Cougars continue to roll
PULLMAN – Teams have tried to run on Washington State, only to slam into a brick wall. On Saturday, California walked onto Friel Court before 8,762 fans and tried to be the brick wall.
That wasn’t going to work, either.
Even though the Golden Bears made an obvious and pronounced effort to slow down the game, matching WSU’s deliberate style of play and then some, the visitors couldn’t play it like the home team.
The Cougars struggled on offense for a third consecutive game but never trailed, winning 59-46 in another defensive slugfest that ended up looking awfully similar to the 58-45 win they posted against Stanford two days earlier.
“I think we’re pretty comfortable as a team whether we’re scoring in the 70s or the 40s,” Kyle Weaver said. “It always helps when you’ve got a nice cushion, too.”
The method might not have been pretty, but the result certainly was for WSU (21-4, 10-3 Pac-10). The Cougars are guaranteed a winning record in conference, and are almost certainly guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament as well.
“The NCAA tournament was the ultimate goal – not the ultimate, but one of the significant goals,” said Cougars coach Tony Bennett. “And I think that really solidified our chances, regardless of what happens. Obviously, we’ve got to go play good ball and maybe position ourselves for a seeding and we’re in a conference championship race. But I’m grateful for it, and I let our guys know that, too.”
After Cal pulled to within one early in the second half, the Cougars went on an 18-5 run to secure the victory. Cal (12-12, 4-8) became the third consecutive WSU opponent to score fewer than 50 points, a Cougars first in conference play since 1951.
“It’s really a team effort for them on defense. They do a great job of rotating,” said freshman Ryan Anderson, who was the only Cal player to score in the first 15 minutes of the game. “Our game is really just run and go, and take your shot when you’re open. But you kind of have to play that way against Washington State. The way they’re winning is because they make teams play their game. That’s what they force every team to do.”
The Cal offense was so far from the mark that it was nearly outscored by a single player until the closing minutes of the game. WSU’s Daven Harmeling scored his 25th and 26th points with 3:29 to play, and at that time the Bears had just 30 to their name.
Harmeling was 7 of 9 from the floor and his five 3-pointers accounted for all WSU’s points from beyond the arc. He also notched his third four-point play this season.
In the second half, Bennett decided to send more action Harmeling’s way, switching up his offense to make the sophomore a more active player in the team’s motion offense.
“Any time my first shot is a good open shot and I’m able to knock it down I think I get a lot of confidence the rest of the game,” Harmeling said. “Usually I’m just setting screens, which is fine with me. But coach gave me a little more freedom to move and hunt my shot.”
With Harmeling on the mark, the Cougars missed just four times from the floor in the second half. They shot 69.2 percent after the break, a team high for a half this season.
All this came despite the fact that junior guard Derrick Low had his least productive offensive game of the year, scoring two points. Low rolled an ankle and asked to be taken out of the game in the closing minutes, but afterward he said it was “very minor.”
WSU 59, California 46
| California | FG | FT | Reb | ||||
| (12-12, 4-8) | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Robertson | 32 | 2-5 | 3-3 | 2-7 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Anderson | 36 | 6-14 | 0-0 | 4-9 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| Ubaka | 33 | 4-10 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 4 | 2 | 11 |
| Wilkes | 29 | 2-6 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Pribble | 18 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 3-3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Randle | 22 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Vierneisel | 14 | 0-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Liss | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christopher | 11 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Harrison | 4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 200 | 16-46 | 8-10 | 13-29 | 8 | 22 | 46 |
Percentages: FG .348, FT .800. 3-Point Goals: 6-22, .273 (Randle 2-3, Wilkes 2-5, Ubaka 1-3, Anderson 1-5, Pribble 0-1, Robertson 0-2, Vierneisel 0-3). Team Rebounds: 6. Blocked Shots: 0. Turnovers: 16 (Anderson 5, Robertson 4, Wilkes 2, Ubaka, Pribble, Randle, Vierneisel, TEAM). Steals: 4 (Anderson, Ubaka, Wilkes, Pribble). Technical Fouls: None.
| Washington St. | FG | FT | Reb | ||||
| (21-4, 10-3) | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Harmeling | 37 | 7-9 | 7-9 | 0-4 | 1 | 1 | 26 |
| Clark | 35 | 5-11 | 2-3 | 3-7 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| Cowgill | 37 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-5 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Low | 30 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Weaver | 34 | 3-5 | 4-6 | 0-4 | 5 | 4 | 10 |
| Matthews | 2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Rochestie | 23 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Baynes | 2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 200 | 18-36 | 18-26 | 6-24 | 14 | 12 | 59 |
Percentages: FG .500, FT .692. 3-Point Goals: 5-14, .357 (Harmeling 5-7, Weaver 0-1, Matthews 0-1, Low 0-5). Team Rebounds: 2. Blocked Shots: 3 (Harmling 2, Clark). Turnovers: 12 (Clark 5, Cowgill 2, Low 2, Weaver 2, Rochestie). Steals: 8 (Weaver 4, Clark 2, Low 2). Technical Fouls: None.
Halftime–Washington State 24, California 18. A–8,762.