Seniors step up for Cougars

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Daven Harmeling hadn’t hit a shot from the field since early in the second half against Idaho, six games, 12 shots and nearly a month ago.

But that didn’t stop the senior from rising up and nailing a 23-footer with 1 minute, 54 seconds left in regulation, helping Washington State to a 61-57 men’s basketball overtime win over Oregon State before 5,454 at Gill Coliseum.

Harmeling’s shot not only tied the game at 50, the three points proved to be last either team scored before overtime.

The teams, ninth and 10th in the Pac-10 in scoring, combined to miss their last five shots, four of them from long range, before WSU converted 9 of 11 overtime free throws to gain the victory.

“I never lost confidence in my shot,” said Harmeling, who has seen his minutes dwindle the past month. “My confidence has always been there. And my teammates have shown confidence in me.”

“Every time Daven is open, he needs to shoot the 3,” said Taylor Rochestie, whose pass – one of his seven assists – led to Harmeling’s bucket. “The whole team trusts him, the coaches trust him.”

Then Rochestie smiled.

“I wouldn’t give it to him (otherwise),” he said. “We would start passing the ball the other way if we didn’t trust him.”

It was Rochestie who came up with the big shot to defeat Stanford on Saturday, and, as time ran out in regulation Thursday night, he tried to repeat himself. But as he drove into the teeth of OSU’s zone, he couldn’t get a good look and his runner missed long.

The Cougars started fast in the extra period, with Aron Baynes and Caleb Forrest sandwiching two free throws apiece around a Klay Thompson layup. The Thompson bucket – WSU’s lone overtime basket – came about thanks to eye contact between he and Rochestie, Thompson’s back cut and Rochestie’s pass to the rim. Forrest’s free throws then gave WSU a 56-51 lead.

But the Cougars squandered all but a point of the edge (the last time it was five was at 58-53 after two Rochestie free throws) in the final minute.

Omari Johnson hit a 24-footer – one of eight 3-pointers in 28 attempts for the Beavers, who started 4 of 5 – to pull OSU within two before Harmeling missed the front end of a bonus opportunity.

Calvin Haynes, the super sophomore sub who led Oregon State with 19 points, had a chance to tie it with 16.3 seconds left, but missed 1 of 2 free throws after being fouled on a drive.

After Rochestie, who finished with 14 points, returned the favor on the other end with 14.3 seconds left to make it 59-57, Haynes came off a Roeland Schaftenaar screen and drove the lane again, only to have Baynes block his layup with about 8 seconds left.

“He had been getting to the rim all night against us,” said Baynes, who also had a team-high 17 points and 11 rebounds, despite sitting most of the first half with two fouls. “The first one he didn’t even look at Schaftenaar. I knew I had to buckle down.”

“Big blocked shots by Baynes, huge,” WSU coach Tony Bennett said.

But it wasn’t the only play the seniors made.

“I like it that Taylor and (Baynes) were probably the key players in the game,” Bennett said. “We need our seniors to put the team on their back at certain times and just make the plays.”

Forrest, another senior, grabbed the rebound, was fouled and sealed WSU’s second consecutive Pac-10 win.

The Cougars are 10-6 overall and 2-2 in conference after opening with losses to UW and California.

OSU dropped to 6-9, 1-4.

But if you just watched the first 20 minutes, it didn’t look as if WSU had a shot, because the Cougars weren’t getting any.

They turned the ball over seven times in the first half – 15 for the game, including eight split between Rochestie and Thompson – and gave up six offensive rebounds – OSU finished with 10, but WSU won the rebound battle 34-30.

At the half, WSU was shooting 64.7 percent and still trailed 33-30.

Washington State 61, Oregon State 57 (OT)

		FG	FT	Reb
Washington State (10-6, 2-2)	Min	M-A	M-A	O-T	A	PF	PTS
Casto	6	0-0	0-0	0-1	0	2	0
Baynes	35	6-7	5-5	3-11	1	3	17
Thompson	37	5-10	0-0	0-2	5	3	12
Koprivica	12	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	3
Rochestie	45	4-10	3-4	1-4	7	3	14
Capers	20	1-3	1-2	0-4	0	3	3
Lodwick	4	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	0	0
Harmeling	24	1-3	2-3	0-3	1	1	5
Enquist	8	0-1	0-0	0-1	0	0	0
Forrest	34	1-3	5-8	1-5	2	2	7
Totals	225	19-40	16-22	5-34	17	17	61

Percentages: FG .475, FT .727. 3-Point Goals: 7-16, .438 (Rochestie 3-5, Thompson 2-5, Koprivica 1-2, Harmeling 1-3, Lodwick 0-1). Team Rebounds: 3. Blocked Shots: 4 (Casto, Baynes, Thompson, Enquist). Turnovers: 15 (Thompson, Rochestie 4). Steals: 1 (Forrest). Technical Fouls: None.

		FG	FT	Reb
Oregon State (6-9, 1-4)	Min	M-A	M-A	O-T	A	PF	PTS
S.Tarver	19	1-1	2-2	1-3	3	0	4
Deane	30	2-7	2-4	1-4	1	4	7
Schaftenaar	38	2-10	0-0	2-2	5	4	5
Claitt	33	1-3	1-2	0-3	1	3	3
Wallace	39	4-8	3-4	2-5	0	2	13
McShane	1	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
Hampton	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
C.Tarver	5	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	2	0
Haynes	35	6-14	5-9	1-6	2	3	19
Johnson	22	2-6	0-0	1-4	0	1	6
Totals	225	18-51	13-21	10-30	12	19	57

Percentages: FG .353, FT .619. 3-Point Goals: 8-28, .286 (Wallace 2-4, Haynes 2-5, Johnson 2-6, Deane 1-5, Schaftenaar 1-5, J.Tarver 0-1, Claitt 0-2). Team Rebounds: 3. Blocked Shots: 0. Turnovers: 7 (Deane 2). Steals: 8 (Claitt 3). Technical Fouls: None.

Halftime–Oregon State 33, Washington State 30. A–5,454.