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Washington State advanced to the semifinals of the CBI Tournament by cruising to an easy win over the visiting Wyoming Cowboys Monday night. UW's last lead in the game came at 8-7 with 11:36 to play in the first half. After that, the Cougs went on a run and were able to build on the lead throughout the second half.
Brock Motum and Abe Lodwick dominated the scoring for WSU. Motum started shaky and was having trouble holding on to the ball. Ken Bone quickly pulled him out and sat him down for a few minutes. Upon returning, Brock was his same old unstoppable self, finishing the game with 25 points on 9-16 shooting. Lodwick showed as much confidence on offense as ever, even knocking down a pull-up mid-range jumper in the second half. Abe was efficient in posting a career high, scoring 16 points on 6-9 shooting.
The moment that may have put the game out of reach for Wyoming came with 4:49 left to play. After battling for a rebound with Motum and picking up a foul, Cowboy freshman Larry Nance, Jr. got a bit mouthy. He was called for a technical foul, but that didn't shut him up. After continuing to jaw with Motum as he walked down the court, Nance was issued a second technical foul and ejected from the game. This meant 4 free throws for Reggie Moore, and a one-and-one for Motum. Moore hit 3/4, Brock hit 2/2, and the Cougs were basically handed a five point play that stretched their lead from 10 to 15. Game over.
This is perhaps a hidden attribute that Brock has. He has coaxed opponents into technicals on several occasions this season. What is he doing exactly to get his opponents all worked up? Probably not anything his parents would be proud of, but it seems to be working well.
The Cougs will now travel to Corvallis to face a familiar foe. Oregon State and WSU will tip-off on Wednesday at 7pm. The game will be broadcast on HDNet.