Washington State MBB Cruises To 92-70 Win Over Portland

Jan 11, 2025; Spokane, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars guard Nate Calmese (8) controls the ball against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

The Washington State men's basketball team eventually found their footing on Saturday night in Pullman. The Cougars took the lead late in the first half, overcoming seven three-pointers by the Pilots, including four from Pilots' guard Chris Austin. WSU hung on to the lead after the 4:59 mark in that first half for a 92-70 win.

Nate Calmese again led the Cougars in scoring with 23 points. Five different Cougars reached double figures, including 12 off the bench by ND Okafor, which tied a season high. Calmese also posted eight assists, a career high for the Washington transfer.

Cougs get a two-fer-one trip as Price knocks down the three and Nate snags the inbound.#GoCougs | 📺ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/SnR3sz5gS8
— Washington State Men's Basketball (@WSUCougarsMBB) January 19, 2025

After averaging 17 turnovers over the last three games, WSU were able to cut it down to ten this game. Meanwhile, the Cougars were able to force Portland into 17 turnovers and score 25 points off of those takeaways.

More than half of WSU's scoring came from close range on Saturday. The Cougars scored a whopping 48 points in the paint, compared to just

WSU improve to 15-5 on the year with a conference record of 5-2.

The Cougars return to action on Thursday, January 23 at Santa Clara on CBS Sports Network. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 PM ET.

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