SAN DIEGO (Hayden Wysup) – The Washington State men's basketball team defeated San Diego, 65-61, Thursday night at Jenny Craig Pavilion. 
 
Big Picture: The Cougars improve to 14-5 and 3-2 in WCC play. 
 
Player Performances: Nate Calmese finished with a season-high 27 points. After a quiet first half, Calmese erupted in the second half, scoring 22 points. Dane Erikstrup scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first double-double as a Coug and rebounding career-high against a D-I opponent. LeJuan Watts scored nine points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out a team-high five assists. 
 
Game of Runs: Wazzu came out on fire in the early going, capturing an 18-2 lead from tipoff. However, San Diego fought back and, after nine unanswered points to close out the first half, WSU trailed 27-25. Coming out of halftime, San Diego kept their foot on the gas, expanding the lead to as large as seven. Wazzu battled through poor shooting to put together an 8-0 run in the final two minutes and secure the Wazzu win. 

In Coach Riley's Words: "What Nate [Calmese] was able to do to get into the paint and find a way to make plays - it got some energy back into us and some life back into us. Nate's a competitor. He's been learning how to use that energy in the right ways and use that for winning. He was not going to let us lose tonight."
 
Next Up: Washington State will host Portland, Saturday at 3 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman with coverage on ESPN+.

###

WASHINGTON STATE POSTGAME NOTES

• With the result, the Cougars:
  • Improve to 14-5 this season and 3-2 in road games
  • Improve to 4-2 in WCC play and 2-1 in WCC road games
  • Improve to 1-2 when wearing crimson uniforms
  • Improve to 4-1 all-time against San Diego and 1-1 at the Toreros' campus
  • Improve to 2-3 when trailing at halftime
  • Improve to 2-3 when tallying under 15 assists
  • Improve to 2-2 when scoring under 70 points
  • Improve to 7-0 when holding their opponent under 70 points
  • Improve to 14-3 when shooting over 40% from the floor
  • Improve to 4-1 when making 20 or more free throws
• WSU was held to a season-low 25 first-half points
• Nate Calmese matched his season-high with 27 points, his sixth 20-point game and 9th-straight game in double figures
  • Calmese matched a season-high with three made 3-point field goals
• Dane Erikstrup tallied his first career Cougar double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds
  • Erikstrup's 10 rebounds marked a career-high against a D-I opponent
• LeJuan Watts delivered a team-high five assists, his eighth game with 5+ assists and fourth game in the last five
• ND Okafor finished with one block, his 16th game with at least one rejection