San Francisco travelled to Pullman, Washington to take on the Washington State Cougars. Both teams entered the game atop the WCC standings, and needed a win to stay up there. Both teams were coming off big winning streaks, and were hot. The Dons won 9 of their last 10 entering the game, while the Cougars entered winning 10 of their last 12.
The big matchup that fans were waiting on was Nate Calmese vs Malik Thomas. Thomas had been the best player in the WCC entering the game, averaging 25 points per game in conference play, leading the conference by far. Calmese is another elite guard in the WCC, averaging 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game in conference play. His consistency has been unmatched this season, having just two games under 10 points all year.
The Cougars got off to a quick 11-0 start, erupting the crowd, and bringing hopes high. However, hope was lost almost instantly, after the Dons went on a huge run back to tie up the game at 14. The entire first half was back and forth, with neither team able to sneak away from the other.
At the half, USF led WSU 49-48, led by an outstanding half by Thomas, who had 27 at the half.
Going into the second, things stayed even. Through the first 12 minutes of the half, it was still tied at 66. This is where things started to switch up. The Cougars went on a quick 11-0 run to push away from USF. They ended up keeping a similar lead the rest of the game, and found a way to win.
The final score was 91-82, Cougars.
A bunch of Washington State players contributed to the victory, highlighted by five players. First in scoring, Lejuan Watts went for 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists. Second was Ethan Price, who put up 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. Third was Dane Erikstrup, who finished with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Fourth was Nate Calmese, with 16 points and 3 rebounds. Finally, Tomas Thrastarson got 10 points and 5 rebounds to complement.
USF was led by none other than Malik Thomas, who continued to prove his case as the best player in the conference. He finished with 34 points in just 30 minutes, due to fouling out late in the game. When he was out of the game, it seemed like USF was lost.
Outside of Thomas, Barry Wang, Robby Beasley, Carlton Linguard Jr., and Tyrone Riley IV combined for 40.
The biggest story of the game was the referee faults. USF finished the game with 23 free throws, while Washington State had 41. Although it definitely affects momentum, especially considering the Cougars were at home, the Dons needed to rely on the rest of the team to make plays despite the officiating. Yes, we need new officiating, but no it wasn’t the reason the Dons lost.
Both teams continue WCC conference play next week, hoping to continue to stay near the top of the standings.