Stingy Cougs beat Georgia Southern
PULLMAN — The Cougars didn’t need much time this season to figure out a winning formula on the hardwood.
For the second game in a row, Washington State held an opponent to 42 points, defeating Georgia Southern 61-42 Wednesday night to move to 2-0 on the season before a sparse crowd of 2,199 at Friel Court. The two-game total of 84 points allowed is the school’s lowest since December of 1972.
“We just didn’t want them out running on us,” said WSU head coach Dick Bennett, whose team held the Eagles to 25.5 percent shooting on the night. “Part of it is stopping their initial break, but another part is getting to our shooters quickly.
“If you try to play their game and shoot a lot of threes, I think you’d be in big trouble. I was determined not to do that.”
Four Cougars scored in double figures, led by Thomas Kelati’s 13. Both teams struggled badly in the first half on offense, as WSU took a 21-19 lead into the locker room. But as a harbinger of better things to come, the Cougars had 10 assists on their 10 buckets, as the gaps in Georgia Southern’s defense became apparent.
In the second half, WSU filled the box score with 40 points in an effort reminiscent of the team’s first-half success in the season opener against Montana State. The Cougars shot 52.2 percent from the floor in those 20 minutes and knocked down 14 of 17 free throws.
“We played rather well, and we played extremely well in the second half,” Bennett said. “We’re going to have to have that on a consistent basis to stay competitive against the kind of competition we’re going to face from here on in.”
The Cougars struggled in the first half to gather rebounds, at one point trailing the Eagles 19-10 in the category. But Bennett switched things up on offense, sending more players to the basket and leading to an eventual 39-35 rebounding edge.
The biggest factor was senior forward Jeff Varem, who collected his first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Before Wednesday, Varem had never even ventured into double digits in rebounds at WSU. He managed to do so even with forward Shami Gill, the team’s leading rebounder last season, in the lineup for the first time this year after missing time with sciatic pain.
“We’re learning every day, and we’re trying to get better,” Varem said. “The past week, Shami was out and the whole rebounding thing came to me and Chris (Schlatter). Maybe I forgot he was back.”
Gill scored 12 on a 6-for-10 shooting night, adding five rebounds and a block. Schlatter was the fourth Cougar in double figures with 10.
“Coming off his injuries, he’s a gamer. He wants to play and he’ll work every second that he’s out there,” Bennett said of Gill. “We’re not that big, but these guys are fairly strong. Maybe these guys can mix it up a little bit.”
The Cougars now embark on the first of three three-game road trips, visiting Kansas State on Saturday.
Notes
Eagles guard Elton Nesbitt led all scorers with 21 points, but he needed 20 shots from the field and four free-throw attempts to get there. … WSU got all 12 of its available players into the game, with walk-ons Alex Kirk and Arlen Plaister playing the game’s final minute. … Kelati has hit 26 free throws in a row, dating back to the non-conference season last year.