Washington State hits 14 3-pointers, routs Oregon State
PULLMAN – An early barrage of 3-pointers gave Washington State a commanding lead and the Cougars stayed ahead of visiting Oregon State by double digits for the majority of Thursday’s Pac-12 game.
WSU knocked down its first eight attempts from long range and went up by 18 points midway through the first half during an 80-62 blitzing of the Beavers at Beasley Coliseum.
The Cougars (12-15, 7-9 Pac-12) hit three 3s in the first 2 minutes of the game and shot out to an 11-0 lead.
“It was the way they were playing us,” WSU forward DJ Rodman said. “They were pressuring us hard on the perimeter, but when we got inside, they collapsed and we kicked it out for 3s.”
It didn’t seem to matter whether the shots were contested. Each of the Cougars’ starters canned 3s in the first 8 minutes of the game – guard Justin Powell, Rodman and forward Andrej Jakimovski had two apiece. Of WSU’s first 10 field-goal attempts, eight came from beyond the arc.
“It helps when you see the ball go in the basket,” Cougars coach Kyle Smith said. “It gets your team confident. We guarded well to start the game, too. Getting up 11-0 was big. We were sharing the ball.
“Our starters got off to a good start,” he added. “I don’t think we subbed until like 10:30 left.”
After falling into a 32-14 hole, the Beavers (10-17, 4-12) attempted to rally. They made 7 of 8 field goals during a hot stretch and WSU misfired on a couple of 3-point tries. OSU cut the deficit to 36-26 late in the half, but Jakimovski answered with a 3-pointer and Cougars center Mouhamed Gueye added a highlight-reel dunk, drawing a foul and converting a free throw to put WSU up by 14 heading into the break.
“It was just keeping the foot on the gas, don’t slow up,” Rodman said.
The Beavers took advantage of four WSU turnovers early in the second half, drawing within eight points, but Rodman and Bamba netted consecutive 3s. Jakimovski and guard Jabe Mullins went back to back on 3-pointers a few minutes later as WSU restored an 18-point lead midway through the second half.
The Cougars led by as many as 22 points and controlled a double-digit advantage for about 34 minutes.
WSU, which set the program record for made 3s in a game with 19 against Detroit Mercy earlier this season, finished 14 of 24 from 3-point range and shot 59.2% from the field.
The Cougars, who shot 29% from the field in a low-scoring win over Washington, followed an impressive defensive performance with a sharp offensive outing.
“It’s nice to know that we can play both sides of the coin,” Rodman said.
Gueye accounted for just one 3, but the 6-foot-11 sophomore was a force underneath the basket, blowing past defenders for several explosive dunks. He scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the first half and shot 9 of 9 overall. Gueye is the second Cougar since 1996 to shoot at a perfect clip (9 of 9 or better), along with WSU great Aron Baynes.
“I’m not going to lie, I didn’t even know I went 9-for-9. I was just playing,” said Gueye, who added four assists but, oddly, didn’t have a rebound for the first game of his career. “Coach told me, ‘You didn’t miss a shot.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I didn’t grab a rebound either.’ It felt great, though. It always feels good to see the work pay off.”
Rodman and Jakimovski drained four 3s apiece and totaled 18 and 13 points, respectively. Jakimovski tallied a game-high eight rebounds. Bamba added 14 points.
Forwards Tyler Bilodeau (18 points) and Michael Rataj (11) led the Beavers, who played a decent offensive game yet had no chance of keeping pace with the hot-shooting Cougars. Oregon State shot 48% from the field but was held back by its 3-point shooting (5 of 19).
WSU played without center Adrame Diongue due to a hand injury. The 7-foot true freshman, a rebounding and defensive specialist, averages 6.4 minutes per game as the primary backup to Gueye. He is questionable to play on Sunday, when the Cougars conclude their home schedule with a 4 p.m. tipoff against Oregon.