2022 Washington State CBB | Wazzu drops to USC and California

[TuscanSota]

It was a rough week for Cougs fans in conference play. After a stellar out of conference outing consisting of wins against Seattle, Jacksonville, and St. Johns, the Cougars were on the approach of being a favorite for the Pac 12 Conference Champion. A fantastic game last week against Arizona State on the road pointed in that direction as well, with the Cougars winning it 66-57. Bench players Jordon Thacker and Alphonso Bloom came in clutch with 11 points and 12 points respectively, both only having 10 minutes of play each. Shirley Minnick looked rough that night with only 25% of FG made, rounding out to 7 points thanks to 3 of 5 free throws.

 

 

Against USC, Washington State fell behind early and paid for it. With the first half at 27-39 trojans, the Cougs could do nothing but play catch up. With a final score of 57-72, Cougs left Beasley Coliseum disappointed. Despite winning the possession game, starting forward Shirley Minnick shot atrociously with 33%. Trojans duo Ryan Foley and Jeffrey Clark had a field day with 13 points each, with Ryan Foley only missing one basket the entire game. The Cougs did much better in rebounding the ball but when it came to opportunities the Cougs couldn't shoot both in the paint and on the free throw line.

 

 

And just earlier today California kicked the Cougs right out of Haas Pavilion with a 78-71 outing. The Cougs again were behind at the end of the first half and simply could not catch up when it mattered. Starting Forward Shirley Minnick shot much better this game with 18 points and 67% efficiency, but the Cougs bench did not do well.

 

"This was a rough week for us, but we're hoping to take the time over the weekend to practice and focus on the issues that we had." Coach TuscanSota told a reporter before heading back to Pullman with his team.