Zags too much for Cougs at jam-packed Coliseum

PULLMAN — By the time the final buzzer rang through the air of Beasley Coliseum’s most-packed game in 15 years, the sound waves met more empty seats than they would have two hours prior as a good share of Cougar fans had already hit the exit.

However, a solid contingent of Gonzaga supporters who filled the section immediately behind the Bulldog bench and littered the upper deck serenaded the victorious visitors with cheers following Gonzaga’s 84-63 win over Washington State on Wednesday in Pullman.

It was WSU’s first announced sellout since a 63-58 loss to then-No. 5 Kansas State on Dec. 3, 2010, and the first meeting of the Zags and Cougs in Pullman since Dec. 2, 2015, when Gonzaga coach Mark Few’s Zags beat former coach Ernie Kent’s Cougars 69-60. The final attendance number was reported as 10,219, more than 1,000 shy of absolute capacity at the arena and 161 less than the crowd for Klay Thompson's jersey retirement on Jan. 18, 2020.

Entering this season, Gonzaga had not played WSU since that 2015 meeting, but will now see the Cougs for one more year as West Coast Conference foes and starting in 2026 as Pac-12 rivals.

Gonzaga beat WSU 88-75 on Jan. 11 in Spokane.

Nolan Hickman sank four 3-pointers on his way to 23 points and Graham Ike delivered a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds for Gonzaga.

Michael Ajayi (12 points) and Braden Huff (11 points) rounded out the Zags’ double-figure scoring.

WSU forward LeJuan Watts led the Cougars with 19 points and five assists on a 7-for-13 shooting mark from the field.

Sophomore Isaiah Watts (no relation) and freshman Tomas Thrastarson added 12 points apiece.

Cougs start fast, can’t keep up

WSU coach David Riley said it felt like his team was running off of adrenaline from the crowd at the tipoff.

“I thought our guys looked dead tired a minute and a half into the game,” Riley said. “We stopped posting, we stopped doing a few things. And I think there was some adrenaline that wore off, and we gotta learn from that.

“But man (the crowd) was awesome. I thought our guys fed off it.”

Isaiah Watts, a beloved fan favorite from WSU’s NCAA Tournament team last season, tested the integrity of the Beasley roof with a 3-pointer that drew raucous reactions 66 seconds into the game.

Nineteen seconds later, LeJuan Watts burst down the court after a Gonzaga miss and delivered a dunk, falling into the courtside fans’ laps as Beasley exploded.

He connected on a 3-pointer about two minutes later which gave WSU an 8-2 lead.

Then Gonzaga proceeded to hit about half of its shots and forged a 22-point lead by halftime.

Thrastarson, WSU’s Icelandic freshman, boosted the Cougs with nine second-half points off the bench.

Lapwai alumn Kase Wynott sank a 3-pointer with 8:33 left in the game to shrink the deficit to 16, but it was too little, too late and Gonzaga had very little trouble closing out the game on a 15-10 run to win by 21.

“I think the crowd was great tonight, they gave us some energy to start,” Isaiah Watts said. “We just have to keep the momentum rolling.”

While the Watts delivered, WSU’s older starters struggled.

Senior Dane Erikstrup accumulated four personal fouls and senior Ethan Price and junior Nate Calmese received three. The three players combined for just 15 points and a 6-for-29 shooting mark.

Hickman headlines Zag contributors

Gonzaga fell behind 8-2 about four minutes into the game before rattling off a 9-0 run behind jumpers from Hickman and Ike and a personal 5-0 run from Ben Gregg.

Huff turned in a personal 9-2 run over the next two minutes as Gonzaga hit up the post for points.

Then it was a pair of Dusty Stromer 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions and a string of baskets from Hickman which extended the lead to 12 with 5:40 left in the first half.

The Zags’ defense forced WSU into long offensive possessions, shutting down first option and rejecting any subsequent advances.

The Cougs shot just 33% in the first half and 40% overall after a 50% second-half showing.

The Zags shot 51% overall, maintaining a near-identical accuracy throughout the contest and receiving 30 points from the bench, spearheaded by Huff’s 11 points and Ajayi’s 12 points.

“Loved our numbers tonight,” Few said. “It was a big defensive night.”

Wazzu’s first sellout since 2010

Based on the Pullman traffic, a Gonzaga-WSU game on the Palouse was what the area was desperately missing.

As traffic throughout Pullman hit a standstill and parking lots overflowed an hour out from tip-off, it was clear that the 34,000-strong city of Pullman was not built to handle sellouts.

However, the energy inside Beasley justified any inconveniences suffered during the trek.

The WSU student section got creative — and even a little mean — with their jeers and signs, some of which mocked Few for a DUI he committed in 2021.

Most fans stood throughout the entire game.

“I’m grateful to be a part of this,” Riley said of the tradition of WSU basketball. “It’s something that’s been built throughout a long, a long time, a lot of tradition here in Washington State.

“It’s really, really awesome to see the passion of the crowd and Beasley, and it’s just disappointing for us to come in and let these guys down and not be able to go compete and win this game.”

Up next

WSU started the season 13-3 but has suffered down the stretch, losing seven of its last eight and falling to 6-9 in WCC play.

Conversely, Gonzaga has won seven of its last eight after a 14-6 start. The Zags’ lone loss in the past month came to Saint Mary’s, the top team in the conference.

The Zags will have a chance to avenge that 62-58 road defeat from Feb. 1 when they host the Gaels at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Kennel in Spokane.

WSU also has the opportunity for a get-back win when it hosts Santa Clara at 3 p.m. at Beasley.

The Broncos beat WSU 93-65 on Jan. 23.

While the Cougs are certainly not happy to have lost the majority of their games over the last month, Isaiah Watts said it’s just a part of life and that he and his teammates are focused on the process.

At 16-12, WSU’s lone shot at returning to the NCAA tournament is to win the WCC tournament in Las Vegas.

“We’re not down at all, we have another day of practice,” Isaiah Watts said. “We don’t hang our heads for nothing because it moves too fast.”

GONZAGA (21-7)

Gregg 1-3 3-3 5, Ike 5-9 7-7 17, Battle 1-6 0-0 2, Hickman 8-14 3-3 23, Nembhard 3-7 0-0 7, Ajayi 4-6 4-4 12, Innocenti 0-1 0-0 0, Huff 5-7 1-1 11, Stromer 2-3 1-2 7. Totals 29-56 19-20 84.

WASHINGTON ST. (16-12)

Erikstrup 3-11 2-2 8, Price 1-5 0-0 2, L.Watts 7-13 2-3 19, Calmese 2-13 0-0 5, I.Watts 5-10 0-0 12, Thrastarson 4-4 2-3 12, Okafor 1-2 0-0 2, Wynott 1-1 0-0 3, Gerrits 0-0 0-0 0, Vavers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-59 6-8 63.

Halftime — Gonzaga 50-28. 3-Point Goals — Gonzaga 7-15 (Hickman 4-5, Stromer 2-3, Nembhard 1-1, Ajayi 0-1, Gregg 0-2, Battle 0-3), Washington St. 9-25 (L.Watts 3-4, Thrastarson 2-2, I.Watts 2-5, Wynott 1-1, Calmese 1-7, Erikstrup 0-3, Price 0-3). Rebounds — Gonzaga 31 (Ike 13), Washington St. 22 (Price 4). Assists — Gonzaga 19 (Hickman 5), Washington St. 12 (L.Watts 5). Total Fouls — Gonzaga 14, Washington St. 17. A — 10,219 (11,671).

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.