Cougars take out lions – West Coast Conference

LAS VEGAS – The men’s basketball team in Washington State experienced a lot of change last year. New conference, new coaches and new players, including four, who became a starter.

The Cougars have changed well and have shown more evidence for this Saturday evening with an impressive 94-77 victory against the LMU in a game of Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference in the Orleans Arena.

The sixth WSU (19-13) made a comfortable debut at the West Coast Conference Event under the first year in the first year in the first year in the first year, after scoring the first two rounds for the third game in a row and the 11th time this season.

And they did it against an LMU squad that scored 100 points in his first game against San Diego.

“Just an exciting game for us. The two things we have preached in the past few weeks are that we fly around and compete and play together, ”said Riley. “I thought that was going to show up tonight. We had 26 templates, we hit her on the glass – this is a really physical, experienced team.

“If we look like this, we are pretty hard to beat.”

You will return to No. 3 in San Francisco (23-8) for a quarter-finals round on Sunday.

The Cougars, who, as a two-year partner member together with Oregon State after the Splitter of the PAC-12 as a two-year subsidiary, were never back to LMU and led up to 20 points. They scored by four players, including 22 points, by striker Ethan Price and Point Guard Nate Calmese, who was also seven assists.

There were many strangers after the Cougars had won 25 games last season, received their first NCAA tournament offer since 2008 and coach Kyle Smith was an opportunity in Stanford, new to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Cougars hired Riley from almost Eastern Washington, where he won 62 games with two regular season with two regular season in three seasons. He brought four players from the east, including Guard Cedric Coward, an all-to-to-WCC price line in the pre-season, the season of which ended with a shoulder injury after six games.

The WSU has hardly skipped a beat and nobody was less surprised than the forward price, one of the EWU transfers, which achieved an average of 12.4 points and 5.1 rebounds this season.

“We have created a good basis with what we did in Eastern, and we have broadcast it in Washington State,” he said. “Coach brings this hard work and he knows how to win games. I think it will win a lot in the Washington State in the coming years.

Calmese is enthusiastic about having made the transition from the cross-state competition Washington, where he saw only a limited season after a successful first semester season in Lamar. This year he achieved an average of 15.0 points and 4.1 templates and was chosen for all-WCC mention.

“It was great. The main thing he told me is that he wants me to be his point Guard and gave me a great opportunity when nobody really trusted me, ”said Calmese.

Riley called this a hectic year, but it may be how the Cougars got back after they have lost eight of nine until the end of February. “Really only getting the ghost at the end of the season is a great thing,” he said.

Next: With a win among the belts, the Cougars are now preparing for a quarter -final game against USF, which received an bye in the first three rounds.

“San Francisco will be a damn Matchup,” said Price. “You put a number in your place (with a USF win of 75-51). We had a good game against them on us and won (91-82) at the beginning of the season. It will only be a really high-ranking college basketball game. “

Calmese said the Cougars were ready for everyone who is next. “I think we can beat everyone,” he said.

Löwen look ahead: The LMU coach Stan Johnson, whose team shot a 63 percent season at the start of San Diego, was concerned that the Lions (17-15) could not duplicate this. They did not shot 41 percent, including 29 percent with 3 points attempts.

“We were on our heels all night,” he said. “I thought her crime was operated on at a very high level. We couldn’t catch up. “

But Johnson likes the arch of his program with a third winner season in five years after he inherited a team that was only one in eight seasons. The Lions expect the returnees to include MJ Amey, Jevon Porter and Jan Vide in the next season, which were delivered on Saturday together with 39 points, 18 rebounds and five assists.

Johnson said he was the most impatient person he knows, but sees progress. “When I look at the overall picture of this whole thing and what we try to do, we are on the right track tonight,” he said. “Tonight is shit. But you have to go through these things if you build it up. “

Johnson said the LMU government continuously improved the improvement of the facilities and the talent level in the team.

“I think we are now in a place where we have a respectable program,” he said. “The next level for us is to add the talent that is necessary to get to the top of the league, and this is a big off -season for it.”