Cougars dismantle Dawgs

PULLMAN, Wash. - Derrick Low and Ivory Clark combined for the first 15 points of the second half, as Washington State completely dominated Washington from start to finish, ultimately handing the Huskies a 75-47 beatdown at Friel Court in Pullman on Saturday, the worst UW loss in the history of the series.

11,618 fans saw the rout in person, making it the 14th-largest crowd to ever see a game in Beasley Auditorium, and the largest to watch an Apple Cup game since January of 1983. The Huskies lost by 27 in 1932, but it took 74 years for the hoop dawgs to eclipse that standard - and they did it in stunning fashion.

"Washington State just did a heck of a job, give them all the credit," Washington Head Coach Lorenzo Romar said after the game. "They wore us down and at the end we had an empty gas tank. We got it down to 11 at the half, but they continued to wear us down."

Washington was without the services of center Spencer Hawes, who hurt his left ankle in practice Friday and did not play at all against the Cougars. But not even five Haweses would have put a dent in Washington State's stingy defensive efforts, holding the Huskies to their lowest first-half offensive output in over three years.

"It appeared that he tweaked it, but it remained stiff and we weren't able to loosen it up," Romar said. "You have to go with the hand that's dealt. We could have put him in there like a Willis Reed situation, but we really didn't want to do that with an injured foot."

After the game, Hawes said that he shouldn't be a problem for next week's series with the Oregon schools.

Low went on a three-point barrage, nailing three quick ones before Washington (11-7, 1-6) called a timeout with 15:24 left in the game and WSU up 49-27. The junior from Honolulu accounted for points on the day, leading all scorers. Kyle Weaver added 17 and eight rebounds and Clark chipped in 10 and five boards.

"We can't celebrate too much," Low said afterward. "They were at a disadvantage without Spencer Hawes and he would have gotten his. But it's always great to beat your in-state rival."

"Coming back like that, when you make a few mental mistakes with a young team, it's hard to regroup at that point," added Romar.

It didn't get any better for the Huskies, as they were outscored 21-6 the first seven-and-a-half minutes of the second half. When Weaver nailed a step-back jumper from the left elbow, it gave WSU a 35-point lead, 73-38. Quincy Pondexter scored 14 second-half points to lead the way for the Huskies with 16. Captain Jon Brockman added 13 and eight boards. They were the only two to push double-figures for the Dawgs.

Except for an 8-2 run to finish the half, the Huskies didn't have much to talk about in the first 30 minutes either. Weaver scored four points of a 15-0 run in the middle of the half to give the Cougars their biggest lead, 32-12.

"We're going to keep getting better, we're going to pull through," Pondexter said, also admitting that he cried in the locker room after the game.

"When we do get it and experience some success, I don't think there will be any turning back," added Romar. "It's important to understand what we have to do to get better - and at the same time we have to stay a little positive in staying in that direction, or reversing it and heading in the right direction."

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Notes:
The 23 points scored by the Huskies in the first half is the lowest point total for them since December of 2003, when they were down 30 at the half to Wyoming, 49-19.

The 28-point differential was the worst for the Huskies since January of 2003, when they lost to Arizona State 89-57. Their 47 points are the lowest point total since a 67-47 loss to Gonzaga in December of 2001.

Statistics:
Points: Pondexter 16, Brockman 13, Appleby 9, Dentmon 5, Gasser 4
Rebounds: Brockman 8, Wallace 7, TEAM 7, Pondexter 5, Oliver 4, Gasser 3, Nelson 1, Appleby 1, Dentmon 1
Assists: Nelson 3, Brockman 2, Appleby 2, Dentmon 1, Pondexter 1
Steals: Appleby 1
Blocks: No blocks