Dec. 4, 1999

Box Score

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP and staff sources) - Chris Crosby scored 22 points as Washington State edged Southern University 80-77 on Saturday.

Mike Bush scored a career high 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds for Washington State (3-2). It was the fifth straight game that Bush has led the Cougars in rebounding.

Crosby tied school and Friel Court records by hitting 11 of 11 attempts from the free throw line. He equalld the school record efforts of Dennis Kloke, who hit 11-11 versus Oregon in 1965 and Jim McKean, who hit 11-11 versus Oregon State in 1967. He tied Chris Welp of Washington, who was 11-11 versus the Cougars in 1986, for the Friel Court record. Crosby is now shooting 96.2 percent from the free throw line this season (25-26).

Southern (2-3) was led by Adarrial Smylie, who had 22 points, and Courtney Henderson, who had 16.

Jan-Michael Thomas added 12 for the Cougars and freshman Nick Graham had a career-high 13 points.

Crosby sank two free throws to give WSU a 78-70 lead with 1:10 left in the game. After a flurry of free throws, Jackie Mitchell hit a 3-pointer that lifted Southern to within 80-77 with 5.5 seconds left.

The Jaguars' Tye Hammond missed a chance to tie the game when his 3-pointer at the buzzer rattled out.

Washington State was held without a field goal for more than nine minutes in the first half, as Southern led by up to 13 points. But WSU scored the final eight points of the half to narrow Southern's lead to 35-33.

The win was WSU's 44th consecutive versus non-conference opponents at Friel Court, which id the second-longest such streak in the nation.

The Cougars host Portland Tuesday night at 7 p.m.