Recap and highlights: Isaiah Watts comes up clutch to help WSU beat Drake 66-61 in first round of NCAA Tournament
Washington State waited a long time to return to the NCAA Tournament.
Isiah Watts made sure they wouldn’t leave empty handed.
Watts hit a 3-pointer to give the Cougars the lead with 1:51 remaining and hit a pair of free throws to help WSU beat Drake 66-61 in the first round on Thursday night at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
The fifth-seeded Cougars trailed by as many as eight points in the second half, but closed the game on a 20-7 run to secure the win. It’s their first NCAA Tournament victory since making the Sweet 16 in 2008.
Isaac Jones led WSU with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Jaylen Wells added 17 points and nine rebounds.
The Cougars advance to the Round of 32 on Saturday where they will play second-seeded Iowa State.
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First half
17:38 – WSU 3, Drake 0: Tough start at both ends with some good defense, but Rice breaks his own lengthy shooting drought with a 3-pointer. Rice hadn’t hit a 3 in 24 attempts.
15:25 – WSU 7, Drake 5: Pace picks up and Cluff keeps the Cougs ahead at the U16 media timeout with a dunk. Rice starts hot with five points, it’ll be a big help if he’s shooting well tonight.
11:48 – WSU 15, Drake 12: Rice leads the Cougs with seven points, as they maintain their lead, shooting 54% from the field. Already five different scores for WSU.
9:39 – Drake 19, WSU 15: Smith calls a timeout as DeVries hits a deep 3 to give the Bulldogs a 10-0 run. He’s up to seven points, and the Cougs haven’t scored in three minutes.
7:53 – Drake 21, WSU 19: Cougars put an end to the Drake run, cut the lead to two at the U8 media timeout. Pretty even game so far.
6:19 – WSU 24, Drake 21: Wells hits a 3-pointer and just like that the Cougars are back in front. WSU on a 9-0 run and Drake calls timeout.
3:34 – WSU 26, Drake 23: Jones makes a layup and then Ferguson is called for a foul. Cougars with a slight edge as the half winds down.
WSU has been really balanced on offense, seven different scorers.
Halftime
Washington State came out on the right side of a back-and-forth half and lead Drake 33-29 in Omaha.
Good news for the Cougars: WSU is 20-0 this season when leading at halftime.
WSU used a balance attack to take the edge, led by Issac Jones’ nine point . Jaylen Wells adds eight.
Drake was led by Tanner DeVries and Atin Wright with nine points apiece. It seems like they’re going to have to carry the load if the Bulldogs are going to win.
Second half
18:09 – Drake 35, WSU 33: Brodie goes uncovered in the post and throws down a big dunk to give Drake a 6-0 run to open the second half. WSU calls a timeout. Not the way Kyle Smith wanted to come out of the locker room.
15:46 – Drake 39, WSU 36: Jakimovski is called for a foul and Drake will shoot two after the U16 media timeout. Brodie starting to make his presence felt inside. Wright leads Drake with 14 points.
Wells first Cougar to hit double figures after he knocks down a 3-pointer.
11:01 – Drake 47, WSU 44: Jones is called for a foul and Drake will head to the line after forcing a turnover from Jakimovski. Cougs guard is continuing to struggle since he suffered a shoulder injury.
Wright up to 16 points for Drake.
7:33 – Drake 54, WSU 46: Cougars go ice cold at the worst time. Drake takes advantage and builds its biggest lead of the night. Wright up to 18 points, DeVries 14 and Brodie 13.
Rice hasn’t done much for WSU since the early going. Wells leads with 15 points and Jones adds 13.
5:15 – Drake 54, WSU 53: Cougars come right back, Jakimovski comes up with a big 3-pointer and Jones hits a jumper out of a timeout to cut the Bulldogs lead to one.
3:23 – Drake 58, WSU 57: Jones picks up a cheap offensive foul, his fourth, at the U4 media timeout. That’s a tough break, as WSU’s leading scorer gets his legs tied up with a defender.
Jones had hit a layup the previous possession to cut the lead back to one. Should be in store for a good finish in Omaha.
1:38 – WSU 61, Drake 59: Wells hits a huge 3-pointer to put the Cougs back on top. Drake calls a timeout.
0:24 – WSU 63, Drake 59: Cougars get a steal and have a chance to ice it after Watts hit a couple of free throws.
Pregame
Washington State waited 16 years to return to the NCAA Tournament.
After a full first day of madness, the wait is over.
Seventh-seeded WSU is set to take on 10th-seeded Drake in the last game of the day. Tipoff is set for 7:15 p.m. on truTV.
The Cougars (24-9) have made a habit of proving people wrong this season, rising from 10th in the Pac-12 preseason poll to finish second. It seems that trend will have to continue.
The Bulldogs (28-6, Missouri Valley Tournament champion) are favored by 1½ points and were picked in 53% of ESPN Tournament Challenge brackets, despite having a lower seed.
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