PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) - Washington State survived its second straight nonconference scare as Charles Callison scored 16 and the Cougars beat Sacramento State, 74-66, on Wednesday night.
Just four days after rallying for a 68-67 win over Santa Clara, Washington State (7-5) had to grind out a win over a pesky Hornets squad. The Cougars led 47-33 at one point in the second half before Sacramento State (3-8) rallied to take a 60-58 lead with 3:28 to go.
WSU had needed a 14-2 run to get past Santa Clara, and the Cougars scored 10 of the last 13 points on Wednesday. Malachi Flynn knotted the game at 60 with a baseline jumper, and Robert Franks gave the Cougars some breathing room with his layup and free throw with 2:11 to go.
The Cougars were clinging to a 66-63 lead when Callison provided a big layup to pad the lead, and then sank four more free throws to seal it - WSU's first back-to-back wins over Division I opponents this season.