Second Half Struggles Plague Cougars in Loss to Nevada
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Washington State Cougars sophomore Tomas Thrastarson drives to the basket for a layup against the Nevada Wolfpack. Credit: Washington State Men’s Basketball/Instagram [/caption]
PULLMAN, Wash. - Following a 78-64 loss to the Nevada Wolfpack, Washington State Cougars sophomore Tomas Thrastarson couldn’t help but voice his frustrations in the aftermath of a result that has become all too familiar early in the 2025-26 season.
After leading the team with 20 points, Thrastarson lamented the fact that the Cougars can’t seem to put a strong 40 minutes of play together, suffering from far too many lapses over the course of a game that continue to cost them chances at victory in winnable games.
“It’s been like that all season. We have shown that we can play against these teams, but we just have to do it for 40 minutes,” Thrastarson said. “We’re always playing good for five, then bad for three and they just beat us every time we have these bad minutes.”
These frustrations aired by Thrastarson did not flare up in the first half on Sunday. At the break, the Cougars had a 32-31 lead, despite struggling shooting the ball, as their defense stepped up holding Nevada to just 35% from the field in the first 20 minutes. However, what was a one-point lead at half, turned into a 14-point loss after the final buzzer.
Outscored by 15 points after halftime, Cougars coach David Riley shared the same angst as his star player, referencing several earlier losses in games Washington State had opportunities to win, only to make too many mistakes and endure lengthy lulls in performance at the wrong times.
“The reality is this is a game that we’re right in. If we go do what we were supposed to do like in the first half, I think we win this game. Like the Idaho game, we can look at as a game we should have won. Arizona State, we get some stops down the stretch and slow down Odom, we win that game. Bradley, if we don’t turn it over, we finish the right way. I mean now we’re sitting at four losses, I think should be flipped,” Riley said.
In a game where both teams battled issues putting the ball in the net in the first half, extra possessions and self-inflicted wounds became the difference again for the Cougs. Washington State turned the ball over 14 times to Nevada’s six, and the Wolfpack turned those 14 turnovers into 14 points. On the offensive glass, Nevada had 20 second chance points, proving to be the difference mounting a second half comeback.
Since the Cougars 90-85 win over Chaminade in the Maui Invitational, the turnover issue has reared its ugly head. Following that game, the Cougars have turned over the ball an average of 15.5 times per game while also being bottom in the WCC in assists at 12.2 per game, which obviously isn’t a formula for winning basketball.
“We’re not making the simple reads,” Riley bluntly said. “I think our assist numbers are pathetic.”
While Ace Glass has been a welcomed spark scoring the ball and averaging a team-high 17.3 points, the freshman has not found his footing as a playmaker getting teammates involved just yet. He finished the game with 10 points on 3 for 14 shooting and three turnovers before fouling out.
Coming out of half with a one-point lead, extra possessions became too much to contain a Nevada offense that started to find its rhythm. In the second half, the Wolf Pack shot 47% from the field and a red-hot 70% from three, while the Cougars 37% from the field and 36% from three, making it easy to see why a slim advantage turned into another devastating home loss.
After today's loss, the Cougars sit at 3-7 with a trip to Los Angeles to take on the 24th ranked Trojans up next and a tall task to get their season back on track before West Coast Conference play begins. But while Thrastarson reached a breaking point after the game, he remains confident Washington State can still right the ship and start stacking wins.
“We have a good team here, we just need to lock in.”
