Cougars' "turnaround year" comes to an end

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Suddenly, Washington State wasn't Washington State anymore.

Savvy, irrepressible and resilient all season, the Cougars morphed into something else here in the late stages against Vanderbilt in the second round of the NCAA tournament. With victory, and the Sweet 16, just a basket away a couple of times, WSU was ultimately forced to accept an excruciating 78-74 double-overtime loss to the Commodores that ends a dream ride.

"I remember as a kid, watching that ABC thing, the guy falling off the ski jump — the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat," said WSU coach Tony Bennett.

"I hope in time it's OK, and it will be — that it doesn't take away from the body of work. Yeah, it hurts, no question about it."

The body of work was as scintillating as the end was painful. The Cougars finish 26-8, having equaled the school record for victories and been ranked as many weeks as they had been, combined, in history.

Bennett had established the slogan "Turnaround Year" for his team last August, and in front of his crushed players Saturday in the locker room, he said he told them, "Gentlemen, as much as this hurts, you've been part of a turnaround year."

Unfortunately, the finish was also a turnaround, an abrupt about-face from the way the Cougars had executed most of the day, and for the better part of the season. They made only 7 of 23 shots in the last 11 minutes of regulation and the overtimes after hitting 20 of their first 37.

"Mentally, maybe we let it slip at the end," said guard Taylor Rochestie. "It was definitely ours for the taking."

That it was. WSU led 33-25 after a half in which it clicked on offense for 56 percent shooting and limited the perimeter-oriented Commodores to a single three-point basket.

The Cougars still looked golden after the first eight minutes of the second half, leading 51-43. Then the game got away. Rather, Derrick Byars, the Southeastern Conference player of the year, did.

With WSU's All-Pac-10 swingman Kyle Weaver on him most by this time, Byars rattled in three three-pointers in a span of six Vanderbilt possessions. Meanwhile, WSU went dry on five trips, and Vandy had a 12-0 run in 3 ½ minutes to lead 55-51.

Daven Harmeling's three righted the Cougars, and they had a couple of slim leads near the end of regulation. The play they would most rue came after a missed Vandy three with 1:19 left, when a couple of WSU players couldn't collar the rebound underneath, and after the Commodores did, Shan Foster's three with 71 seconds left put them ahead, 60-59.

Weaver missed the second of two free throws with 46 seconds left to tie it. It was his first miss after a string of 22 straight successes.

Then came a thunderous block by Ivory Clark on a reverse-layup attempt by Byars, and the Cougars were poised to win it. But Harmeling's three from the right corner went off the back iron.

"I've seen him make that shot a lot of times," said Bennett. "I think he thought it was going in. That's the look you want."

So it went to overtime. A three by Derrick Low — who led WSU with 21 points — knotted it at 69 with 40 seconds left. The Cougars forced a turnover under the Vandy basket with six seconds left, and Rochestie got the ball and bolted through traffic, either to score or get fouled.

At about 10 feet on the right side, he cast up a shot and Byars swatted it to send it to a second overtime.

Weaver is not going to want to remember those five minutes.

On three of four WSU possessions, he made turnovers, giving him a season-high eight. The second was a killer, out on top, where Foster picked it, raced the floor and dunked to make it 75-71, Vanderbilt. Then Weaver forced a jumper and finally, Bennett pulled him out of the game.

Maybe he was simply bushed, after 48 grueling minutes. He hinted at that, saying, "I was trying to get guys open shots, I tried to penetrate, and defensively, I was chasing Byars around as well. It was tough."

Still, the game tantalized the Cougars once more after Harmeling hit a three and Vanderbilt's Alex Gordon missed two free throw with 28 seconds left. It was 76-74 Vandy when, with 15 seconds left, Rochestie, so good from midseason on, launched a three from on top. It wouldn't go down.

"I'll be looking at that play over and over again for a while," said Rochestie, just 1 for 7 with five turnovers. "The guy backed off me."

And then, it was done. So many thrills this season, and at the wire, so much chagrin.

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