Cougs set to take on the Eagles (Winthrop) - Part 1
vs Winthrop (2-2) | Mon., Nov. 22 | 6 p.m.
Live Stats | StatBroadcast
Watch | Pac-12 Networks (Greg Heister & Dan Dickau)
Listen | WSU IMG Radio Network (Matt Chazanow & Craig Ehlo)
OPENING FIVE
> The Cougs return to Pullman for one more before the Thanksgiving break as WSU hosts a tough Winthrop squad that went 23-2 last season and pushed their way into the NCAA Tournament. The only other time the Cougs and the Eagles have met on the floor was in the 2008 NCAAs with the Cougs prevailing 71-40 in Denver.
> WSU has run its non-con win streak to 17 straight - the streak continued with an emphatic 109-61 win at Idaho last Thursday, the largest margin of victory in the history of the Palouse rivalry and tied for the third largest victory for the Cougs in program history.
> The offense has been elite inside the arc hitting 62% of their 2pt shots (9th in the country) which has helped push the team's effective shooting percentage to 56.3% (44th in the country).
> The Cougs have been one of the best in the country gabbing offensive rebounds early in the year ranking 7th in the country with nabbing 43.4% of the o-reb chances. At 14.00 o-reb per game ranks 41st in the country.
> Defensively the Cougs have held opponents to an effective FG% of just 40.1 (21st in the country) while the team's defensive efficiency rates at 93.2 points per 100 (59th in the country)
GAME INFORMATION - vs WINTHROP
Returning home for a final game before the Thanksgiving break the Cougs play host to a tough Winthrop team Monday night at Beasley Coliseum. The Eagles are the reigning Big South champions and earned a bid to the 2021 NCAA Tournament last season. The Eagles came into the year having gone 23-2 a year ago, a record-breaking and historic campaign on the hardwood for the team. The Cougs have only once taken on the Eagles prior, facing off in the 2008 NCAA Tournament in Denver, Colo. with WSU coming out on top 71-40.
The Eagles are 2-2 on the year with back-t-back losses to Middle Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
NEXT UP
The Cougs get one more warmup before the early Pac-12 games tip-off to begin the month of December as WSU hosts regional rival Eastern Washington Saturday at Beasley. The Cougs and the Eagles will meet for the 67th time and the 37th time in Pullman when EWU comes to town. WSU holds the advantage in the series and has won the last six in the series including five-straight in Pullman where the Cougs are 34-2 all-time against the Eagles. Last season the Cougs eked out a 71-68 win over EWU in the second game of the season. The Eagles, who are in the midst of a rebuild in Cheney, are 2-2 having won their last two.
LAST TIME OUT
In the Battle of the Palouse the Cougs left no doubt of who was the dominant force in the area as WSU dismantled Idaho, 109-61, taking home the largest margin of victory in the 125 year-old rivalry. The 48-point win came inside the Vandals brand new ICCU Arena and marked the worst loss for the Vandals in their program's history. In the game the Cougs put six in double-figures and shot an a stellar 60.6%, their best shooting performance since shooting 60.8% in a game since 2014.
AN OFFENSIVE NIGHT TO REMEMBER
Taking on Idaho in the 277th edition of the Battle of the Palouse, the Cougs put on an offensive clinic in the new ICCU Arena dropping 109 points on the Vandals in the most lopsided victory in the 125-year rivalry. WSU shot 60.6% a season-high and the best performance since shooting 60.8% (18-30) vs. UTSA at Pullman, Dec. 6, 2014. In doing so the Cougs hit 40 field goals, the most since going 40-63 vs. UCLA at Pullman, Jan. 4, 2003. In the game the Cougs saw six players hit double-figures for the first time since at Colorado March 7, 2015.
The 109 points was the first 100+ point performance for the Cougs since 2018 and the most points scored since dropping 114 vs Grambling State on 12/29/98. It was the third 100+ point performance all-time against the Vandals and first since 1966.
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