Hot Cougar Action: A basketball victory and a new running back

Men's basketball

Led by Mike Ladd, WSU knocked off Utah 75-65 on Wednesday. Ladd played what is likely the best game of career. He finished with 22 points and six rebounds while making 5 of 8 three-point attempts. He recently had a baby girl and his daughter was in attendance. I don't care what Bill Moos has to do, he needs to make sure that baby attends every game from here on out.

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Washington State Basketball Postgame Notes vs. Utah - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Mike Ladd tied his career high and set a personal WSU best with 22 points...his career high was set while at Fresno State, Feb. 14, 2009 against New Mexico State. Ladd tied his career high with 5 3-pointers made...it's his personal WSU high, his career high was previously set while playing at Fresno State against San Jose State, Jan. 11, 2010.

Washington State Takes Down Utah, 75-65 - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) - Mike Ladd had 22 points and hit five 3-pointers to lead five Washington State players scoring in double figures in a 75-65 win against Utah on Wednesday night.

Cougars beat Utah for first Pac-12 win - Spokesman.com - Jan. 17, 2013
PULLMAN – On a night when its leading scorer was held without a basket in the first half, Washington State finally summoned the necessary effort to make sure it didn’t matter.

Tale of the tape: WSU 75, Utah 65 - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Jan. 16, 2013
FROM PULLMAN — And it's a happy one this time for the Cougars, who won their first Pac-12 game thanks to a barrage of 3-pointers and a balanced offensive effort. Read on for more.

An insider's take on Aron Baynes - Pounding The Rock
Watching Baynes develop over four years at Washington State was a treat for everyone who followed the team, and the story of his development is why he became my favorite Cougar.

Football

With Carl Winston lost to graduation, there was some question as to who would be the lead running back for WSU next season. That question may have been answered on Wednesday as Daniel Jenkins announced he was transferring from Arizona to Washington State. Now, under usual circumstances Jenkins would be required to sit a year before being eligible. Jenkins, however, already has his degree so he can transfer to WSU as a graduate school and be eligible immediately.

Jenkins, who will come to WSU as a redshirt senior, showed some promise during his three seasons in Arizona. He finished his Wildcat career with 495 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 106 attempts. As for what role he could fill next year, Jenkins isn't expecting to be a complimentary piece.

"Out of all the options I had, that presented the best opportunity for me to excel," Jenkins said. "They plan for me to be the feature back. That was the appeal to me - that opportunity."

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Arizona Wildcats running back Daniel Jenkins transfers to Pac-12 school - AG's Wildcat Report
The graduate student — meaning he can play right away in 2013 — decided Wednesday to attend Washington State.