Tough finish in NIT opener ends Washington State's season
Washington State did not have star forward Mouhamed Gueye for its NIT opener Tuesday night, due to a lingering hamstring issue, and it ended up being too much to overcome in the end.
The Cougars lost a heartbreaking game, 81-74, to Eastern Washington to close out their season, after what seemed to be a promising start for WSU turned into disaster.
After winning seven straight games to close the regular-season and start the Pac-12 tournament, the Cougars end with back-to-back losses to finish 17-17 overall.
WSU simply didn't have any solid defensive adjustments to stop Eagles guard/forward Steele Venters, the Big Sky Player of the Year, when it mattered most, including a costly mistake on a free throw, not boxing out the shooter.
This game was back and forth with 23 lead changes and 7 ties, with EWU (23-10) pulling away down the stretch.
Venters scored in the paint with 2:23 left to put the Eagles ahead 72-71, DJ Rodman swung the lead back to WSU with a 3-pointer, Angelo Allegri then tied it again for the visitors and Venters drained a go-ahead 3-pointer with 16 seconds left for a 77-74 lead.
Venters later missed the front end of a one-and-one from the line with 4 seconds left but grabbed his own rebound and hit both free throws to help the Eagles close out the win. He finished with a game-high 27 points.
Rodman gave it all he could for the Cougars with a team-high 23 points and 8 rebounds, and put the team on his back without Gueye, but losing the rebound battle on both sides of the ball without any size inside for the Cougars proved to be the downfall in this game.
The Cougars lost a game for one of the first times all season while shooting at least 40 percent from both behind the arc and from the field. WSU shot exactly 40 percent from the field along with shooting 46.7 percent from the perimeter while making 14 3s.
TJ Bamba and Jabe Mullins scored 15 points each in the loss
The season ends on an unfortunate note for the Cougars, losing a game in upsetting fashion at home to a team they beat by 26 at a “neutral” site game at the beginning of the season.
After some late-season momentum, the Cougars will finish exactly at .500 this year, a downgrade from their 22-15 season last year that included a semifinal NIT run.
WSU player of the game
DJ Rodman did a little bit of everything, whether it was his defensive efficiency, his work on the boards or hitting some clutch shots. He stepped up into a role he hasn’t needed to display and rose to the occasion.
Rodman dropped his season high in points, while hitting 10 of 11 free throws.
What’s next for WSU
The offseason with unfortunately more questions than answers. Gueye is a question mark, whether he will return for his junior season, declare for the draft and leave, or transfer out. The health is a question mark, it shouldn’t be, but with a down year for the Cougars in comparison to last season, mostly due to a non-healthy rotation for a majority of the season, can the Cougars stay healthy?
WSU will head into the offseason now, wondering what the future of the team will look like.
Stats
Andrej Jakimovski: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block
DJ Rodman: 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Jabe Mullins: 15 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal
TJ Bamba: 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Justin Powell: 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block
Adrame Diongue: 1 rebound, 1 steal
Jack Wilson: 1 turnover
Kymany Houinsou: 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block
Dylan Darling: 1 rebound