‘We were a little grittier than we’d been’: Washington State’s defense stifles Santa Clara’s prolific offense in Cougs’ first-round NIT win

PULLMAN – An unbending defense from Washington State stifled a prolific offense from Santa Clara.

WSU leaned on its identity and a major scoring boost from guard Tyrell Roberts got the Cougs over the hump in their first national postseason tournament appearance in a decade, a 63-50 victory in the first round of the NIT on Tuesday night at Beasley Coliseum.

“Really excited to be a part of the NIT and really excited about the way we came out and defended,” WSU coach Kyle Smith said. “We played well against one of the best offensive teams in the country. We knew they’d be a handful. They were, but we were a little grittier than we’d been the last few games.”

The fourth-seeded Cougars (20-14), who boast a top-40 defense – according to statistician Ken Pomeroy’s metrics – limited the Broncos to season lows in scoring and shooting percentage (30%).

Santa Clara entered the game ranked 31st nationally in scoring offense (78 ppg) and seventh in field-goal percentage per game (49%), but had the Broncos (21-12) had their up-tempo attack impeded by a Cougar squad that totaled 10 blocks, its most in a game since 2010.

“The one thing that stands out is their length around the basket, their shot-blocking ability,” Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek said. “We just really had a hard time converting.”

WSU countered the Broncos’ fast-paced M.O., working a slow-moving game to its advantage to creep ahead by four points after a well-matched, low-scoring first half. The hosts held Santa Clara to just two points over the first 3:30 of the second half and began to pull away.

Roberts buried three of his seven 3-pointers within a four-minute span midway through the second to lift the Cougars to a game-high, 16-point advantage, which held up.

On a slow-scoring night for most of the Cougs, Roberts came through. He finished 7 of 16 from downtown and registered a game-high 23 points to go with seven rebounds.

“Once the game started, I hit my first 3 and was like, ‘Oh yeah, time to turn it on,’ ” Roberts said. “The shots are just falling. … I feel comfortable out there and it’s March, so you want to be playing your best once you get to this point.”

Post Efe Abogidi contributed 13 points, five boards and three blocks.

Center Dishon Jackson scored eight points, snagged eight rebounds and swatted four shots. Freshman post Mouhamed Gueye – returning from an ankle injury that sidelined him for last week’s Pac-12 tournament – added three blocks.

“We were able to squeeze them off the 3 and then they’re running into Mo, Efe and Dishon,” Smith said. “Everyone knows Efe’s a dynamic shot-blocker.”

Senior point guard Michael Flowers had nine points and five assists. Guards TJ Bamba and Noah Williams took turns guarding superstar Santa Clara guard Jalen Williams. They held the West Coast Conference’s leading scorer to four points on 1 of 6 in the first half, but the 6-6 Jalen Williams willed his way to 19 points and 15 boards on the night. Forward Josip Vrankic logged 19 points and 10 rebounds. The rest of the Broncos combined to shoot 5 of 31.

“Bamba and Noah did a great job. With Williams, you kinda have to split duty and wear him down,” Smith said.

WSU shot 22 of 64 (34.4%), including 10 of 29 from 3-point range.

The Cougars have eclipsed the 20-win mark for the first season since 2010-11. They’ll continue their most successful campaign in over a decade facing either SMU or Nicholls State in the second round of the NIT. The two square off Wednesday.

“It’s awesome. Advance in the postseason, 20 wins – it’s a pretty good feeling,” Smith said.