It looked like it was going to be a nightmare for Washington State at halftime of their Maui Invitational debut, as they trailed the host Chaminade Silverswords 52–41. Chaminade, for those who don’t know, is the Division II program in Hawaii that hosts the Maui Invitational each year—not exactly the opponent you want to spot 50 points in one half. The Cougs were able to right the ship and pull away in the second half, winning 90–85 and improving to 3–3 on the season.
The atrocious first halves continued for David Riley’s squad, as they were absolutely punched in the mouth by Chaminade, trailing 29–13 ten minutes into the game. Washington State continued to muddle through most of the half before finally trimming the deficit to nine with seconds to go.
But the story was the same for Washington State as it has been all season: they lacked intensity on the defensive end of the floor. Chaminade had 50 points at halftime and was shooting over 50% from the floor. The Silverswords weren’t just getting ridiculous shot luck; they were simply generating open looks. Whether it be from turnovers forced by their press defense or in the half court, Chaminade dictated the game through the first 20 minutes. #2 Kent King finished with 20 points and was a key contributor in the first half, in addition to sharpshooter Nathan Medina, who only finished with two threes but drilled a 30-plus-footer right before the break.
There was not much of anything positive for Washington State in the first half; no one had any rhythm, and they didn’t show any cohesiveness on either side of the ball.
That changed at halftime.
The Cougars started the second half on a 40–12 run, going from down 20 midway through the first half to up 15 in less than 20 minutes of game time. Ri Vavers was absolutely scorching, going 7–12 from three and setting a new career high with 25 points. Ace Glass continued to be absolutely nails, going 8–15 from the floor and a crucial 7–7 from the line.
The Cougs who were at the Lahaina Civic Center were making noise, and it looked like Washington State was going to coast away from their inferior opponent. But then they took their foot off the gas.
For the final seven minutes, Washington State didn’t score a point from the floor. After Ri Vavers’ made three with 7:15 on the clock, the Cougs scored six points—all of them from the line. Chaminade was able to get back within three and force WSU to survive the free-throw challenge; Adria Rodriguez did not, missing his attempts. Thankfully, true freshman Ace Glass stepped up, calmly nailing four free throws and saving Washington State from disaster.
Overall, you can tell this team has some potential. For the first fifteen minutes of the second half, they played like a quality Power-5 team, dismantling their Division-II opponent. But something has to be said about the abysmal first half and the apparent lack of a game plan. Simon Hildebrandt and Nd Okafor finished with a combined five field-goal attempts against a team without a player taller than 6’7″, and Hildebrandt’s lone attempt was a three.
The turnovers in the first half were just putrid—high-school-level mental errors and laziness. Adria Rodriguez finished with six assists, but he also had four turnovers, and the team as a whole finished with 23. The consistent malpractice in the team’s passing and their inability to break a press defense must be attributed to coaching.
This might not be a super-talented basketball team, but they showed they had the tools to dismantle their opponent tonight, and instead it was another underwhelming effort. We will see how David Riley gets his squad prepared to take on a significantly better opponent tomorrow night.
Washington State will take on the winner of Texas and Arizona State tomorrow at 5 p.m. on ESPN.
