrell Center, 10,193, got to see the Cougars at their best – the final 14 minutes – and at, well, not their best – the previous 26.

Add it up, and WSU trailed by 12 at halftime, by 14 points 2 minutes into the second half, by 11 with 14 minutes remaining and, thanks to a final Baylor run, by 60-55 at the 4:51 mark.

But Daven Harmeling connected on two free throws – WSU shot 10 of 11 from the line – after the final media timeout, WSU forced a turnover and Low, coming off a Robbie Cowgill screen, hit his second 3-pointer of the night to tie it again at 60 with 3 minutes left.

“To be honest, I didn’t even touch the guy … I whiffed and I thought, oh no, Derrick, don’t shoot it,” said Cowgill after his best game of the season.

After Baylor’s Aaron Bruce (a team-high 13 points) missed, Low came off another Cowgill (and Aron Baynes) screen, nailed another 3-pointer and, with 2:20 left, WSU led 63-60 and was headed to a 7-0 record, equaling its best start since 1993.

But Baylor wasn’t going quietly. With the crowd roaring, the Bears cut the deficit to one on Henry Dugat’s drive. After Baynes scored inside – the 6-foot-10 junior finished with 10 points – Dugat induced Baynes into his fifth foul, then converted the two free throws with 40.3 seconds remaining.

Ahead 65-64, WSU worked the clock, finally isolating 6-6 Kyle Weaver in the post on the 6-foot Dougat. Weaver attacked, missed under pressure and there was the rail-thin, 6-10 Cowgill, getting the last of his five rebounds for a season-high 18 points with a game-clinching tip-in.

“I don’t know how it went in,” Cowgill said. “I was just trying to get my hand on it.”

“He’s just fearless,” Bennett said of Cowgill, playing for the first time in front of friends and family, more than 50 of whom made the 1 1/2-hour drive north from his hometown of Austin. “You saw that on the last tip.”

With 11 seconds left, Baylor coach Scott Drew decided against a timeout, but the Cougars set their defense and Dougat missed an under-pressure 3-pointer as the clock ran down.

That the Cougars were able to get back, defend and rebound the miss was an improvement from the first half when Baylor had 29 of their 38 points either off offensive rebounds, transition or turnovers.

That led to another Bennett halftime scorcher.

“We told them, ‘We have to get back and set your D, take care of the ball and then finish the play,’ ” Bennett said of this halftime talk. “We were very deficient in all three of those categories. You can’t play like that. In the second half, we took care of the ball better, got some shots … and defended better, maybe the last 10 minutes of the game.”

Part of that, according to Low, who hit just 3 of 11 shots, was rediscovering their identity.

“Our philosophy is play (as a) pack,” the senior said, “and get back on defense. … We’re not a good enough team to let other teams have those kinds of chances. We had to come out and do everything to play our style of basketball.”

Getting back is one thing – the Cougars gave up zero fast-break points after halftime – but getting stops is another.

“I think you’re defense is stronger when you’re down, too,” said Weaver, who had eight points, including a three-point play that tied it at 55. “You want to get stops when you’re losing.

“But we can’t depend on that type of motivation.”

The Cougars can, however, depend on their defense, which limited Baylor to 32 percent shooting the final 18 minutes. Bennett also tweaked it midway through the second half – doubling on-ball screens – and Baylor panicked a little.

Part of that was because guard Curtis Jerrells – “he can play,” Weaver said – cramped and wasn’t as effective down the stretch. The junior had 11 points, including an acrobatic 3-pointer to end the first half. Freshman LaceDarius Dunn, who added another 11, was also out the final few minutes with a knee problem, leaving Baylor thin at guard.

The Bears, who came in 5-0 and looking to post their first win over a ranked team since 2003, had six turnovers in the final 10 minutes, leading to eight WSU points.

“In games like this, you can’t have 15 turnovers,” Drew said of Baylor’s total – WSU had 14, only three in the second half. “Credit Washington State for making the big plays down the stretch. They showed why they’re the sixth-ranked team in the nation.”

That’s also starting to become a part of their identity.