Washington State desperately needed a convincing win — and they got it.
Southern Utah traveled to Pullman after a 122–50 defeat to Gonzaga on Monday in Spokane, while the Cougars were looking to get back on track after falling to 1–3. WSU put together a respectable effort in the Apple Cup against Washington on Friday but faltered late in the first half and created too deep a hole to climb out of.
Early on, the night had all the makings of disaster for WSU. Tomas Thrastarson, who exited the Apple Cup early, was not dressed, and within the first three minutes Emmanuel Ugbo landed on ND Okafor’s foot, appearing to sprain his ankle.
So far this season, Thrastarson and Ugbo had been Washington States best players, averaging a combined 26 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.
Southern Utah came out hot, shooting 6-for-8 from the floor and holding a 16–14 lead at the first media timeout. But Okafor got going inside, and Washington State reached the bonus before the 10-minute mark. He started getting help as well, and the Cougars surged ahead to a 30–25 lead.
Eemeli Yalaho looked more composed than he had in the first four contests, attacking the rim and knocking down his first three, starting 3-for-4 from the floor.
Despite being perfect from the field, Okafor picked up his third foul with more than seven minutes left in the half. That forced WSU to go small, leaving Simon Hildebrandt as their only true big on the floor.
Finally, Washington State found its rhythm, shooting 63% overall and 42% from three at the break. The Cougars closed the half on a 15–5 run and survived 19 first-half points off the bench from Southern Utah’s Dylan Jones.
WSU extended the lead early in the second half despite Okafor picking up his fourth foul.
Then the game truly broke open. Ace Glass turned defense into offense, stripping a Thunderbird ball handler and pushing it ahead to Jerone Morton, who tipped it to Parker Gerrits for an easy two. The Cougars led 73–49 with 12 minutes remaining.
WSU briefly fell into a lull, settling for quick threes and allowing Southern Utah to cut the lead to 79–60 with 7:27 to go.
But the Cougars reasserted themselves down the stretch, scoring enough for David Riley to empty the bench and get Dio Blakely his first minutes of the season.
ND Okafor had easily the best game of his career, finally starting to showcase his footwork he improved on in the offseason. He finished with 27 points and eight rebounds, shattering his previous career high of 13 points.
Yalaho really found his stride, asserting himself in the paint and on the glass. He recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Ace Glass continues to impress, posting a career-high 20 points. He remains Washington State’s most confident player on the offensive side of the court. While he has the occasional freshman mistake in his game, they’re few and far between. He probably is going to be getting some calls from the Cougar Collective pretty soon, if he hasn’t already.
Kase Wynott checked in with a career-high as well, seven points in 15 minutes of action.
Washington State shot 57% from the floor and committed only seven turnovers — most of which came late.
Of course, it must be said: Southern Utah isn’t very good (to put it nicely), falling to 1–5 with losses to UT Rio Grande Valley and Omaha. Still, with WSU missing its two best players thus far, it’s hard to complain about a 24-point victory.
This was a much-needed feel-good game for a Cougar team searching for confidence. Through the first four games, WSU showed flashes of talent but clearly lacked experience. A 98-point outing is something David Riley can use as momentum heading into Maui. The defense still has a long way to go, and it would be nice to get Rihards Vavers going from three — he finished just 2-for-7.
WSU’s training staff will be busy ensuring Thrastarson and Ugbo’s ankles are ready next week. Jerone Morton also appeared to be hobbling late after an acrobatic finish at the rim.
Washington State departs Pullman after Friday’s classes for the Southwest Maui Invitational, where they open against host Chaminade on Monday night. If they advance, they’ll face the winner of Texas and Arizona State with a chance to flip the early script on their season.
