PULLMAN, Wash. (Hayden Wysup) – Through the first two games of the season, slow starts had plagued the Cougars. In their two losses, the Cougs had been outscored 83-58 in the first half. Monday night in Beasley Coliseum it was an emphasis from Head Coach David Riley for Wazzu to get off to a good start against visiting St. Thomas.
"We did a good job of keeping momentum – that's something we haven't done a good job at all in the first couple of games – stringing together good possessions whether it's on offense or defense and especially that first half we made some good strides doing that," Riley said postgame.
The Cougars scored 50 first half points, the most they have tallied in any half this season. This hot start came from the hot hand of Tomas Thrastarson. The sophomore had 18 first half points with four made threes and finished with a career high of 19.
"He's starting to let the game come to him in the sense that he can take what the defense gives him," Riley said.
Along with Thrastarson, newcomer Adrià Rodriguez also had his best game of the season. Rodriguez had only attempted seven field goals through the first two games but delivered nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, along with five rebounds and four assists.
"Him being aggressive is perfect for us," Emmanuel Ugbo said postgame. "He's like the head of the snake on the defensive end and on the offensive end he's such a smart player. So, if he's aggressive, he can make reads going downhill, I feel like we have such a good offense."
After a barrage in the first half, St. Thomas find their footing in the second half. In part due to their guard duo of Nolan Minessale and Nick Janowski combining for 24 second-half points and 42 on the game. The Tommies outscored the Cougs 41-31 in the second half.
However, Washington State's frontcourt tandem of Ugbo and ND Okafor kept the offense afloat with 17 combined second-half points. Their presence in the front court also led to Washington State outrebounding St. Thomas, 36-19, and holding the Tommies to just one offensive rebound.
"There's not gonna be a lot of games you win if you're not winning on the glass, so that's something we know," Ugbo said. "That's something we work on every day in practice, so we know we have to come out and dominate the glass."
"We did a good job of keeping momentum – that's something we haven't done a good job at all in the first couple of games – stringing together good possessions whether it's on offense or defense and especially that first half we made some good strides doing that," Riley said postgame.
The Cougars scored 50 first half points, the most they have tallied in any half this season. This hot start came from the hot hand of Tomas Thrastarson. The sophomore had 18 first half points with four made threes and finished with a career high of 19.
"He's starting to let the game come to him in the sense that he can take what the defense gives him," Riley said.
Along with Thrastarson, newcomer Adrià Rodriguez also had his best game of the season. Rodriguez had only attempted seven field goals through the first two games but delivered nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, along with five rebounds and four assists.
"Him being aggressive is perfect for us," Emmanuel Ugbo said postgame. "He's like the head of the snake on the defensive end and on the offensive end he's such a smart player. So, if he's aggressive, he can make reads going downhill, I feel like we have such a good offense."
After a barrage in the first half, St. Thomas find their footing in the second half. In part due to their guard duo of Nolan Minessale and Nick Janowski combining for 24 second-half points and 42 on the game. The Tommies outscored the Cougs 41-31 in the second half.
However, Washington State's frontcourt tandem of Ugbo and ND Okafor kept the offense afloat with 17 combined second-half points. Their presence in the front court also led to Washington State outrebounding St. Thomas, 36-19, and holding the Tommies to just one offensive rebound.
"There's not gonna be a lot of games you win if you're not winning on the glass, so that's something we know," Ugbo said. "That's something we work on every day in practice, so we know we have to come out and dominate the glass."