PULLMAN, Wash. – After trimming a double-figure deficit down to one in the second half, Washington State used the three-point line to pull away for an 87-70 decision Wednesday at Beasley Coliseum.
The Tigers (17-12, 8-8 WCC) were down 51-40 at the half when they came back to cut it to 59-58 after a three by senior
TJ Wainwright with 13:38 remaining. However, Washington State (12-16, 7-8 WCC) answered with a 10-0 spurt and never looked back down the stretch.
Pacific ran into a hot shooting Cougars squad that went 14-of-28 (.500) from three-point range; Washington State shot .567 from the field on the night. Conversely, the Tigers shot 8-of-21 (.381) from distance and .429 overall from the floor.
Pacific was led by senior
Elias Ralph who netted 16 points. Junior
Jaden Clayton recorded 14 points and four assists.
Four Tigers scored in double-figures. Wainwright tallied 11 points, five rebounds and four assists, while senior
Isaac Jack registered 10 points and five rebounds.
Washington State was guided by Rihards Vavers with 21 points and was 5-of-7 from long range.
A fast-paced first half began with the Tigers leading 15-10 after a jumper by junior
Kajus Kublickas. The Tigers led 28-26 with 6:57 left after a lay-in by senior
KC Ibekwe.
Tied 29-29, the Cougars caught fire in the final five minutes and took a 44-37 lead. Washington State scored three of the last four field goals of the half to take a 51-40 edge into the intermission.
Pacific struck early in the second half, and after five quick points from senior
Justin Rochelin the Cougars called timeout in a 55-50 game with 17:07 to go. The Tigers kept it going and trailed just 59-58 after a three by Wainwright with 13:38 remaining.
Though, the Cougars responded with a 10-0 run to push it back up to 69-58 with 10:24 left. Washington State upped it to 87-67 in the final two minutes.
Pacific will conclude the week with a 6 p.m. road game Saturday at No. 11 Gonzaga. The home finale is Saturday, Feb. 28 at 3 p.m. against San Francisco at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
NOTES
- The Tigers are now 2-1 all-time against Washington State after sweeping the season series last year.
- Ralph is up to 970 career points in two seasons at Pacific. He netted his 113th career double-figure scoring game, 53rd at Pacific and 25th this season.
- Clayton is up to 986 career points in four Division I seasons. It was his second straight double-digit scoring outing as he was coming off a 12-point performance against Saint Mary's. Clayton was 6-of-11 from the field and nailed a pair of threes.
- Wainwright submitted his 59th career double-figure scoring game and 23rd this season. He was 2-of-4 from three-point range and is now shooting .399 on the year.
- Jack notched his 21st career double-digit scoring outing and 14th this year. He was 3-of-5 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line.
- The Tigers have surpassed their overall win total by eight games and conference win total by four games from last season. It's the second year in a row under head coach
Dave Smart that the Tigers have increased their win total from the year prior.
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