UC Santa Barbara beats Washington State 71-43

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Zalmico Harmon scored 17 points, Alan Williams had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and UC Santa Barbara beat Washington State 71-43 on Thursday night in the first round of the Great Alaska Shootout.

UCSB (2-2) built a 34-12 first-half lead after Washington State went 3 of 33 from the field and 0 for 14 from 3-point range. The Cougars (1-3) shot better in the second half but couldn't get closer than 38-19 on Devonte Lacy's 3-pointer with 16:49 left.

John Green had 11 points for the Gauchos.

Brett Boese scored a career-high 13 points and Josh Hawkinson had 13 rebounds for the Cougars.

Both teams struggled at the start, with the Gauchos opening the game 4 of 15 from the field and the Cougars 1 of 16. But the Gauchos turned around their offense first, going on a 7-0 run for a 20-7 lead and scoring the last nine points of the first half. Williams finished the first half with eight points and nine rebounds, and Harmon had 12 points at the break.

UCSB took a 49-21 lead with an 11-2 run early in the second. The Cougars shot 10 of 24 in the second half, but the Gauchos were 15 of 23 and extended their lead to 31.

''We played well on both ends tonight,'' UCSB coach Bob Williams said. ''They missed some open looks, but I thought we defended well and showed some killer instinct. That's a good sign this early in the year.''

Lacy, the Pac-12's top returning scorer, entered the game averaging 17 points and shot 1 of 8 from the field for three points.

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TIP-INS

Washington State: Hawkinson reached double figures in rebounding for the third straight game. ... Cougars starters Que Johnson and Ny Redding were benched in the first half for disciplinary reasons.

UC Santa Barbara: The Gauchos have two consecutive straight wins over Pac-12 opponents. They beat California 72-65 on Dec. 6, 2013. ... Eric Childress didn't score in 27 minutes, but he grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.

UP NEXT

Washington State: Plays Rice in the consolation semifinals on Friday.

UC Santa Barbara: Plays Mercer in the semifinals on Friday.