Five score in double figures as WSU tops Idaho 90-67 for third straight win to open the season

PULLMAN – LeJuan Watts took the friendly shove and shuffled backward, screaming along with his Washington State teammates and coaches, bathing in Beasley Coliseum’s raucous reaction to his impromptu dunk that snapped his group out of a deep slumber.

It was early in the second half of WSU’s 90-67 home win over Idaho on Monday evening, good for the Cougars’ third straight win to open the season, and Watts had just made the play that broke things open. Sleepwalking for most of the first half, the Cougs woke up in large part due to the dunk from Watts, who watched teammate Dane Erikstrup miss a layup off the glass, leapt, grabbed the ball and stuffed it through the net.

“We practiced that,” Watts said. “When he missed that – we kinda have that roommate connection. So he threw it off the back and I had to go get it from him.”

All told, Watts totaled 16 points and 14 rebounds for WSU, which turned an eight-point halftime lead into a blowout win. To do that, the Cougs (3-0) also got a key 18 points from junior guard Nate Calmese, who has now scored in double figures in all three games so far, using his quickness to get to the rim.

Washington State, which returns to action Friday to play Iowa in a neutral-site game in Illinois, turned up its defense as the game went on. Idaho raced to a 7-0 lead, handing the Cougars their second straight slow start, but WSU got back in the game by shoring up its closeouts and improving in the rebounding battle, which it won 45-29.

For the third straight time to kick off the season, the Cougs spread the scoring around, netting five players in double figures: Calmese with 18 points, Watts with 16, Erikstrup with 14 and 12 points from Cal transfer ND Okafor, who missed the first two games of the season with an injury. On an efficient 6-for-10 showing with six rebounds, he showed he can be the interior force Riley wants him to be.

“I love the way he came in and impacted the game,” WSU coach David Riley said of Okafor. “He had a heck of a first game for us. He played more than I had him slotted in for, for sure. But what he gives us is, people talk about shooters facing the floor, and how Ethan (Price) and Dane can pop and space the floor (horizontally). What ND brings is a vertical lob threat that can space the floor with his rolling and rim running and posting up.”

Through three games, this much is clear, too: Calmese can provide a real scoring punch. He posted 17 points against Portland State, 18 against Bradley and now 18 against Idaho. He’s also averaging 5.5 assists per game. Where coaches wanted to see Calmese improve, though, was on defense, in his consistency.

Calmese accepted that challenge. On the first play of the second half, Calmese pickpocketed an Idaho player and bolted the other way for an easy two, indicating to Riley and the rest of the WSU coaching staff that he’s listening to their demands, their encouragement to be better in other departments than scoring.

“Trying to get them to understand like it’s not just an offensive game, it’s a two-way game,” Riley said. “The guys have bought into that. They’re really just competitors, and so whatever we make important, they’ve bought into that. I think they’re starting to see the importance of it, and Nate especially, has a chance to be the head of the snake and really get us going defensively.”

Largely absent from the scoring column was senior wing Cedric Coward, who had pocketed 23 and 18 points in each of the team’s first two games. At 6-foot-6 and polished, Coward profiles as WSU’s most pro-ready prospect, flourishing as a versatile weapon who can score in all types of ways. He’s patient and smart. Stays within himself.

He didn’t need to score much on Monday, though. He didn’t attempt a shot in the second half, and only three total. It might be an encouraging sign for the Cougs. Some teams might need their best player to score every night. It might not be the case for Washington State, whose coach prides himself on his offensive approach, getting points in bunches from all corners of the roster.

Instead, Coward turned his attention to the defensive end, where he totaled five blocks, a career-high. He finished as a plus-28 in the box score, underscoring his ability to impact the game in meaningful ways, no matter the lane.

“I’m gonna go watch the film with him and see where maybe he missed some reads,” Riley said, “or maybe we missed him – his teammates missed him. We’ll kinda figure that out as the season goes on, because he’s a crazy efficient player. I do want him getting more shots than three shots.”