Dave Boling: WSU gave San Francisco too many second chances in WCC Tournament loss

LAS VEGAS – These Cougars may not be boarders, but they definitely are battlers.

Suffering an embarrassing deficit in rebounds to San Francisco all evening, the Washington State Cougars still found ways to keep the game tight until the 86-75 outcome of the West Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament.

We might not have expected anything less of a team that’s been fighting off daunting challenges all season.

The Cougars lost their best player early in the year, and other significant contributors had been sidelined sporadically, and they still got 19 wins in their first season as an affiliate member of the WCC.

So much was at stake in this one, specifically a Monday berth in the semifinals against regional rival Gonzaga.

The disparity between USF and the Cougars was clear from the start. WSU was outrebounded 7-1 in the first four minutes. By half, USF’s ownership of the glass was a staggering 31-14, as the Dons retrieved more offensive boards (15) than WSU’s total.

At the end USF cleared 49 boards, 21 offensive, giving them a stunning advantage in second-chance points of 21-5.

Somehow, the scrappy Cougars clawed to within 34-32 at half.

Early, it was powered by the 11 points from Ethan Price and five assists by Nate Calmese.

It all seemed to be slipping away early in the second half, but the Cougars wouldn’t let it.

Price, a 6-10 forward from England, with nice touch and range, buried two 3-pointers and brought it back to 52-48 with 13 minutes left. Price had 22 in the Cougars’ win over Loyola Marymount Saturday night.

Ri Vavers added another 3 to bring the Cougs within one at 54-53, and LeJuan Watts added another to make it 56-55.

USF, the No. 3 seed was missing All-Conference guard Marcus Williams, who had been suspended for an unspecified rules violation. Williams had pumped in 28 points against Gonzaga this season, so his absence had to be considered important.

As the Cougars finish 19-14, we may wonder how many of those losses might have been different had star Cedric Coward stayed healthy. Coward was averaging 18 points and seven rebounds a game but played only six games before a shoulder injury that required surgery.

A solid NBA prospect, a healthy Coward would have made this a different team

What do these challenges give a team? In this case, it was a chance to prove themselves as competitors. Their effort in the loss Sunday was impressive. Who knows how many players stay put these days, but this group has plenty of inner steel, and could be a foundation for the future.

Nineteen wins? Solid, especially given the circumstances. Consider that the roster was almost entirely rebuilt, and important pieces were lost or sidelined along the way.

• In his first season replacing the departed Kyle Smith, who took them to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last spring, coach David Riley juggled injuries and slumps to find enough chemistry and spirit to whip his team to a competitive pitch in March, when it counts the most.

Only Tony Bennett (2006-07) won more games than Riley as a first-year Cougar coach.

• As a new affiliate member of the West Coast Conference, the Cougars made a few ripples in the conference power structure. San Francisco was the only team to defeat champion Saint Mary’s during the conference season, and the Cougars won the first meeting against the Dons in Pullman.

• Importantly, given their new membership, and the logical aspirations of chipping away at Gonzaga’s regional dominance, the Cougars were gunning for another shot at the Zags in Monday’s semifinal tournament game.

Instead, this is likely it for the Cougars.

Does the NIT come after a 19-14 Cougar team? Maybe for a road game. Seton Hall came into it with a 20-12 record and won it last spring.

The loss to USF makes it time for some perspective. This season could have come undone for the Cougs.

Riley and his staff didn’t let that happen.

After going 10-3 in nonconference play, WSU slipped to 16-13. In one stretch, they lost eight of nine.

But they wrapped up with wins over San Diego and Pepperdine, and fending off LMU in the tournament quarterfinals.

To pull it together, to revive the momentum, made this seem more impressive than if they had simply simmered all season.

The loss robbed the region, and Cougar fans, of the chance for another shot at Gonzaga.

The Cougar women and Gonzaga women play in separate WCC semifinals on Monday, with the Zags men meeting the Dons.

The demolition of the Pacific-12 Conference ruined so many traditions and rivalries, but some of the new affiliations are leading to enhanced competition among natural geographic neighbors.

The Cougs and the Zags meeting in March with a trip to the tournament title on the line would have been a treat for fans.

Not to be. Blame it on the boards.