Mar. 15—LAS VEGAS — Coming back to Pullman with an NCAA berth assured should be good salve for the Washington State Cougars’ disappointment Friday night.
Although fresh off the 58-52 loss to Colorado in the Pacific-12 Conference Tournament semifinals, the Cougs were still stinging from having played a game below their standards when the opportunity for an unprecedented tournament title was at stake.
Playing with laudable heart and lamentable mechanics, the Cougars couldn’t quite close the deal against a fierce Colorado defense, and the Buffaloes now get the chance against Oregon Saturday in the title game.
Even with a late lead and several chances to win it at the end, the Cougars failed to convert opportunities and didn’t take care of the ball well enough.
The 19 turnovers kept the WSU offense from ever finding rhythm.
“The turnovers kind of stick in our craw a little,” said Smith, who was named the conference Coach of the Year while also being a semifinalist for a national Coach of the Year award. “We take a lot of pride in not turning it over, so that hurts.”
Smith cited the Colorado defense for the bulk of their problems. “It was just hard to get a shot. I can live with taking hard shots, but giving them the ball is tough.”
Fifty-two points was the Cougars’ lowest point total of the season. Colorado didn’t fare much better against the WSU defense, but came up with nine steals while committing seven fewer turnovers.
“That wasn’t the prettiest game by any means, but you had two teams going after it and battling,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said.
Before this game tipped off, the 24-8 Cougs — the Pac’s No. 2 seed — were already assured of their first NCAA berth since 2008. Colorado, though, was considered a bubble team, and probably needed a title or at least a title-game appearance to be included in the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/dave-boling-washington-state-hurt-035900684.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-03-16 03:59:00
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