Cougars power past Huskies

Washington State 87, Washington 80

Date: January 30, 2011

Venue: Friel Court

City: Pullman, WA

Attendance: 10,579

Washington State took control early and led throughout. In the latest grudge match, the Cougars forced Washington into numerous turnovers with a pesky 2-3 zone. Washington’s two dynamos, Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Isaiah Thomas, were a combined 4-for-21 from the field. Washington State’s Klay Thompson led everyone with 25 points despite foul trouble. Reggie Moore backed him with 18 points. The win was crucial for Washington State, moving it to 15-6 overall and 5-4 in the conference. It was a blow for Washington, dropping the Huskies to 15-5, 7-2. Washington fell into a tie for first place in the Pac-10 with Arizona at the midway point of conference play.

Star Of The Game
Reggie Moore Washington State’s point guard had a disappointing sophomore year prior to the game against Washington. Moore had off-court problems and little on-court success. His 18 points, five assists and three rebounds against just two turnovers were key.

Play of the game
Washington State guard Faisal Aden hit a 3-pointer to push the Cougars’ lead to 83-74 with 2:16 remaining.

Highlights

• Washington State’s Reggie Moore threw down an alley-oop dunk, forcing a Washington timeout in the first half.

Lowlights

• Washington shot 11-for-31 from behind the 3-point line.
• The Cougars were 19-for-30 from the free throw line, 63.3 percent.
• Washington committed a season-high 24 turnovers.

Notable

• Aziz N’Diaye Was in foul trouble early and played just nine minutes. Had five rebounds and two blocks in that time, but also committed four fouls.
• Terrence Ross Scored 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting. Added two rebounds.
• Darnell Gant Scored nine points and collected seven rebounds to go with three assists in one of his better games of the year.
• Venoy Overton Was in foul trouble throughout and played just eight minutes. Committed three turnovers and four fouls in those minutes.
• Scott Suggs Finished with 12 points, but was just 2-for-8 from behind the 3-point line and turned the ball over five times.
• Justin Holiday Was 4-for-12 from the field and 2-for-7 from behind the 3-point line. Also committed four turnovers to go with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
• Matthew Bryan-Amaning Was just 1-for-8 from the field but had 11 rebounds.
• Isaiah Thomas Started 0-for-9 before hitting his first shot. Finished with a team-high 19 points, 11 of which came from free throws. Also committed seven turnovers against five assists.

Said

• “This is probably the biggest win since I’ve been here.” — Ken Bone, Washington State head coach, who has been in charge for a year and a half
• “I’ll take this game. I blame this game on me.” Isaiah Thomas, Washington guard
• “No question.” — Lorenzo Romar, Washington coach, on whether or not Washington State should be in the NCAA Tournament
• “For them to storm the floor, though, I’ll remember that when they come over there.” — Isaiah Thomas, Washington point guard, on the Washington State fans

Injuries

• C.J. Wilcox Missed the game against Washington State after receiving a concussion from running into a screen on Monday in practice.

Numbers

• 14. Washington’s rebounding advantage, though it did little good.
• 2. More 3-point attempts (31) than free throw attempts (29) for Washington.
• 1:2. Assist-to-turnover ratio for Washington against Washington State.
• 9. Fouls combined for Aziz N’Diaye and Venoy Overton in just 17 minutes of play for the two.