Cougars use 23-1 run to beat USF; remain undefeated in WCC

PULLMAN — With a tie for first place in the West Coast Conference on the line, the Washington State Cougars used a 23-1 second-half run to propel themselves from down five with 10:40 to go to a 91-82 men’s basketball win over the visiting San Francisco Dons on Saturday at Beasley Coliseum.

The Cougars (13-3, 3-0) are off to the best WSU start since former Cougar coach Tony Bennett’s 2006 season. For WSU coach David Riley, it’s the second-best start by a first-year WSU men’s basketball coach since Bennett that same year.

WSU opened the game with an 11-0 run, then cooled as the Dons (13-4, 3-1) roared back into the game with a 31-12 run to build their largest lead of the evening at eight points.

LeJuan Watts led the Cougs with a career-high 24 points and 12 rebounds as each of WSU’s starters hit double figures.

The Cougars went on their big run — which included a stretch of 16 straight points — to flip the score.

Nate Calmese highlighted the moment with a rebound that he followed up by racing down the court for a layup to put WSU up by nine with 6:47 to play.

Ethan Price posted 20 points on a 6-for-8 clip from the floor and a 9-for-10 mark from the free-throw line.

Dane Erikstrup tallied 18 points and nine rebounds.

USF’s Malik Thomas posted 27 points in the first half and seven in the second half but fouled out with 4:14 left in the game. He was one off from his career high and his fifth foul allowed the Cougs to extend their lead to 82-67. Thomas Thrastarson made both free throws in right after as part of a 10-point day.

Calmese fouled out with about a minute left, but the game secure. He scored 16 points.

“Our guys did a great job being tough for 40 minutes,” WSU coach David Riley said. “Our guys didn’t get frustrated. They didn’t overreact. We adjusted the game plan at halftime, and I thought we did a really good job.

“I think the crowd played a huge part. The whole crowd was going crazy. It was a great moment. I think that energy is something we need to continue to build.”

The Cougs earned a key resume-building win over the 13-4 Dons.

WSU will host Pacific at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and travel to Spokane for a much-anticipated bout with Gonzaga at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Zags’ cozy 6,000-seat McCarthey Athletic Center.

SAN FRANCISCO (13-4, 3-1)

Wang 4-7 3-4 13, Linguard 4-13 0-1 10, Riley 2-5 1-2 7, Thomas 12-21 7-9 34, Williams 1-9 1-2 4, Ro.Beasley 3-6 4-5 10, Abosi 1-3 0-0 2, Gigiberia 1-3 0-0 2, O’Donnell 0-0 0-0 0, Rivera-Torres 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-67 16-23 82.

WASHINGTON ST. (13-3, 3-0)

Erikstrup 5-13 3-4 18, Price 5-6 9-10 20, L.Watts 6-15 11-13 24, Calmese 6-11 4-4 16, Thrastarson 2-2 6-8 10, Gerrits 1-3 0-0 2, Wynott 0-1 0-0 0, Okafor 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 25-51 34-41 91.

Halftime — San Francisco 49-48. 3-Point Goals — San Francisco 10-33 (Thomas 3-7, Riley 2-4, Wang 2-5, Linguard 2-7, Williams 1-5, Abosi 0-2, Ro.Beasley 0-3), Washington St. 7-19 (Erikstrup 5-11, Price 1-2, L.Watts 1-3, Gerrits 0-1, Calmese 0-2). Fouled Out — Thomas, Williams, Calmese. Rebounds — San Francisco 31 (Linguard 7), Washington St. 38 (L.Watts 12). Assists — San Francisco 9 (Thomas, Williams 3), Washington St. 14 (L.Watts 5). Total Fouls — San Francisco 28, Washington St. 22. A — 3,823 (11,671).