Washington State MBB Drop Third Straight in 70-68 Loss At Pacific

Jan 11, 2025; Spokane, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars forward Ethan Price (3) controls the ball against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images
Jan 11, 2025; Spokane, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars forward Ethan Price (3) controls the ball against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images / James Snook-Imagn Images

Thursday's night's battle with the Pacific Tigers was another tough pill to swallow for the Washington State Cougars. WSU lost their third straight contest 70-68, marking their longest losing streak of the season.

The loss also means Pacific sweep the season series with WSU after beating them in Pullman on January 9. The Tigers' win was also their first at home against a league opponent for the first time since 2023.

It was once again a close battle throughout, with neither team building a lead larger than seven points. In the final minute, the two sides traded threes to make it 68-68. Pacific's Jazz Gardner put the Tigers up two with five seconds left. After a timeout, Nate Calmese then attempted to tie the game by driving to the basket, but his attempt at a layup was deflected out of bounds by several Tigers that swarmed him in the paint. With less than a second remaining, the Cougs were unable to get another shot attempt up in time.

Dane Erikstrup led the Cougars in scoring with 17 points, also adding four assists and four steals. Calmese also added 13 points with two assists. As a unit, WSU made 51.1% of their field goal attempts, but once again struggled with turnovers, losing possession 15 times.

Isaiah Watts also returned to action for WSU in the loss, scoring eight points with two steals, an assist, and a block. Watts had been out of action for the last ten games with an injury.

WSU will need to move on quickly from the disappointing performance, facing the San Francisco Dons on Saturday evening on ESPN+. The Cougs fall to 15-8 on the season with a 5-5 record in WCC play.


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Joe Londergan
JOE LONDERGAN

Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.