Isaac Jones leads the way in WSU’s 71-61 win over Portland State

PULLMAN – Good luck speeding up Isaac Jones. He moves at his own pace, backing defenders down on the block, and it’s clear his Washington State teammates respect him. They understand their transfer forward knows what he’s doing.

“I thank (assistant) coach (Jeremy) Harden for that, because he wired me that way back in (junior college),” Jones said. “I play at my own pace. It’s a lot easier to see the floor when you’re taking your time, instead of rushing it.”

Jones may not be meticulous, but he is purposeful. To lead WSU in scoring in a 71-61 nonconference win over Portland State Saturday afternoon, he took his time in the post, feeling defenders from behind, spinning on some occasions, powering through them on others.

The most compelling thing about Jones’ game – which he illustrated in Saturday’s game – is that he isn’t the plodding center he looked like at Idaho, from where he transferred. He’s an athlete. He can shoot it, both from the free-throw line and beyond the 3-point arc. And he rebounds with the best.

Jones is rounding out his game, in other words, which is the best news about his development. His final line on Saturday: 27 points (11-for-15 shooting from the floor, 1 for 2 from deep), 12 rebounds and four turnovers. He wasn’t quite everywhere at once, but when he came out of the game, his absence spoke volumes.

But even Jones couldn’t always stop Portland State from making things interesting. The Vikings stuck around all afternoon, sending the game to halftime tied at 31, pushing the Cougars (6-1) deep into the second half. The hosts parried every blow from the visitors, but the Cougars never quite put them away, letting Portland State draw within five with 3 minutes to play.

Washington State hung on, though, by doing what it has through its first seven games: pounding it inside and playing zone defense. Transfer forward Oscar Cluff scored two of his 6 points with a post move around the basket, widening WSU’s lead to 67-60, and with roughly a minute left, he stuck back a miss to secure a 69-61 lead.

Washington State held off Portland State the rest of the way, winning its third straight on this homestand. The Cougars also did it without guard Joseph Yesufu, who is out with a hip injury. WSU coach Kyle Smith said he has no timetable for his return.

“Not having Joe, we’re kind of adjusting to that a little bit,” Smith said. “It was good for our confidence to win a tight, tough, contested game.”

Jones also had a hand in the Cougars’ defense, which had its way around the basket. WSU had 10 blocks – three apiece for Jones and Kymani Houinsou, and two apiece for Cluff and true freshman Rueben Chinyelu. That was a huge reason why Portland State shot 31% from the field.

Even farther outside, the Cougars played good enough defense. The Vikings made only 6 of 28 attempts from deep. They weren’t shy about letting them fly, and the Cougars let it happen, supplying decent contests.

Portland State stuck around for so long because of the numbers. The Vikings attempted 68 shots to the Cougars’ 55. Portland State turned 14 offensive rebounds into 12 second-chance points. It kept possessions alive and stayed in the game for it.

WSU received a huge boost from redshirt freshman Myles Rice’s 19-point outing, following a slow start with a strong finish, using his speed on his way to the basket. He scored 13 points in the second half. He didn’t hit any of the three 3-pointers he tried, so he eschewed those for drives, getting to the rim for an array of finishes.

Which might say something about Rice’s development. In Washington State’s win over Eastern Washington on Monday, Rice hit six 3-pointers, sinking jumper after jumper for a career-best 28 points. He took a couple of heat checks. He made them all.

Five days later, he couldn’t get much going from the perimeter. He even misfired some of the midrange jump shots he tried. So he realized something else: He was faster than everyone else on the court.

“He’s been our leading scorer. Well, the scout starts to center around him,” Smith said. “Early on, they made it really hard and difficult on him. And he stayed the course.”

From here, Washington State gets two more home games, against UC Riverside on Wednesday and Grambling on Dec. 10.

The Cougars head to Phoenix to play Santa Clara in the Jerry Colangelo Classic on Dec. 16, then to Spokane to play Boise State on Dec. 21.

They’re identifying a lot of the right things before that stretch: Their giant lineups are working well. Their defense is flourishing. They aren’t perfect, but as they work their way through this nonconference schedule, they’re finding their footing.

There are worse starts for a new team.