For the first time since George H. W. Bush was president, the WSU men's basketball team lost to Idaho in Pullman. The Cougars were riding an 11-game winning streak against the Vandals heading into the game on Wednesday and hadn't lost to Idaho in Pullman since Dec. 14, 1989. Both streaks game to an end with a 77-71 loss.
WSU fell behind early, with Idaho jumping out to a 14-2 lead. The Cougars were able to rally to close out the half and trailed by just a point at halftime. WSU briefly took a lead in the second half, but id didn't last long. Idaho took the lead back for good with more than 16 minutes to play in the game. WSU's shooting woes continued with the Cougars making just 25-of-71 shots including a dismal 5-of-30 from three-point range. DaVonte Lacy led the team with 17 points, but was just 3-of-13 from deep. Idaho hit several big threes, finishing 7-of-19 from long range.
Josh Hawkinson was a bright spot in the loss, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds on 8-of-16 shooting. Ike Iroegbu had his moments, but fouled out in the second half.
With the loss, WSU dropped to 3-4 on the young season. That includes losses to UTEP, TCU, UC Santa Barbara and now Idaho. WSU beat Rice by just two points and needed a big rally and overtime to beat Missouri State. It would be nice to say the loss to Idaho was going to be the low point, but it appears the Cougars are a long way from finding the floor. As we learned with the football team, whenever you think you hit the ultimate low, things can probably still get worse.
The Cougars will host UT San Antonio on Saturday before gearing up to play No. 9 Gonzaga next week. The Cougars got thoroughly outplayed at home by Idaho, I don't even want to think about what might happen in that Gonzaga game.
*****
Men's basketball:
WSU Falls to Border-Rival Idaho - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Mike Scott and Connor Hill both scored 19 points Wednesday night to lead Idaho to a 77-71 nonconference win over Washington State.
Cold-shooting Cougars fall to Vandals - Spokesman.com - Dec. 4, 2014
With just 4 minutes to play in Washington State’s annual matchup against Idaho, a pair of Cougar fans in the front row tried to lead the comeback themselves.
Vandals finally triumph in hardwood Battle of the Palouse - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Dec. 3, 2014
The next time Idaho senior Connor Hill sees his Washington State men's basketball friends around the Palouse, he might just have some trash-talking words to say.
Idaho Vandals vs. Washington State Cougars Recap - CBSSports.com
Only eight miles separate the Washington State and Idaho campuses, but a huge gap has separated the basketball programs of the two schools in recent years.
Soccer:
Cougar Duo Named All-Region - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State soccer seniors Nicole Setterlund and Gurveen Clair were named NSCAA All-Pacific Region, Wednesday.