Washington State Gets Blown Out By Gonzaga, Loses 83-53 in WCC Rematch
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Washington State Cougars guard Ace Glass drives to the basket during a game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Credit: Bobby Sedeno [/caption]
In a game that was never truly competitive, the Washington State Cougars landed on the wrong side of an ugly blowout to the Gonzaga Bulldogs, losing 83-53 on the road.
Coming into the matchup, it was clear the underdog Cougars would need to play a complete 40 minutes to have a chance against the Bulldogs on the road. Instead, it turned into one of their worst performances of the season against the wrong opponent.
From the opening tip, Gonzaga controlled the tempo and exposed Washington State on both ends of the floor. Offensively, the Cougars struggled to find any rhythm. Their shooting was poor, and didn’t generate many high quality shots. Several early turnovers led directly to Gonzaga baskets, allowing the Bulldogs to build momentum quickly.
Defensively, the Cougars had no answers. They struggled with dribble penetration, often allowing Gonzaga’s guards to get into the paint with ease. When help defense did come, it was either late or ineffective, leading to open shots and easy finishes at the rim. The Bulldogs also pushed the ball in transition, capitalizing on Washington State’s missed shots and turnovers. The Cougars appeared a step slow in rotation and really struggled guarding Ike in the post and whatever coverage they were it in led to Gonzaga baskets.
After just 12 minutes of play, Gonzaga had already built a commanding 29-13 lead. The Bulldogs continued to pour it on, extending the margin to 48-21 by halftime. Washington State showed little resistance in the first half, and the game was effectively decided before the break. Any hopes of a second-half comeback quickly faded as Gonzaga stretched the lead to 74-35 with 7:34 remaining. The final score of 83-53 reflected the dominance Gonzaga displayed throughout the night.
One of the biggest keys heading into the game was limiting Graham Ike. The Cougars knew they had to do something to slow him down if they wanted a chance to compete.
Unfortunately, they were unable to contain him, however. Ike finished with 20 points on an efficient 8-of-9 shooting from the field, adding seven rebounds in just 23 minutes of action. He consistently found ways to score against Washington State’s defense.
With such a lopsided loss, it is difficult to point to many bright spots for the Cougars. However, Jerone Morton showed flashes of solid play. Morton scored 15 points while shooting 4-of-7 from the field and provide some solid plays in spurts. While it was far from enough to change the outcome, he has had two of his best games of the season against the Bulldogs.
A recurring theme for the Cougars this season has been inconsistency. When their offense shows up, the defense often does not, and vice versa. Against Gonzaga, they needed both units to perform at a high level for the entire game. Instead, they delivered one of their poorest overall efforts of the year.
Now, the focus shifts to finishing the season strong. Washington State has two home games remaining: they will host Pacific on February 18th and Saint Mary’s on February 21. If the Cougars hope to rebound from this disappointing loss, they will need to execute more consistently, and they are running out of time to figure out how to put 40 strong minutes together.
