The Pacific Tigers travelled North to take on the Washington State Cougars in a conference battle. Entering the game, Washington State was heavy favorites, coming off a massive blowout win over the USF Dons.
The Cougars entered the game 3-0 in conference play, as well as 3-0 against the spread, and each game looking more and more like a top contender. With a Saturday night game against Gonzaga in Spokane, a quick battle against Pacific seemed to be a quick opener to a Saturday night thriller.
Pacific was in a very different situation. Not only had they not won in conference play, but they haven’t won a conference game in almost two calendar years, riding on a 20 game losing streak. Their dynamic duo, Elias Ralph and Elijah Fisher did everything for the Tigers, both averaging north of 16 points and 5 rebounds per game.
Somehow, some way, the entire game Pacific looked like the better team. They took the lead early, held it on for an entire half. Leading by 10 at the half, the lead got brought down to just 1, but they regained it. Washington State went on a run late to force overtime, and with just 2.6 seconds left, the Cougars led by 2…
The star of the game was Lamar Washington, a Tiger averaging just 12 points per game. Out of nowhere, Washington put up a career high 37 points!
On the last play of the game, they left Washington open for a three, and of course he hit the game winner, smashing the Cougars’ hopes at a March Madness bid and ending the 20 game losing streak in conference play!
Outside of the stellar play from Washington, Petar Krivokapic had a great 18 point, 4 rebound night to help Washington. Elijah Fisher went for 10 points, and Jefferson Koulibaly added 11.
For Washington State, Ethan Price had a huge 28 and 8, but it didn’t matter in the loss. Outside of him, LeJuan Watts, Nate Calmese, Dane Erikstrup, and Tomas Thrastarson were all in double digits.
In a huge win, Pacific is starting to get hot. The host Oregon State on Saturday, with the ability to get another upset over a newly WCC opponent. If so, the Tigers can really add to an already somewhat successful season, and could play as a spoiler throughout the season.
For the Cougars, a tough loss puts them in a tough position to make the March Madness. With some tough losses, it seems like the Cougars really need to win their big games, and stay close to undefeated if they want a chance to make the tournament. At this point, the conference tournament is very important for Wazzu, and they need to be near perfect to get a good spot in the conference tournament.