Cougs ready to run it back in Tempe
WASHINGTON STATE (14-12, 7-12)
at Arizona State (10-11, 7-8) | Mon., March 1 | 12 p.m. PT
Live Stats | Statbroadcast
Watch | Pac-12 Network (Ted Robinson & Bill Walton)
Listen | WSU IMG Radio Network (Matt Chazanow & Craig Ehlo)
OPENING FIVE
> The Cougs close out the regular season at ASU for round two of their double-header with the Sun Devils. The two teams met Saturday night with the Sun Devils winning in OT on a last season three-pointer by Remy Martin.
> WSU is locked into the 8-9 game at the upcoming Pac-12 tournament where the Cougs will face off against Utah or Arizona State for the third time. The Cougs won their first round matchup last season versus Colorado setting up a game against ASU that was not to be.
> WSU put five in double-figures Saturday, the first time on the year, despite playing without leading scorer Isaac Bonton who missed his fourth game in five contests due to injury.
> Freshmen TJ Bamba and Dishon Jackson continued their stellar play in the desert as the duo have scored in double-figures in each of the last two games. Bamba scored a Pac-12 best 14 Saturday while Jackson went for 10&9 with 3 blocks against the Sun Devils.
> WSU has thrown around its size in the paint as the Cougs enter the game grabbing 38.0 rpg, the best season average in nearly half a century since grabbing 40.0 rpg in 1975-76. Additionally, the Cougs are averaging 3.5 blocks per game, posting 3+ bpg for the first time since 2015-16.
LAST TIME OUT - AT ARIZONA STATE
ASU 77 - WSU 74 (OT) | Feb. 27, 2021 | TUCSON, ARIZ.
GAME INFORMATION - AT ARIZONA STATE
The Cougs close out the regular season with one more against the Sun Devils as the two teams run it back from Saturday a matchup ASU took, 77-74, in overtime on a last second three-pointer by Remy Martin. The Cougs struggled early trailing by 8 with 5 to play in the half before going on a run and tying it at the break. The second half played out similarly as WSU erased a 9 point ASU advantage with 6 to play to force overtime. WSU had chances to win at the end of regulation and take the lead in the final seconds of OT but came up short opening the door for Martin to take the win.
In the loss, five Cougs scored in double-figures led by Noah Williams and Aljaz Kunc who each scored 15.
BAMBA BREAKING OUT
Freshman TJ Bamba has broken out in the homestretch of his first season as the Bronx native has played his way into the starting lineup having started the last four games beginning against Cal, Feb. 18. In his four games as a starter, Bamba is averaging 7.0 ppg on 56.3% shooting while hitting 5-of-6 (83.3%) from deep and is a perfect 5-for-5 from the line.
Bamba has scored in double-figures in each of the last two games in the desert leading the team against Arizona with 12 points while notching 14 at ASU Saturday, the most in a Pac-12 game for the freshman.
RIM PROTECTION
For the first time in half a decade the Cougs have legit rim protectors in the form of freshmen Efe Abogidi, Dishon Jackson and sophomore Volodymyr Markovetskyy. With the paint protected the Cougs are averaging 3.5 blocks per game (92 total) with the three shot blockers Abogidi averaging 1.3 bpg (35 total), Jackson at 1.0 (22 total), and Markovetskyy at 0.5 bpg (12 total). The last time the Cougs averaged over 3.0 bpg came in the 2015-16 season when the team averaged 4.5 bpg led by Valentine Izundu at 2.17 bpg (50 total). The record for the Cougs is 155 total blocks (4.55 bpg) in 2007.
Last season, the Cougs produced just 85 total blocks (2.7 bpg) led by CJ Elleby's 21 total blocks (0.65 bpg).
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