WSU’s late rally comes up short in 83-81 season-opening loss to Idaho

PULLMAN – As summer flipped to fall and the leaves turned orange on the Palouse, David Riley found himself talking about defense more than ever. He was headed into his second season as Washington State’s head coach, and among the improvements he wanted to make from his first, defense hovered near the top of the list.

On so many occasions last season, his Cougars were undone on the defensive end, failing to contest shooters, unable to corral critical rebounds. So over the offseason, as they worked to replace their entire starting five, Riley and his assistants hit the transfer portal to land several rangy athletes who figured to shore up some of those issues.

But as the season approached, it felt fair to wonder about what the Cougs had on offense. Even in Riley’s system, which prioritizes pace and space and shooting, could they generate enough offense to win games? On Monday, in WSU’s season-opening 83-81 loss to nearby Idaho, it was no longer a matter of wondering. It became reality.

In their first loss to the Vandals in eight years, the Cougars never led. They had few answers on offense. They shot just 44% from the floor. They sank just 6 of 28 shots from deep. They lost only five turnovers, an encouraging development for the Cougs after a dreadful season in that department last year, but that was hardly their biggest problem.

Instead, many of WSU’s offensive trips went nowhere. Several ended in late-clock isolations in an effort to get something on the rim, like a fadeaway from Morehead State transfer guard Jerone Morton, who couldn’t connect on a tough shot in the final five minutes. Starting point guard Adria Rodriguez, a veteran of the Spanish second division, managed just one point in 19 minutes. And Texas Tech transfer wing Eemeli Yalao totaled just three points in 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, Idaho had an easier night scoring. The Vandals hit 11 of 28 triples, including three apiece from guards Jack Payne and Kristian Gonzalez, the latter of whom totaled a game-high 18 points. The visitors shot 50% from the floor, which allowed them to take control with a lead as wide as 16. It stayed around that margin for much of the second half – until the final two minutes.

Starting with a shade under four minutes left, WSU put together a 12-2 run, capped by a bucket from Glass, who flexed after hitting a midrange jumper to pull the Cougs within 80-74. A few minutes later, WSU drew within three with 40 seconds on a straightaway 3-pointer from Morton, who swished it through, igniting what was a mostly lifeless Beasley Coliseum crowd up to that point.

In the final seconds, High Point transfer forward Simon Hildebrandt was hit in the face going up for a rebound, which prompted officials to call a Flagrant 1, which awarded Hildebrandt two free throws and WSU the ball. Hildebrandt split the pair of free throws, helping WSU claw within three, down 83-80 with seven seconds left. On the ensuing possession, sophomore guard Kase Wynott couldn’t hit a contested triple. But the drama was hardly over. Boise State guard Emmanuel Ugbo pulled down the rebound and drew a foul, earning a trip to the line. He made the first and purposely missed the second, but the ball went out of bounds off an Idaho player with 0.2 seconds to go.

That gave the Cougars a chance to tie things up. On the inbounds pass, Ugbo went up for a game-tying tip-in. It was a good look considering the situation. It just didn’t stay down.

WSU returns to action on Friday, taking on Davidson on the road.