Washington
Road Report: Bears fall to Washington State in non-conference matchup – Springfield Daily Citizen
Missouri State’s final road game of the non-conference schedule saw a bad finish to the first half snowball into a lopsided defeat on Saturday.
Washington State turned a close game into a 91-78 victory at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Washington. The Cougars (9-2) shot 62.7 percent overall and 76 percent in the second half to send the Bears (5-5) back to Springfield with their second straight defeat.
The taller Cougars placed five players in double figures, led by Dane Erikstrup and Isaiah Watts with 20 points apiece. The duo combined to make 12-of-17 field-goal attempts. Dez White scored 16 for the Bears but battled foul trouble. A dozen of his points came in the final seven minutes, with the game decided.
Turning point before the half
The game took a turn just before halftime. Washington State used a 9-2 run over the final three minutes to lead 34-27 going to the break. The Cougars scored four points in the final two seconds to take momentum to the locker room. After a driving bucket by Erikstrup, the Bears were careless with the in-bounds pass, and Nate Calmese fired in an off-balance 18-footer.
That final play was symbolic of the first half as the Cougars scored 14 points off nine Missouri State turnovers.
Bears cannot defend hot Cougars
After making only 2-of-11 3-point attempts in the first half, the Bears had four in the first four minutes of the second half. But they still couldn’t keep up as Washington State matched those four and made eight of its first 10 shots from the field to roll to a 14-point lead.
Missouri State was unable to recover, trailing by as much as 19.
Jalen Hampton had a double-double for the Bears with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
What Cuonzo Martin had to say
Afterward on the Missouri State radio network, coach Cuonzo Martin said the Bears have to continue to take more pride on the defensive end.
“You have to take individual pride. You can’t let teams come down and get in a flow, a rhythm and confidence,” Martin said. “Really just the one-on-one defense. If he’s a shooter, take away his shot. Easier said than done, but you have to apply it.
“We can’t afford to trade baskets. Our margin for error is slim, especially with a team like (Washington State). It takes time and it’s not easy. We’ll continue to rep it out in practice and we’ll continue to get better at it.”
Two coming up at home
The Bears return to Great Southern Bank Arena for two games prior to Christmas, the first at 7 p.m. Dec. 18 against Division II Lincoln University. Missouri State plays host to UC-Santa Barbara at 1 p.m. Dec. 22.
