Washington State Cougars On SI

Washington State Notches Second Win of Season over Bradley, 91-74

The Cougars showed off their high-octane offense for a second win in a row.

Keenan Womack

Feb 16, 2023; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars mascot Butch performs before a men s basketball game against the Oregon State Beavers at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images
Feb 16, 2023; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars mascot Butch performs before a men s basketball game against the Oregon State Beavers at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images / James Snook-Imagn Images

Tonight, the Washington State Cougars, despite an atypically inefficient shooting night, took down the Bradley Braves in a game at Beasley Coliseum, 91-74. Getting to the line 33 times and converting 27 of them, Washington State managed to score over 90 points for the second straight time after scoring 100 in their season opener.

Cedric Coward and Nate Calmese each had 18 points on the game, with Coward adding seven boards and three steals, and Calmese dishing six dimes. The impressive thing about Coward's performance is that he managed this amount of points on just six total field goal attempts, hitting three triples and connecting on seven of his eight free-throw attempts. Ethan Price put up 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and added six boards, while LeJuan Watts had 12 points and 11 rebounds as the Cougars rolled behind six players in double figures.

It was another big offensive showing for David Riley's team, known back to his days at Eastern for being a renowned coach on that end of the floor. Despite shooting just 10-of-31 from deep, they were able to manufacture points at the stripe throughout the night by continuously attacking the rim and drawing fouls.

For Bradley, four players scored in double figures, including Christian Davis (14), Darius Hannah (14), Zek Montgomery (13, six rebounds), and Connor Dillon (12). They shot the same percentage from the field that the Cougars did, but Washington State had a major edge in offensive rebounds, where they doubled the Braves up, 14-7. These extra opportunities proved to be the difference in the game.

Bradley, who went 23-12 last season and 25-10 the season before that, is a program that has had success in the Missouri Valley Conference recently, so this win should not be taken lightly. The Cougars' ability to overcome a below-average shooting night should be celebrated instead of being cause for concern, as figuring out ways to win games in adverse situations often creates a better team.

Washington State will host Idaho on Monday, November 11 for their next game, and will look to improve to 3-0 on the season.

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Keenan Womack
KEENAN WOMACK

Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.

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