Cougars face Vikings before long layoff

PULLMAN – The good news is Washington State is 8-0, ranked eighth in the nation and is coming off a big road win over Eastern Washington rival Gonzaga.

The bad news?

“We’re probably going to have a target on our back,” senior forward Robbie Cowgill said after the 51-47 win over GU on Wednesday.

The first team to take aim at the Cougars after the emotional win in Spokane is Portland State. The Vikings come into Beasley Coliseum tonight for a game scheduled to start at 5:30. The contest follows the Cougars women’s game with Boise State (5-3) that starts at 3.

Portland State of the Big Sky Conference brings a 6-3 mark into the non-conference game but is on a three-game winning streak. The Vikings opened the season at then-No. 2 UCLA, dropping a 69-48 decision to the Bruins.

PSU has three players averaging double figures in scoring, including guards Jeremiah Dominguez (11.4), Deonte Huff (11.2) and 6-foot-11 center Scott Morrison (11.8), who missed the Vikings’ Wednesday night 61-60 win over Lewis & Clark, an NCAA Division III school. He is expected to play tonight.

The win Wednesday came at the Rose Garden as the Vikings’ home court, the Stott Center, sustained water damage last week to its floor and was unusable.

Dominguez, a 5-6 speedster, makes the Vikings go on both ends of the court, averaging 3.1 assists and 2.4 steals a game, both team highs.

With finals looming this week, tonight’s game is the Cougars’ last for 11 days. They don’t return to action until Dec. 20 in Seattle, when they host The Citadel.

The Cougars haven’t played in Pullman since a 74-43 rout of Idaho more than three weeks ago.

Since then, WSU has played four times in Spokane and once in Texas. Despite the long stretch away from the Palouse, coming into the week the Cougars led the Pac-10 in scoring defense (52.1 points per game) and free-throw percentage (78.3).

The Cougars women are 2-5 and coming off an 89-45 home loss to Texas Tech more than a week ago. WSU should be bolstered by the return of 6-4 center Ebonee Coates, who missed the first seven games with a foot injury.