Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
WSU senior guard Isaac Bonton drives the baseline in the first half as teammate Andrej Jakimovski reacts. Bonton led all scorers with 25 points in the game. Below, second-year WSU coach Kyle Smith addresses his team Jan. 2.
PULLMAN - What would decide a double-overtime game between two PAC-12 early season contenders last Saturday night in Pullman?
A ball thrown off an opponent's thigh to save a possession? A tip-away steal on the dribble in the last minute of regulation? The lingering effect of a technical foul on WSU coach Kyle Smith an hour earlier?
None of the above – it was a banked-in three-pointer from the top of the key, Arizona winning 86-82.
The silence that followed in the no-fans-allowed Beasley Coliseum was expected, if not loaded.
"It's tough, we're not satisfied right now, at all," said WSU senior point guard Isaac Bonton, after leading all scorers in the game with 25 points.
It was the Cougars' (8-1, 1-1) league opener and first loss of the year.
A night of varied offense for WSU also brought overtime foul-outs and the Cougars shooting 5-of-14 from the free-throw line after regulation.
"Hat tip to (Arizona)... But we had a great opportunity, if we just do our job at the foul line," said Coach Smith. "We should've got out of there with the win. But hopefully, it's room for growth."
WSU sophomore guard Noah Willams scored 16 points and Andrej Jakimovski had 15. Efe Abogidi – the developing force from Delta State, Nigeria and last week's PAC-12 Freshman of the Week – added 12 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals, before fouling out early in the first overtime.
At the end of the second, Terrell Brown, Jr.'s bank off-the-glass put Arizona up 84-81, before Bonton made a free-throw to cut the lead back to two. Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin then sealed the game with two free throws. Mathurin led the Wildcats (9-1, 3-1) on the night with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
During the press conference afterwards, when asked about his winning shot, Brown, Jr. noted his grandfather had died the night before back home in Seattle.
"I guess you could say that was him guiding that basketball in," he said.
The game's second overtime followed a too-late WSU put back to end the first, after Bonton led his team to a 76-76 tie, with cutting drives and assists to Jakimovksi and Abogidi.
In the first half, WSU led most of the way; Arizona missing three-point shots before starting some inside scoring on an alley-oop dunk.
At the other end of the floor, a rebound-follow by Dishon Jackson, another WSU freshman, kept the lead before Arizona spaced out the floor for the last 10 seconds of the half.
Coach Smith had an issue, though, after a foul call. Arizona went to the line and made two to go ahead, 27-26, then added two more after the technical on Smith.
The second half stayed close. Tony Miller found Abogidi for a slam and a foul; and with the free throw, WSU had the lead again. Then a Noah Williams score-steal-score sequence put the Cougars up by six, still 15 minutes left in regulation.
Right after, Jakimovski got his third personal and foul trouble moved in. Arizona stole a pass from Aljaz Kunc, just after he pulled down an offensive rebound and it was soon tied again, 41-41.
Another whistle, somebody just got their fourth personal.
Back and forth, back and forth: Bonton for three to cut the Arizona lead to one, a last foul on Dishon Jackson, a driving eight-footer from Williams at the shot clock, Arizona big man Azuolas Tubelis inside again, Abogidi two free throws to tie it, Bonton with a scramble of a drive for 56-54 WSU, a putback by teammate T.J. Bamba and Bonton again with a scoring drive.
More Arizona answers came and Bonton passed to Jakimovski for an open three from the wing, got it. Tubelis scored again on a Wildcats rebound-and-second chance opportunity; tie game once again.
Nothing could decide it in regulation, and nothing could in the first overtime.
But in the second, it was a bounce off the glass from 24 feet.
Arizona has not lost in Pullman since 2010. WSU's overall record in the series is 17-66.
The Cougars are set to play next at California (5-6, 0-4) Thursday night followed by a game at Stanford (5-3, 1-1) Saturday.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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