PULLMAN, Wash. (Hayden Wysup) – Washington State defeated Pepperdine, 87-86, Saturday afternoon at Beasley Coliseum.
Big Picture: The Cougars improve to 16-10 and 6-7 in conference play, snapping a five-game losing streak.
Player Performances: All five Cougar starters scored in double figures, led by
Nate Calmese with 16 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Isaiah Watts added 15 points with four 3-pointers made, including the game-timing triple with 28 seconds left.
Dane Erikstrup had 15 points with eight rebounds and
Ethan Price added 12 points and five rebounds.
LeJuan Watts added 14 points, team-high six assists, and four rebounds. LeJuan's final field goal gave WSU the lead with seven seconds left.
Turning Point: Trailing 85-80 with 1:19 left, the Cougars put together a 9-1 run, including
Isaiah Watts' game-tying three and a
LeJuan Watts game-winning layup to closeout the game.
Inside the Box Score: Despite Pepperdine leading for over 36 minutes, the Cougars pulled away at the end for a comeback victory, shooting 50% from the floor and outrebounding their opponent for the first time in six games.
Coach Riley's Comments: "I'm just really happy we walked away with a win. Our guys did a really good job those last six to seven minutes coming together and playing tough. That togetherness is what we need for the rest of the season."
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WASHINGTON STATE POSTGAME NOTES
- With the result, the Cougars:
- Improve to 16-10 this season and 9-2 in home games
- Improve to 6-7 in WCC play and 4-2 in conference home games
- Improve to 5-3 all-time against Pepperdine and 3-1 against the Waves in Pullman
- WSU has won four of the last five against Pepperdine
- Improve to 11-3 when wearing white uniforms
- Improve to 3-6 when trailing at halftime
- Improve to 2-9 when trailing with five minutes remaining
- Improve to 11-1 when scoring at least 80 points
- Improve to 4-6 when allowing at least 80 points
- Improve to 11-3 when shooting 50%+
- Improve to 3-6 when tallying under 15 assists
- Attempted a season-high 68 field goals
- Committed a season-low 11 fouls
- Dane Erikstrup finished with 15 points, his 20th game in double figures and 42nd in his D-I career
- Erikstrup tallied a game-high five steals, tied for his career-high and WSU's individual season high
- Erikstrup led the Cougars in rebounding with eight rebounds, his third time leading WSU on the glass
- Nate Calmese scored 16 points for his 22nd double-digit game as a Coug, 51st career game with 10+ points
- Calmese led WSU in scoring for the 13th time
- LeJuan Watts added 14 points for his 20th double-digit game this season, 34th of his career
- Watts added a team-high six assists, his 10th time leading the Cougs in assists
- Ethan Price scored 12 points for his 17th double-figure game at WSU and 75th career game in double digits
- Price set a season-high with three blocks, his fifth game with multiple rejections
- Isaiah Watts finished with 15 points for his ninth double-figure game
- ND Okafor recorded at least one blocked shot for the 18th time
- Tomas Thrastarson matched a career high with six rebounds
- Parker Gerrits recorded one blocked shot, the second of his career
- Pepperdine scored 22 points off of WSU's 12 turnovers, converting all but one into points
- At least four Cougars scored 10+ point for the 14th time this season
- WSU used the starting lineup for the fourth-straight game and 10th time this season
