Jakimovski, Rodman help WSU men edge past Stanford

PULLMAN — Junior forward Andrej Jakimovski scored a season-high 17 points and senior DJ Rodman added 15 as Washington State held off Stanford 60-59 on Saturday in a Pac-12 Conference game at Beasley Coliseum.

It’s the first time the Cougars have won a one-point game since Dec. 27, 2016 against Santa Clara.

“They’ve got a good team,” WSU coach Kyle Smith said. “They had a lot of winning plays to stay in that game. We took an incredible shot from them. We were able to find a way with Mo(uhamed Gueye) in foul trouble, no Bamba, and I thought our bench played awesome.”

Jakimovski, who missed the first 10 games with a foot injury, was 6-of-8 from the field and matched his career best with five 3-pointers in playing a season-high 31 minutes.

“I’m just trying to get healthy,” Jakimovski said. “I wasn’t able to practice. I was just getting ready for games. It’s been a hard process for me. I’m just trying to be patient, and I know the shots will come. I hit a couple of shots today, but I think I played better on defense. That’s the one thing I’m looking forward to is fixing it and shooting better.”

Rodman added four 3s. The 6-foot-6 forward out of Newport Beach, Calif., has stepped up his game of late. He’s scored in double figures in the past six games and is 20-for-36 (55.6%) from distance in the same span for Washington State (9-10, 4-4 Pac-12), which has won four of its past five games.

“Andre and Rodman really bailed us out,” Smith said. “But they were switching, fronting the post, and bringing a lot of help, bringing a double sometimes on Mo. We were patient. We’ve been really improving taking care of the ball. They’re coming together and playing smarter.”

The Cougars were without the team’s leading scorer, junior guard TJ Bamba, who was out with a hand injury. It didn’t matter, because Washington State now has won five straight in the series.

Rodman’s 3 gave the Cougars a 60-55 lead with 2:05 to play. The Cardinal’s Spencer Jones hit a jumper, and Maxime Raynaud’s layup capped the scoring with 22 seconds left.

Jakimovski missed a free throw on the next possession, but then Harrison Ingram missed a jumper, Raynaud a 3-point attempt and Brandon Angel a dunk for the Cardinal to end it.

“I’m from Houston, and I saw the airball and I saw Angel fly in there and it slows down so much and I thought, ‘I’m about to get Lorenzo Charles’d again,’” Smith said of the game-winning play in the 1983 national championship game. “I thought it was going to be the tip dunk, game over. Somehow it didn’t go in and we got a break.”

It was a play similar to one when Smith was coaching at Columbia in 2015 against Princeton, and the Tigers converted to pick up a victory.

Raynaud scored 16 points to lead Stanford (5-12, 0-7). Ingram and Jones each finished with 14 points.

Ingram made 6-of-10 with a pair of 3s for the Cardinal in the first half as they built a 34-31 lead at halftime. The Cougars opened the second half on a 9-5 surge, capped by a Jakimovski 3, for a 40-39 lead with 14:05 to play and led the rest of the way.

Washington State next plays at 6 p.m. Pacific on Thursday at Utah.

STANFORD (5-12, 0-7)

Angel 2-4 2-2 6, Ingram 6-13 0-0 14, S.Jones 5-11 2-2 14, Raynaud 6-9 2-6 16, O’Connell 1-5 0-0 2, M.Jones 2-7 0-0 5, Keefe 0-2 2-2 2, Gealer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-51 8-12 59.

WASHINGTON ST. (9-10, 4-4)

Gueye 3-5 1-2 7, Jakimovski 6-8 0-1 17, Rodman 5-8 1-1 15, Houinsou 2-6 2-3 6, Powell 1-6 0-0 2, Mullins 1-4 0-0 2, Darling 1-5 0-0 3, Rosario 1-3 2-2 4, Diongue 2-3 0-2 4. Totals 22-48 6-11 60.

Halftime: Stanford, 34-31. 3-Point Goals: Stanford 7-18 (S.Jones 2-3, Raynaud 2-4, Ingram 2-6, M.Jones 1-3, O’Connell 0-2), Washington St. 10-27 (Jakimovski 5-6, Rodman 4-7, Darling 1-5, Rosario 0-1, Houinsou 0-2, Mullins 0-3, Powell 0-3). Rebounds: Stanford 33 (Ingram 9), Washington St. 22 (Diongue 5). Assists: Stanford 10 (Ingram 6), Washington St. 13 (Houinsou 4). Total Fouls: Stanford 14, Washington St. 14. A: 3,590 (11,671).