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washington state cougars

Davidson Takes Down Washington State in Pullman

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Pullman, WA – Davidson took the lead in Pullman early and never looked back, handing Washington State a loss by 74-61. Sam Brown helped set the tone for the Wildcats by scoring or assisting on all but two of the team’s first 11 points. Davidson, after a 30 second timeout with 10:46 left, punished WSU from beyond the arc, going 5-of-9 from distance to finish the half. On the other end, it was Jamari Phillips and Jaylen Harrellwho combined for half of the teams 22 points to end the first half.

The Wildcats started the second half where they left off, going 5-for-6 in first five minutes led by Nick Janowski, forcing a Cougars timeout. Out of the timeout, Harrell and Sebastian Akinswere able to get going and provide some life to the struggling Cougars and bring the game to within nine points. However, that was the last time the Wildcats’ lead was in single digits. Davidson was firing on all cylinders and shot 12-for-15 from the field in the final 10 minutes. Although Washington State won the offensive rebound battle 15-7, but they could not get shots to fall, shooting just 35% from the field and 20% from three. Davidson could do no wrong, assisting on 18 of their 29 made shots while shooting 54% from the floor and 52% from three.

Ian Platteeuw, the 7-footer from Spain, starting his second season with Davidson and picked the Cougars defense apart from the top of the key. To go along with his eight assists, he scored 10 efficient points on 4-for- 5 shooting and making his only three-point attempt of the game. On the glass, he had nine rebounds, falling just short of recording his first collegiate triple-double. Josh Scovens, the Wildcats leading inside presence from the year prior,did not impact the game much offensively until late in the game because of WSU’s game plan. However, halfway through the second half, he showed his strength and solid hands underneath the basket, catching passes over the top using his positioning to finish at the rim.

From the point guard spot, Sam Brown punished the defense in multiple ways from three, showing he has confidence in catch and shoot and off the dribble situations, and that he will make teams pay for leaving him open going 6-for-10 from range. Out of the off-guard spot, Nick Janowski showed skill at all three levels. He connected on  8 of his 10 shots, and his two misses came from contested off the dribble three-pointers. His drives from the wing stood out, he was able to initiate contact and create separation for a confident fall away mid-range attempt.

WSU played without Ronnie Harrison which opened up opportunities for Jamari Phillips and Jaylen Harrell on the wing. The latter was much more efficient from the field, shooting 5-for-8, but combined they went 3-for-12 from behind the arc. Despite the rough shooting day for Phillips he was able to get good looks. Harrell was about the only bright spot in the game for the Cougars and showed he has the ability to drive and finish strong at the rim. He also played good defense, finishing with two steals.

This article was written by Landon Brewer of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Instagram, or on twitter.

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Washington Upset at Home by Washington State in Exhibition

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Seattle, WA – Washington State, led by Ronnie Harrison won 84-80 in Seattle against their cross-state rival, the Washington Huskies. WSU scored the first basket, however UW was able to jump ahead thanks to a 17-3 run. Just when the Huskies’ Lathan Sommerville got an electric alley-oop slam in transition and it looked like they had control, the Cougars started hitting 3’s going 4-of-7 in a three-minute span giving them the lead. After some gritty back and forth action, the first half ended with WSU in front 38-37.

Turnovers and fouls defined the start of the second half, there were six combined before LeJuan Watts kickstarted the Huskies, scoring a fastbreak layup. The teams went back and forth trading baskets again before Harrison scored 10 unanswered points putting the Cougars up by four. WSU stretched the lead to eight and, thanks to all the points scored from both teams being strictly from free throws after the 3:32 mark up to the 0:39 mark, the Cougars were able to put the game away.

LeJuan Watts set the pace for UW with 28 points on 7-of-12 from the field along with six rebounds. Watts was able to get to his spots, and despite the Huskies as a team going 6-of-23 from 3 point range, he made 2 of his 4. Nikola Dzepina had a strong performance in the paint, getting 12 rebounds, seven on the offensive end. Although he shot 4-of-12 from the field in 30 minutes off the bench, he was the only player on the Huskies who finished with a positive +/-  at +6. Lathan Sommerville has made a case that he will perform at a higher level on offense this year, posting 19 points on 6-of-7 from the field and 7-of-11 from the line. He played strong inside, finishing at the rim with finesse and control. He also ran hard in transition and was rewarded by his teammates.

Ronnie Harrison found a way to lead the Cougars to this win with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks. He showed he is willing to do the heavy lifting on offense and can be an explosive scorer. Two of his three offensive rebounds were tip-in baskets that resulted from hard crashes off the perimeter and came in key moments of the game, one sparking his 10- point run and the other when the Cougars needed to keep the lead late in the second half. Lazerek Houston may not have had the best day shooting the basketball (1-of-9), however he was the initiator for WSU, finishing with four assists. Even though he was poor from the field, he made 12-of-15 from the line, a sign that this shooting performance will probably not be a trend downward. Houston was able to push through a poor shooting day and find a way to contribute to the win.

This article was written by Landon Brewer of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Instagram, or on twitter.

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Pepperdine and San Francisco Advance to WCC Semifinals

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Las Vegas, NV – The West Coast Conference tournament played their quarterfinals tonight as Pepperdine tried for a third straight win facing No. 4-seed Santa Clara. In the nightcap Washington State faced No. 3-seed San Francisco. 

Pepperdine (13-21, 7-14) did it, holding on for their third straight win in three days, upsetting Santa Clara 78-76. The Waves continued to get excellent play from Stefan Todorovic and Moe Odum. Both scored 19 points and made three 3’s. Odum Jr. added 13 assists and five rebounds. Tyeree Bryan led the Broncos (20-12, 12-7) with 18 points, connecting on 4-of-6 from deep. In the nightcap Ryan Beasley scored 29 points (4-of-8 3’s) to lead San Francisco to an 86-75 win over Washington State. Ethan Price led the Cougars with 26 points, connecting on 3-of-6 three-pointers and added six rebounds.

Pepperdine stayed close with the Broncos throughout the first half with Santa Clara taking a 40-36 lead into the break. The Broncos shot 8-of-20 on 3’s with Bryan, Brenton Knapper and Johnny O’Neil each connecting on two. Pepperdine only shot 3-of-13 from deep. Knapper led the Broncos with ten points while Odum, Todorovic and Boubacar Coulibaly each scoring nine points for the Waves. Santa Clara enjoyed a 21-13 edge on the boards including 6-2 on the offensive glass.

The Waves tied the game at 56 on a three-pointer from Todorovic and then took a 58-56 lead on a short jumper from center Danilo Dozic (7 points) midway through the second half. The Waves extended their lead to eight points as they went on an 8-0 run and held the Broncos without a field goal for six minutes. Santa Clara stayed withing striking distance and cut their deficit to 71-68 on a three-pointer by Knapper (17 points). A Dozic three-pointer extended the lead back to six points after the under 4-minute time out. Todorovic then hit a tough jumper in the lane with 1:23 left to extend the lead to five points. A Christopf Tully steal and dunk got the Broncos to within three points. Santa Clara had the ball with 10.3 seconds remaining with the chance to tie the game with a three-pointer. An Adama Bal three-pointer wasn’t close and Pepperdine closed the game at the free throw line.

Odum has been outstanding at the tournament.  In the three games he has been in double-figures in points and assists in each game. He started with 31 points and 11 assists. Last night he had 17 points and ten assists and then 19 points and 13 assists tonight. He’s shot a combined 12-of-24 on three-pointers in the three games. Todorovic is averaging 24 points over the three games with his career-high of 34 points in last night’s win over Oregon State.

In the second game, Washington State and San Francisco battled evenly through the first half with USF taking a 34-32 lead into the break. The Dons destroyed the Cougars on the boards by a 31-14 margin, including a 15-1 edge on the offensive boards, but did not shoot well. They shot only 33% overall and 2-of-15 on 3’s. Ryan Beasley made their only two three-pointers, the rest of the team was 0-of-10. Malik Thomas led San Francisco in scoring with 12 points. Ethan Proce continued his strong tournament play, leading Washington State with 11 points.

USF got off to a quick start in the second half with an 8-0 run and extended their lead to 46-36 after a steal and three-point play from Beasley. The Cougars stormed right back on a 9-0 run helped by another Price three-pointer to cut USF’s lead to 52-50. USF came back with a 7-0 run, taking a 63-54 lead. Beasley then hit another three-pointer to extend the Dons’ lead to 66-56. USF kept a safe lead from there to finish with the ten-point victory. USF had a 49-25 rebounding edge, including 21-5 on the offensive glass.

Pepperdine advances to the semifinals tomorrow evening against top-seeded St. Mary’s. In the nightcap San Francisco (24-8, 14-5) will face No. 2 seed Gonzaga.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

Pepperdine and Washington State Advance at WCC Tournament

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Las Vegas, NV – The third round of the West Coast Conference tournament took place tonight with Pepperdine (11-21, 5-14) facing No. 5-seed Oregon State in the opener and LMU (17-14, 9-10) playing against No. 4-seeded Washington Statein the nightcap.  Pepperdine (12-21, 6-14) held on for the upset over Oregon State (20-12, 10-9) 77-73 as Stefan Todorovic led the way with a career-high 34 points on 5-of-9 from deep. Moe Odum added 17 points, ten assists and only one turnover. Damarco Minor led the Beavers with 22 points. In the second game Washington State got off to a strong start, kept up a double-digit lead much of the game and topped Loyola Marymount 94-77 as Ethan Price and Nate Calmese scored 22 points.

Oregon State and Pepperdine battled fairly evenly through the first half. Both the Beavers’ Nate Kingz (18 points) and the Waves’ Todorovic were both hot throughout the half. Each connected on 4-of-5 three-pointers with Kingz ending the half with 14 points and Todorovic with 19 points. Both starting point guards played very well with Odum of Pepperdine continuing his hot shooting. He scored ten points on 4-of-5 shooting (2-of-3 3’s) and added six assists. The Beavers’ Minor scored 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Oregon State took a 41-38 lead into the break after Liutauris Lelevicius connected on a jumper with 1.5 seconds remaining.

Todorovic continued his hot shooting in the second half, making another three-pointer that helped the Waves’ take a 57-51 lead. Todorovic kept up his scoring and the Waves went out to a 70-59 lead. The Beavers then ran off eight straight points with a Lelevicius (15 points) three-pointer cutting the deficit to three points. Oregon State then got cold at the wrong time, missing five late-three pointers but did get within two points twice in the last 30 seconds. Pepperdine held on for the win, helped by four late free throws. Michael Rataj, Oregon State’s leading scorer at 17.4 ppg, never got it going and only had one point, missing all four of his field goal attempts over 36 minutes of action.

In the second game, Washington State took an early double-digit lead helped by ten early points from Price, a 6-10 senior from England. At halftime the Cougars held a 47-39 lead, as Price scored 20 points, making 2-of-3 3’s and 8-of-9 shots overall. LeJuan Watts grabbed ten rebounds and added nine points and Washington State connected on 5-of-14 shots from deep. LMU shot only 6-of-20 on 3’s and were led by MJ Amey Jr’s 11 points (3-of-3 3’s).

The Cougars dominated the second half with the game never in question. Calmese and Rihards Vavers each scored 13 points in the half. Vavers, a 6-7 sophomore forward from Latvia, connected on all three of his three-point attempts in the half and finished the game with 16 points, on 4-of-5 from deep. LeJuan Watts finished with a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds and added five assists. Amey Jr. led LMU with 16 points, hitting 3-of-5 3’s, and added  a team-high eight rebounds.

Pepperdine advances to the quarterfinal against the No. 4 seed Santa Clara tomorrow at 5:30pm local time. In the nightcap Washington State (19-13, 9-10) with face No. 3 seed San Francisco.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.