Behind a dominating first half performance, Washington State knocked off Arizona State 72-50.
WSU started the game on a 10-0 run and eventually stretched the lead to 28 points leading 36-8 at halftime. The halftime stats were rather comical as you can see here. ASU used an aggressive full-court pressure defense to make a run in the second half cutting the WSU lead to 12 before a 7-0 WSU run put the game away for good.
DaVonte Lacy led the way for the Cougars scoring 17 points including 14 in the first half. Lacy missed his first three 3-point shots before connecting on four of his final six attempts. It was a bit of a slump busting game for Lacy who had scored in double figures in just one of his past five games.
Pac-12 player of the year contender Brock Motum clearly suffered from the Nusser jinx scoring 16 points while grabbing just one rebound. Motum was still effective, shooting 5-9 from the floor. Motum also got back on track at the free throw line making 5-6 after missing six crucial free throws against Arizona.
Marcus Capers stuffed the stat sheet leading the Cougars with 10 rebounds and a career high 7 assists. Capers may have been at his best when the Cougars needed it the most dishing out two assists after ASU cut the lead to 12. Capers first found Patrick Simon for a three, then after D.J. Shelton drew a charge, Capers broke the ASU press and found Shelton for a thundering two-handed slam.
While the 22-point win looks great, WSU was far from a perfect game. They struggled against ASU's press defense, twice failing to inbound the ball before drawing a five second call. The Cougars move to 14-13 this season and 6-9 in conference, temporarily moving ahead of Oregon State for eighth place.
Washington State will return to Beasley Colliseum next Saturday to face Washington at 8 p.m. The game will represent senior night with Capers, Abe Lodwick, Charlie Enquist and Faisal Aden partaking in the festivities.