Men's Basketball | Cougars grind past slouching Oregon State

CORVALLIS, Ore. — The dead zone, they're calling it. Scientists from Oregon State University are puzzled over patches of the Pacific just off their coast where, in summers, some sea life is perishing mysteriously.

It has spread 60 miles inland, where moribund Gill Coliseum, once a place of revelry and fervor and victories, hosted Washington State on Thursday night. More than 5,300 showed up, a good many of them in crimson, and saw WSU grovel past the bedraggled Beavers, 70-57.

Maybe the Cougars have arrived. After a 13-point victory, they got a lot of questions about the lethargy with which they dispatched a team that, at 6-18 and 0-12 in the fractious Pac-10, looks hell-bent to go for the slam.

Asked whether the old barn where Slats Gill and Ralph Miller scowled was sleepier than the norm, WSU forward Robbie Cowgill said, "Oh, definitely. I had no idea it would be like that ... it was definitely a lot different from what we've been used to."

This might have been an upset loss, except the Beavers couldn't hit the floor if they dropped a glass. This team shoots like Dick Cheney with his hunting buddies.

An exasperated Oregon State player spat out some expletives, fuming as he flounced to the locker room.

A few bodies behind him strode an OSU assistant coach, grousing about whistles.

"Every time we make a run, they call a ticky-tack [foul]," he steamed.

So happiness was had only in small quantities, enjoyed mostly by the Cougars, who scuffled into undisputed third place at 7-5 in the Pac-10, 19-5 overall, ahead of a Saturday-evening game at Oregon and Sunday night's UCLA-USC matchup.

"Oregon State is struggling, that's true," conceded Tony Bennett, the WSU coach. "That's a hard game to play. You're like, 'Well, I don't want to be the first team that drops one to them.' And their kids battled. I respected that. You could see it in their eyes, they want it so bad."

But want only takes you so far, when you make six of your first 31 field-goal attempts (19.4 percent). For some reason, after going 6 of 27 in a first half that ended with the Cougars up, 29-21, OSU decided the best remedy was to burp up threes rather than drive the ball, thus playing into the Cougars' hands.

The Beavers could have taken a cue from the Cougars, who got strong second halves from guards Taylor Rochestie (career-high 24 points) and Derrick Low (21, with 13 in the second half). Pressured by the Beavers, they took the ball strong to the goal and with Cowgill giving WSU a solid, 11-rebound effort, the Cougars got out of Dodge unscathed.

"When people are climbing into you and extending and denying," said Bennett, "you have to use your dribble. I thought Taylor and Derrick, and Robbie [on the boards] had a real nice second half."

Say this for the Beavers: They haven't quit under interim coach Kevin Mouton, though they've become a raunchy third option on this campus after football and baseball. They're two-thirds of the way home to the nightmare of becoming the first team in 30 years of the Pac-10 to go 0-18.

"It's not weighing on me, personally," insisted guard Rickey Claitt. "I don't think it's weighing on anybody."

Indeed, for much of the game, it appeared the reverse could be true — that the savvy, more experienced Cougars might be burdened with the notion of a possible loss here. Kyle Weaver, who Bennett said is bothered by a sore shin, was particularly ineffective, turning the ball over on his first possession, getting schooled a couple of times by Seth Tarver and twice missing one-and-one free throws in the first half.

Down 13 quickly in the second half, OSU pecked back to cut it to six, and later seven. Each time, Low plunked a three on the Beavers and soon, the hosts' losing streak was at a school-record 14.

Here's what Bennett preached to his team coming in: Play against the game. That's a nice way of saying: OSU isn't to be confused with Memphis or Duke.

Should the Cougars feel good about this? "Absolutely," Bennett replied. "I said, 'Great win.' "

On a silent night at old Gill, he was half right.

Bud Withers: 206-464-8281 or bwithers@seattletimes.com

Summary

WASHINGTON ST. (19-5, 7-5 PAC-10)
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Cowgill	28	3-4	3-3	2-11	1	3	9
Baynes	25	1-2	7-11	2-8	3	5	9
Low	37	7-15	5-8	0-3	0	1	21
Rochestie	39	7-12	6-7	0-2	1	2	24
Weaver	28	1-6	3-5	0-3	2	3	5
Koprivica	8	1-1	0-1	0-0	1	2	2
Harmeling	31	0-2	0-0	0-1	1	3	0
Forrest	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0
	200	20-42	24-35	5-34	9	20	70

Percentages: FG .476, FT .686. Three-point goals: 6-15, .400 (Rochestie 4-7, Low 2-4, Weaver 0-2, Harmeling 0-2). Team rebounds: 6. Blocked shots: 4 (Weaver 2, Baynes, Cowgill). Turnovers: 10 (Weaver 3, Cowgill 2, Rochestie 2, Low, Koprivica). Steals: 4 (Low 3, Rochestie). Technical fouls: None.

OREGON ST. (6-18, 0-12)
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
STarver	31	2-9	2-3	2-6	3	3	7
Carter	25	2-5	0-0	3-9	0	3	4
Schaftenaar	15	0-1	1-4	0-2	1	0	1
JTarver	19	1-4	1-2	0-1	1	4	3
Haynes	20	1-8	2-2	1-3	1	1	4
Hampton	12	1-4	0-0	4-6	1	4	2
Jones	27	4-10	0-0	0-2	1	3	10
Claitt	22	2-2	5-5	0-2	2	3	9
Johnson	6	1-3	2-2	1-1	0	1	4
Wallace	23	4-10	2-4	1-2	0	4	13
	200	18-56	15-22	13-36	10	26	57

Percentages: FG .321, FT .682. Three-point goals: 6-22, .273 (Wallace 3-5, Jones 2-4, S.Tarver 1-7, Johnson 0-1, Schaftenaar 0-1, J.Tarver 0-2, Haynes 0-2). Team rebounds: 2. Blocked shots: 1 (S.Tarver). Turnovers: 9 (Wallace 3, Claitt 2, S.Tarver, J.Tarver, Hampton, Schaftenaar). Steals: 4 (S.Tarver 2, Carter, Jones). Technical fouls: Bench.

Washington St.	29	41	—	70
Oregon St.	21	36	—	57

Attendance: 5,321. Officials: Bob Staffen, Michael Irving, Tony Padilla.