PULLMAN, Wash. (Hayden Wysup) – The Washington State men's basketball team defeated Northern Colorado, 83-69, Monday night, at Beasley Coliseum.  
 
Big Picture: Washington State improved to 4-1 and remained undefeated at home. 
 
Player Performances: Cedric Coward led the game in scoring with a WSU career-high 30 points on an efficient 12-of-18 shooting from the field. Dane Erikstrup had 14 points, LeJuan Watts added 11 points with eight rebounds, and Isaiah Watts had 12 points with four three pointers off the bench. 
 
Between the Lines: Washington State dominated on both sides of the floor, holding the Bears to just 37% shooting from the field and 27% from beyond the arc, while shooting 56% from the field and 32% from 3-point range themselves. 
 
Turning Point: Nearing the mid-way point of the second half, the Cougars caught fire to retake the lead. A 19-7 run, fueled by 10 points from Coward, gave Wazzu a 70-60 lead they would hold until the final buzzer. 
 
Bouncing Back: Coming into tonight's contest, Coward and Isaiah were held to single-digit scoring in their last two games, but bounced back tonight, scoring a combined 42 points. 
 
Coach Riley's Comments: "I thought it was a good college basketball game. Northern Colorado has been playing great this year, and I thought our defense stepped up today and gave them some problems," Riley said. "It's fun to get back home and back on a winning streak." 

###
 
WASHINGTON STATE POSTGAME NOTES

• With the result, the Cougars:
  • Improve to 4-1 this season
  • Improve to 4-0 at home
  • Improve to 2-0 all-time against Northern Colorado
  • Improve to 4-1 when leading at halftime
  • Improve to 4-0 when delivering 15+ assists
  • Improve to 3-0 when shooting over 50% from the floor
• WSU finished with a .714 two-point field goal percentage, the highest since shooting 74.3% from 2-point range against Saint Mary's, Nov. 24, 2017
• Coach David Riley moved to 6-2 all-time as a head coach against the Bears
• WSU had the same starters for the fifth-straight game (Calmese, Coward, Erikstrup, Price, L. Watts)
• Cedric Coward set a WSU career-high and matched his D-I career-high with 30 points
  • Coward has scored 30 points twice, both times against Northern Colorado (once at EWU)
  • Coward became the first Coug with 30+ since Myles Rice scored 35 at Stanford, Jan. 18, 2024
  • Cedric finished with 12 made field goals, marking the second-straight game a Coug has made 10+ field goals
• LeJuan Watts finished with 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds
  • Watts has scored double-digits every game this season
• Isaiah Watts finished with 12 points, including four made 3-pointers, matching a season-high
• Dane Erikstrup blocked a career-high five shots, matching his career-high at Eastern Washington
  • Erikstrup finished with 14 points and has scored 10+ points in four of his first five games as a Coug
  • Erikstrup is the second individual this season with 5+ blocks in a single game
• Ethan Price matched a WSU career-high with eight rebounds
• Kase Wynott made his home debut after his first appearance on the road last Friday
  • Wynott finished with a season-high two rebounds and his first career steal
• Parker Gerrits tallied his first-career assist