The Washington St. Cougars are not having an easy start to the season. They lost to the Gonzaga Bulldogs in Spokane, and after two relatively smooth wins against Sacramento State and Portland, they fell apart with sloppy play in the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners and lost 74-59. Oklahoma outscored WSU 36-19 in the second half and raced away to a big double-digit lead early in the second half.
Oklahoma was led by Calvin Newell Jr with 18 points and Steven Pledger with 14 points. Brock Motum led the Cougars with 13 points and Faisel Aden chipped in 12 points. The Sooners were not expected to make much noise in the Big 12 this year, but this victory is a promising sign that Oklahoma can at least play at a high enough level to decisively beat big conference foes.
Oklahoma now has a great shot to get to the title game since their next game is against Santa Clara. Washington State will now have to regroup and face New Mexico.
To discuss the game with Cougar fans, head to CougCenter. To discuss the game with Sooners fans, go to Crimson and Cream Machine.