Loss puts Cougars deeper into Pac-12 cellar

PULLMAN – The gap between Washington State and its conference rivals got a little wider on Saturday when Arizona State beat the Cougars 67-55 in Pullman.

The game was mission-critical for the Cougars, who entered in last place in the Pac-12 standings but trailing the Sun Devils by just one win.

Now that the 11th-place Sun Devils hold the tiebreaker, WSU (9-14, 1-10 Pac-12) will have to pull at least three upsets to catch ASU (13-11, 3-8) in the standings. At least one of those wins will have to come on the road, because the Cougars play just two of their final seven regular-season games in Beasley Coliseum.

“It’s very exhausting, very,” WSU junior guard Charles Callison said. “It’s very stressful, but we’ve just got to stay mentally strong and keep fighting and keep going.”

The 3,448 fans on hand saw the return of center Valentine Izundu, who missed eight games with a foot injury, but watched as WSU’s frontcourt ended even more decimated than it was last week.

The Cougars have lost nine consecutive games. Breaking out of the slump will only get harder as the losses accumulate.

“The exhausting part happens on game days when you work so hard throughout the course of the week or weeks and you get no reward for it,” WSU head coach Ernie Kent said. “That’s the exhausting part for them and for us.”

WSU’s Josh Hawkinson missed the game with a swollen ankle, which he initially hurt on Thursday against Arizona. Deprived of their best player, the Cougars gave up 16 offensive rebounds and did not have a source of easy offense.

The Sun Devils made it rain 3-pointers in the first half. When Obinna Eleka pulled up front just beyond halfcourt to release a deep shot as the first half expired, it was ASU’s 11th 3-point attempt. When it found the bottom of the net, it became their seventh made outside shot.

After the first 10 minutes, WSU led 16-15. Over the next two minutes the Sun Devils made three consecutive 3-pointers, claiming a lead they never relinquished.

Izundu played for the first time since Jan. 3. He played one of his best games at WSU, tying his career high with 10 points, setting a career high with seven rebounds and blocking a pair of shots.

“He looked good out there,” ASU’s Andre Spights said of Izundu. “He definitely impacted the game with his size and athleticism.”

Even as WSU got one center back, it lost another.

Conor Clifford was fouled in the post and left the game with a lower body injury, leaving Callison to shoot his free throws. Kent said that he doesn’t know when Clifford or Hawkinson will be available but expects to have more information on Monday.

Forward Junior Longrus played through a groin injury.

Callison led the Cougars with 15 points and pulled down six rebounds.

ASU’s Gerry Blakes didn’t score in the first half, but he recorded the first seven points of the second. His back-to-back steals and scores forced Kent to call timeout just three minutes into the second half, with his team trailing 47-32.

Blakes at that point had scored the last 23 second-half points for ASU in Pullman, having finished last year’s game with the final 16 for the Sun Devils.

ASU point guard Tra Holder led all scorers with 16 points.

The last time the Cougars lost nine consecutive games was under former coach Ken Bone during the 2012-13 season. The Cougars have not lost 10 straight since the 2002-02 team came up short in 14 without a win.

“It’s building up and piling on top of us and getting harder and harder for us,” Callison said. “Because teams from here on out are going to be tough and (next week) we play two tough away games, Colorado and Utah.”