Washington State Blows Another Halftime Lead in Embarrassing 67-66 Loss to LMU
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="5304"]
Washington State Cougars guard Ace Glass looks to drive the ball in a game against the LMU Lions. Credit: Washington State Athletics [/caption]
Continuing to excel at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, the Washington State Cougars suffered yet another brutal loss on Wednesday night, falling 67-66 to Loyola Marymount after blowing a 15-point halftime lead. It was a loss that felt all too familiar for a team that has struggled to put together a full 40-minute game this season.
Washington State looked to be in complete control early. The Cougars stormed into halftime with a commanding 39-24 advantage, getting whatever they wanted on offense for the most part and forcing LMU to take contested two-point jump shots away from the basket.
But as has been the case too frequently this season, the second half was a different game for all of the worst reasons as a double-digit lead evaporated and the Lions came roaring back to steal the win. Wednesday night adds to a growing list of games in which Washington State has surrendered sizable second-half leads, as the Cougars have now lost games while being up 12,17, and 15 points in the final 20 minutes this year.
LMU went the entire first half without making a three, going 0-10 behind the arc as they fell behind double digits quickly. But in the second half, the three-point shooting evened out with the Lions connecting on five out of nine attempts from downtown. Washington State, who shot the ball very well from three in the first half (7‑for‑13), cooled off significantly in the second half, going just 2‑for‑7.
As a team, Washington State’s inability to protect the basketball also plagued them down the stretch, as 17 turnovers allowed LMU to outscore the opposition 22-2 in points off takeaways.
As a bright spot in defeat, freshman guard Ace Glass continued his impressive campaign with 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting. He has a chance to win Freshman of the Year in the WCC, which would be a positive in a season that hasn’t gone as planned for coach David Riley’s squad.
Also finishing in double figures for the Cougars, Eemeli Yalaho and Rihards Vavers each contributed 12 points. Both players played key roles in building the first half lead, spacing the floor and knocking down timely shots.
Unfortunately, consistency has been a huge issue for Washington State this season. They will put everything together for the first half of games and struggle the second half. Or the Cougars will play well offensively and the defense will struggle or vise versa. That formula didn’t change on Wednesday, and the struggles offensively in the final 20 minutes lead to arguably the worst loss of the season.
With a win, Washington State would have had a chance for the No. 4 seed in the West Coast Conference Tournament. Instead, the Cougars now sit tied for sixth in the standings with one game remaining and trail the fifth seed by one game. The Cougars have one more regular season game to try to right the ship before the conference tournament against a very beatable Pepperdine team on Saturday.
