Cedric Coward goes for 30 points as Washington State downs Northern Colorado, 83-69

PULLMAN – A certain inevitability hangs in the arena when Cedric Coward decides to take matters into his hands. Washington State’s best player is so good because of his two-way ability, because of his natural scoring savvy, because of his game smarts and veteran experience.

But the Cougars knocked off Northern Colorado Monday night, 83-69, in large part because Coward decided to take over in the scoring column. The senior totaled 30 points, his most on the season, including 20 in the second half, taking things from closer to cushiony for the 4-1 Cougs.

“I wouldn’t call it hunting my shot. I just say it’s being aggressive and assertive and making the right play,” Coward said. “Some days it would be me being aggressive like this and dropping 30, as you see. And then other days it would be aggressive and having 12 assists. As long as I’m making the right play for my teammates, that’s the main goal.”

It was a timely development for WSU, coming off a defeat to Iowa in Illinois, where Coward totaled only nine points in 33 minutes. The game before, in WSU’s win over Idaho, he posted four points on three shots. He was still playing well – still making the right plays – but he wasn’t looking for his shot as actively as coaches would like.

So on Monday night, he snapped out of it, responding with an efficient 12-for-18 showing, including 2-for-6 from deep. He did it the only way he knows how: By staying in control and getting to his spots. He recognized mismatches when he got them and wasted no time taking advantage, banking in several flip shots and getting to the rim with ease. It’s his highest scoring game since going for 30 last season at Eastern Washington.

Part of making those changes, coach David Riley figured, comes baked into his offense. He doesn’t call a play every time down the court, letting his players pass and make reads and attack when they see openings. In that type of laissez-faire approach, he says, it becomes easy to “float a little bit at times.”

“So I thought he’s adjusted,” said Riley, whose team returns to action Thursday against his former squad, Eastern Washington, at the Arena. “It was great to see, and just proud of him. We knew it was coming. He’s such a high-character guy, and he’s gonna have a great season for us. So it was good to get him back on that.”

The Cougs needed it . About seven minutes into the second half, after hanging around for much of the game, the Bears took the lead on a corner 3-pointer. The Cougars were giving up too many offensive rebounds – Northern Colorado turned 11 offensive boards into six second-chance points. The Bears also knocked down eight 3-pointers .

In that stretch, Riley said, the hosts were going through the motions, playing “random” on offense. It was less active and more passive, and even with the Cougs’ giant size advantage on the interior, they didn’t always cash in. When one action didn’t work, they didn’t always put a second one in gear.

So what changed? To Riley, it was a lineup that included guards Isaiah Watts and Kase Wynott and power forward ND Okafor, a group that “played with some force and energy,” Riley said. After the Bears tied the game at 55-all, the Cougs responded with an 18-7 run, which featured three baskets from Coward and two from Watts, who tallied 12 points on four triples, plus six rebounds. That put WSU up double digits.

For Watts, it was the end of a rough stretch. Over his past three games, he misfired on 13 straight triples, an uncharacteristic development for a guy whose catch-and-shoot game makes him so effective. He was frustrated enough that on Monday morning, when he got some practice shots up with his dad, Donald, he broke down crying.

“Just because it’s like, I feel that’s what I do, that’s what I’m here for,” Watts said. “And to not be able to do it at my best, it was really emotional for me. So just to hit a couple today feels really good.”

Another uncharacteristic part of Monday’s game: Guard Nate Calmese, who recorded 27 points on Saturday in Illinois, managed only four points in 21 minutes. At one point, he wrapped a towel around his head on the bench. At another, he came off the floor with an injury, and as he walked to the locker room with a trainer, he shouted in frustration.

Riley, who said the team will evaluate Calmese’s injury in the days to come, added that’s the kind of thing that can happen after a big scoring night. He might not be the head of the snake at WSU – that title likely belongs to Coward – but he is the point guard. That prompts opponents to key in on him.

“He’s another guy that’s still learning,” Riley said. “Learning the offense, learning the different details on it. Northern Colorado knows us pretty well, so they had some good plans against us. But he’s a hooper, and he’ll bounce back.”

Riley added that WSU is hoping that wing Rihards Vavers, who has been out since the season opener with a wrist injury, and freshman guard Marcus Wilson can return “in the next game or two.”