Cougars wallop Sacramento St.

WSU feasts from 3-point range to down Hornets

By Ryan Divish | The News Tribune • Published November 21, 2008

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PULLMAN – There was a moment late in the second half when the Washington State Cougars couldn't make a basket from two feet away. On one possession, the Cougs had four straight attempts, and a variety of players couldn't convert on the simplest of shots that should be made at least 80 percent of the time.

But there was a reason for it — they were obviously too close. From farther out, say 20 feet or so, the Cougs couldn't seem to miss in a 76-55 win over Sacramento State on Friday at Friel Court.

With a relatively small pre-Apple Cup crowd of 8,504 looking on, the Cougs showed that the new 3-point distance — 20 feet, 9 inches — means little to them. WSU knocked down 15-of-29 3-point shots, with five different players making 3-pointers. It was the most 3s WSU made since hitting 18 against Gonzaga in 2002. The Cougs actually shot a better percentage from beyond the 3-point arc (52 percent) than they did from the field (47.5 percent).

"You can't always count on that," WSU head coach Tony Bennett said.

So the Cougs taking more than half their shots from 3-point range won't be a common occurrence?

"If we can make that many, I'll take it all the time," Bennett said with a chuckle.

Joking aside, the Cougs' 29 3-point attempts were far from exorbitant, particularly when you consider it's what Sacramento State coach Bobby Katz seemed intent on letting them do.

The Hornets' defense was a sagging, helping, packed-in look that cut down on dribble penetration and swarmed passes in the post — it looked almost like, well, the Cougs. And there's a good reason for it.

"He's a disciple of Dick Bennett," Tony Bennett said of his father's legendary defensive teachings.

But the Hornets took the Dick Bennett's teachings almost to a different level when it came to packing it in inside.

"They were more extreme," Tony Bennett said. "I don't think we'll see a more packed-in look again."

After getting a pair of easy buckets early on, senior center Aron Baynes could hardly get his hands on a ball that wasn't a rebound.