MBB:UNCO

[Rich Lewis]

Not a bad game. Still too many turnovers. Calmese got hurt. Not sure what it was. Maybe someone who watched it on TV might know. Two things in the stats. UNCO had way more than 6 turnovers and no way were there 3,066 people there.

 

[Rich Lewis]

UNCO is a decent team. They were 3-1 coming in. They beat SDSU and only lost to Colorado by 2.

 

[kougkurt]

Calmese came out of the locker room with his wrist wrapped. Not sure how serious. Cedric Coward was the as advertised version.

 

[Rich Lewis]

Yeah, he was a beast. Especially from 15 in and around the basket.

 

[SaveFerris]

Still missing a lot of good looks.

 

[M-I-Coug]

Still missing a lot of good looks.

What do you mean?

 

[SaveFerris]

What do you mean?

We were 3-12 from in the 1st half many of which were clean looks. 2nd Half 4-10 but overall if you take away 4-6 from I Watts the rest of the team was 3-16. I think we can do better but are just in a bit of a funk.

 

[7ICoug]

Cougar radio broadcast kept talking up NColo like they were picked at the top of the BSky. They were picked 3rd.

All these 3's are moot if you score in the paint as we did last night. Coward had a very good game and needs to play like that every outing if he is going to be a "pro". You can't have lapses and take only 3 shots.

Coaches need to put in some more defenses. I contend a 1-2-2 Diamond Press which I can guarantee you we will see often would be good to be a change up from the full court man thing. I think they also need to switch defenses some to keep teams on there toes.

Good game.

Rich they always count all Season Ticket holders. This was a horrible crowd, also a lousy time choice. Stats are odd!

 

[M-I-Coug]

Cedric Coward ties career-best with 30 points in WSU men’s victory​

Greg WoodsNov. 18, 2024 at 10:05 pm
By
The Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN — A certain inevitability hangs in the arena when Cedric Coward decides to take matters into his hands. Washington State’s best player is so good because of his two-way ability, because of his natural scoring savvy, because of his game smarts and veteran experience.

But the Cougars knocked off Northern Colorado Monday night, 83-69, in large part because Coward decided to take over in the scoring column. The senior totaled 30 points, his most on the season, including 20 in the second half, taking things from closer to cushiony for the 4-1 Cougs. Coward also scored 30 last season against Northern Colorado when he played for Eastern Washington.

“I wouldn’t call it hunting my shot. I just say it’s being aggressive and assertive and making the right play,” Coward said. “Some days it would be me being aggressive like this and dropping 30, as you see. And then other days it would be aggressive and having 12 assists. As long as I’m making the right play for my teammates, that’s the main goal.”

It was a timely development for WSU, which was coming off a defeat to Iowa in Illinois, where Coward totaled only 9 points in 33 minutes. The game before, in WSU’s win over Idaho, he posted 4 points on 3 shots. He was still playing well, still making the right plays, but he wasn’t looking for his shot as actively as coaches would like.

So on Monday night, he snapped out of it, responding with an ultra-efficient 12-for-18 showing, including 2 for 6 from deep. He did it the only way he knows how: By staying in control and getting to his spots. He recognized mismatches when he got them and wasted no time taking advantage, banking in several flip shots and getting to the rim with ease.

Part of making those changes, coach David Riley figured, comes baked into his offense. He doesn’t call a play every time down the court, letting his players pass and make reads and attack when they see openings. In that type of laissez-faire approach, he says, it becomes easy to “float a little bit at times.”

“So I thought he’s adjusted,” said Riley, whose team returns to action Thursday against his former squad, Eastern Washington, on Thursday at Spokane Arena. “It was great to see, and just proud of him. We knew it was coming. He’s such a high-character guy, and he’s gonna have a great season for us. So it was good to get him back on that.”

The Cougs needed it in the second half. About seven minutes into the second half, after hanging around for much of the game, the Bears took the lead on a corner three-pointer. The Cougars were giving up too many offensive rebounds — Northern Colorado turned 11 offensive boards into 6 second-chance points — and the Bears knocked down eight three-pointers total.

In that stretch, Riley said, the hosts were going through the motions, playing “random” on offense. It was less active and more passive, and even with the Cougs’ giant size advantage on the interior, they didn’t always cash in. When one action didn’t work, they didn’t always put a second one in gear.

So what changed? To Riley, it was a lineup that included guards Isaiah Watts and Kase Wynott and power forward ND Okafor, a group that “played with some force and energy,” Riley said. After the Bears tied the score at 55-all, the Cougs responded with an 18-7 run, which featured three baskets from Coward and two from Watts, who tallied 12 points on four triples, plus six rebounds. That put WSU up double digits.

For Watts, it was the end of a rough stretch. Over his past three games, he misfired on 13 straight triples, an uncharacteristic development for a guy whose catch-and-shoot game makes him so effective. He was frustrated enough that on Monday morning, when he got some practice shots up with his dad, Donald, he broke down crying.

“Just because it’s like, I feel that’s what I do, that’s what I’m here for,” Watts said. “And to not be able to do it at my best, it was really emotional for me. So just to hit a couple today feels really good.”

Another uncharacteristic part of Monday’s game: Guard Nate Calmese, who recorded 27 points on Saturday in Illinois, managed only 4 points in 21 minutes. At one point, he wrapped a towel around his head on the bench. At another, he came off the floor with an injury, and as he walked to the locker room with a trainer, he shouted in frustration.

Riley, who said the team will evaluate Calmese’s injury in the days to come, added that’s the kind of thing that can happen after a big scoring night. He might not be the head of the snake at WSU — that title likely belongs to Coward — but he is the point guard. That prompts opponents to key in on him.

“He’s another guy that’s still learning,” Riley said. “Learning the offense, learning the different details on it. Northern Colorado knows us pretty well, so they had some good plans against us. But he’s a hooper, and he’ll bounce back.”

Riley added that WSU is hoping that wing Rihards Vavers, who has been out since the season-opener with a wrist injury, and freshman guard Marcus Wilson, can return “in the next game or two.”

Greg Woods; Washington State beat writer for The Spokesman-Review

 

[Coug1990]

UNCO is a decent team. They were 3-1 coming in. They beat SDSU and only lost to Colorado by 2.

The loss to Colorado was in double overtime. So that game was as close as it gets. We also had 12 turnovers in the game, so not too bad. The Cougs had 5 turnovers in the first five minutes and seven thereafter. LeJuan Watts had 8 turnovers himself. So, I don't think it was an issue, and I doubt Watts has a problem going forward.

I am so excited about this team. They are nowhere near their potential and are winning games.