PULLMAN, Wash. - For the second-straight contest the Washington State men's basketball team (8-4) came up with a season-best in scoring as the Cougars ran past Incarnate Word (3-9), 87-59, Saturday evening at Beasley Coliseum. The Cougs used a balanced attack to win their fifth-straight contest as five different scorers went for double-figures led by a
Isaac Bonton's 19.
The Cougs' top scorer,
CJ Elleby chipped in 13 while Aljaz Kunc added 13,
Jeff Pollard tallied 11, and
Tony Miller finished with 10. Pollard and Miller did their damage on just 13 shots going a combined 10-of-13 from the floor as the Cougs finished 34-of-69 (49.3%) from the field as a team.
Breaking the game open for the first time, the Cougs turned a two-point game into a commanding 16-point advantage in a matter of minutes thanks to a 21-7 run late in the opening half. After seeing their fast star cooled and the Cardinals climb back into the game at 18-16, it was Bonton who put the Cougs on his back as the junior-transfer found his offense stroke, scoring 12 of his 19 in just five minutes time. With Bonton leading the charge the Cougars pushed the lead to 39-23 with a little over four minutes to play in the half. The Cougs run was bolstered by their defense as they shut down the Cardinals' attack from deep, allowing UIW to his only one of their final seven from behind the arc after beginning the game a perfect 3-for-3.
Bonton would put the finishing touches on a masterful half with a final layup in the final seconds of the half to push his total to 14 points in 12 minutes of play in the opening half as the Cougs took the lead into the break for the 11th time in 12 games on the year.
The second half was much the same for the Cougs as the Cardinals opened the half scoring at a 50% clip from the field keeping the game from getting completely out of control in WSU's favor. However, trading baskets would not be enough for UIW as the Cougars maintained their halftime advantage using a balanced inside, outside, attack. The final dam would burst at almost the exact same point as the first half when WSU mounted a 10-0 run in just two and half minutes time to push the lead to 27. During the rally five different Cougs came up with points, getting to the basket at will to do the bulk of their damage.
In all, WSU dominated the game in the paint outscoring the Cardinals 46-28 while outrebounding their opponents 53-27 including grabbing 20 offensive rebounds that led to 20 second-chance points. The rebounding was led by Bonton on the perimeter as the guard nabbed a career-best 12 boards to tally his first double-double in a Cougars uniform.
WSU is back in action Dec. 29 when the Cougs host Arkansas Pine-Bluff in the final non-conference game of the year. The contest is scheduled for 5 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network and is part of a double-header with the Cougars' women's team.
