Washington State MBB Fall To Santa Clara Despite LeJuan Watts' Triple-Double

Jan 11, 2025; Spokane, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars forward LeJuan Watts (4) 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

LeJuan Watts recorded 20 points, 11 rebounds, and ten assists on Thursday night to become just the second player in Washington State history to record a triple double. However, it was far from enough to get the Cougars a win over Santa Clara in a 93-65 result. The Cougars fall to 15-6 this year with a 5-3 record in West Coast Conference play.

Take a bow, LeJuan! An historic achievement as just the second player in program history with a triple-double.

✅ 20 pts
✅ 11 rbds
✅ 10 asts#GoCougs | #WheatfieldUnderdogs pic.twitter.com/fbvEzHDIUZ
— Washington State Men's Basketball (@WSUCougarsMBB) January 24, 2025

"I thought he had a good game of of playing with pace," Cougs head coach David Riley said postgame. "I thought he had some good stuff in the second half of the Portland game and was able to build on that. When he's playing with pace and getting downhill, he's a monster. He looks looks like Magic Johnson out there."

Unfortunately for the Cougars, they fell into old habits regarding turnovers, losing possession 17 times on the night. Santa Clara converted those turnovers into 28 points. The Broncos were also able to dominate in the paint on Thursday night, scoring 42 points in that area compared to just 28 by Washington State

"I think when you look at the game overall, the physicality was was clear that Santa Clara won that game. They [beat] us on the glass,"Riley said postgame. "We weren't able to hold on to the ball, they were getting up into us and that that wore us down, you know. I think we had some some good runs in the first half, we had some good runs in the second half, but we we weren't disciplined enough or tough enough."

Washington State will look to rebound on Saturday night against league leaders St. Mary's in Pullman at 5 PM PT on CBS Sports Network.

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