Pullman, WA – In-state rivalries are always a must-watch event, especially one as historic as Washington vs Washington State.
The two teams met for the 293rd time on Wednesday night, and it was the Washington State Cougars (15-12, 7-8) who picked up a hard-fought victory over the Washington Huskies (13-13, 8-7), 78-70, for their 15th win of the season.
At halftime, the score was all knotted up 33-33, with neither team able to get any sort of edge.
Washington State’s Mouhamed Gueye was the driving force in the scoring column as the freshman big man put up 25 points for the Cougars. Efe Abogidi was the star of the show, however, as his 21 points and 14 rebounds were a big part of the victory.
Ten of his rebounds came on the offensive end, helping Washington State score 26-second chance points as a team. His second-chance basket put Washington State up 73-70, while his free-throw put them up by four points with around a minute to go.
Michael Flowers finished the job for Washington State, hitting four straight free throws to close out Washington State’s 108th win all-time against Washington.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HOPES STILL ALIVE FOR WASHINGTON STATE
The Cougars are ranked No. 44 in the KenPom rankings and have the opportunity to approach the 20-win mark if they make some noise in the PAC-12 tournament.
While they may not have the NCAA Tournament resume in terms of their quality of wins, they have beaten the teams they are supposed to beat, such as Washington.
They have another game against Washington followed by back-to-back games against Oregon State, giving them a chance for three more wins down the stretch. Pair those wins with a win over a solid Oregon team in their regular-season finale and it would boost their resume greatly.
WASHINGTON CONTINUES THEIR LOSING STREAK
The Huskies have now lost four straight games and five out of their last six. Their record sits at .500 and they would need to get hot immediately to have a chance at March.
These two schools have never made the NCAA Tournament in the same season, and that trend could continue in 2022.
PJ Fuller did all he could for this team as he scored 23 points and knocked down five three-pointers in an outstanding effort.
