Indefensible Cougs

TUCSON, Ariz. – Tony Bennett let the thought trail off.

“You play on the road in this league, if you don’t come with a defensive mindset that holds you in there …” the Washington State basketball coach said before pausing, then shifting gears.

Maybe because he knew the answer to his rhetorical question?

Bennett had just watched that truth revealed before 14,598 in the McKale Center, most of whom couldn’t have been happier – or louder – with the result, a 76-64 Arizona thrashing of Washington State.

But it wasn’t just the loss that was eating at the second-year coach. It was the way it happened.

The sixth-ranked Cougars, considered one of the nation’s best defensive teams, were, in Bennett’s words, “thoroughly outplayed,” on the one end of the court on which he thought he could count.

“Statistically, we weren’t that far off offensively (from) where we usually are,” he said. “We just could not make them earn anything. We couldn’t get stops.”

Arizona (13-6, 3-3) had its way with the WSU defense, especially in the second half.

Led by freshman Jerryd Bayless and sophomore Chase Budinger, who combined for 45 points – 26 coming after halftime – the Wildcats, leading 34-31 at intermission, hit 11 of 18 second-half shots. They hit 6 of 9 3-point attempts. They got in the lane often enough to draw 11 WSU fouls and got to the line 17 times – hitting 14.

“Defense was the biggest key for us tonight,” said WSU’s Aron Baynes, who tied Kyle Weaver for team-high honors with 15 points. “We didn’t come here and play it. That’s why the end result was what it was.”

It’s not like it was a surprise.

When the Pac-10 started, WSU was seventh in the nation in field-goal percentage defense at 36.3 percent. In the last five games, teams have shot better than 50 percent from the floor in seven of the 10 halves. Three times, including the second half of this defeat, it’s been better than 60 percent. Add it up and Pac-10 opponents have shot 49.5 percent against the Cougars.

So the Cougars (16-2, 4-2 and tied with Arizona State for second behind UCLA) spent most of their limited practice time this week on defense, working on staying in their stance, closing out, keeping people in front – all the basics of their pack defensive system.

“(Arizona) got so many clean looks,” Bennett said. “We worked hard during the week to try to make people play over the top of us, to take contested shots, but there were so many uncontested shots tonight.”

“Something we focus on is trying to make other teams shoot as tough of shots as we can,” said WSU point guard Taylor Rochestie, who had seven assists though only playing 26 minutes due to foul trouble. “Now we’re starting to break down. They’re starting to get some open looks.”

For a while it didn’t matter all that much. With Daven Harmeling, who made his first start this season, hitting – he had eight points in the first 5 minutes – the Cougars broke fast and led 16-12 with 11 minutes before halftime.

The Harmeling-for-Robbie Cowgill lineup change did what it was designed to do, eliminate WSU’s penchant for poor starts.

“I would rather start slow and finish stronger, the way we have, then start the way we did and finish that way,” Bennett said.

One way WSU has overcome slow starts – the Cougars have trailed at halftime in seven games, winning five – was with hot shooting by Derrick Low in the second half.

But Low, who missed all five of his first-half shots, wasn’t going to be a factor in this one. Bayless made sure of that.

“He can really shoot it, he’s really explosive and he can get to the lane and make plays,” said Bennett of UA’s freshman, who finished with a game-high 23 points, including 8 of 8 from the line. “But as equally impressive was how intense he was and how physical he was guarding Derrick. He did the job on both ends of the floor.”

Low didn’t take his first second-half shot until the 6:24 mark and WSU trailing 66-50. He missed – something he did until there was only 2:38 left when he nailed a 25-footer. The Cougars’ leading scorer (at 14.4 per game) finished 2 of 9.

“The few times Derrick did get clean looks, they weren’t even close,” Bennett said. “I have not seen him miss, be that off, in a while.”