Idaho basketball started strong across the border, but the Cougars’ experience quickly squashed any hope of a Battle of the Palouse win.
The Vandals lost 90-70 to an energized Washington State squad in Beasley Coliseum. With the win, WSU leads the all-time series 164-110.
“We managed to get the game at the right speed and tempo in the first half,” Idaho Head Coach Don Verlin said. “We just made too many executional errors in the second half. You can’t allow a team like Washington State to get going from behind the 3-point line and that’s exactly what they did in the second half.”
The Vandals kept tight with the Cougars in the first half, matching runs and tough shooting inside the 3-point line. The teams shot a combined 14-28 from inside the arc in the first half, creating a slow tempo, neither team maintaining a sustained run. The Vandals came close with a 10-3 sequence to force a WSU timeout, but the Cougars responded with back-to-back threes to retake a lead they would not relinquish.
“The energy in the building really gave us a chance to get running and play in our system,” WSU Head Coach Ernie Kent said. “The reason that we got going was our defense. They controlled tempo early on with their three-quarter court press, but when we started to get stops, our speed allowed us to stretch the floor and really start to wear them down.”
WSU freshman guard CJ Elleby was the only player to put up double figures in the first half, recording 11 points for the Cougars early. He finished with 20 points as one of Washington State’s four players with double-digit points. Senior post Robert Franks contributed 22 points of his own, including 13 in the second half.
“We played really well running in transition in the second half, which opened up a lot of shots for me,” Elleby said. “We really shut down their lanes and I’ve really settled down recently with my shots and that showed when I got into rhythm.”
The Cougars turned the tide in the second half, starting out strong with an 11-0 run. WSU eventually established a 20-point lead at the 8:13 mark in the second half and coasted through the rest of the game.
Freshman guard Cameron Tyson stumbled for the Vandals after a recent hot stretch. After averaging 16.4 points per game to start the season, Tyson managed only one field goal in the game and two rebounds.
“These rivalry games are fun, but obviously it can be a learning experience for the young guys. Obviously a 114-year rivalry is a big deal, especially for the alumni and fans, but they’ll definitely take this as something to build on,” Verlin said.
The win was somewhat of a revenge game for Washington State, who lost the 2017 matchup by a record 27 points. Idaho turned the ball over 12 times in the latest matchup, resulting in 17 points for the Cougars.
Washington State turned the ball over only four times in the game after giving up 18 in their last contest at New Mexico State.
“When the momentum starts to change, you have to lock them up and we didn’t do that tonight,” Verlin said. “When we have bad shooting nights like we did tonight, you have to rely on your defense and rebounding and you can’t give up 90 like we did tonight.”
Up next, the Vandals will return to Memorial Gym to play CSU Bakersfield 7 p.m. Saturday.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected]