Everett, Wash.
Published: Sunday, January 27, 2008

Cougars nip Sun Devils

Washington State rallies to beat Arizona State 56-55, surviving a scare in the final seconds when the Sun Devils' freshman star drives into the Cougars' swarming defense, has his shot blocked and doesn't get a whistle.

By Kirby Arnold
Herald Writer

 TEMPE, Ariz. -- The difference between a satisfying start to Washington State's conference season and doubts as to how good the sixth-ranked Cougars really are came down to one final play Saturday.

With WSU leading by a point, Arizona State star freshman James Harden controlled the ball and the outcome of the game.

"I was very scared," Cougars guard Derrick Low said.

Emotions ran much deeper 8.1 seconds later, when Harden was met by a blockade of Cougars in the lane before his shot fell to the floor and no foul was called as time ran out, securing a 56-55 Washington State victory.

"It was a hard-nosed game with a lot of fouls," Low said. "He's a good player and he was getting a lot of fouls called for him. I was thinking, 'Oh no, either you're going to make a basket or go to the free throw line.'"

How about neither?

The officials kept their whistles quiet, to the loud displeasure of the Arizona State crowd, and Washington State departed with a split of their two games in Arizona and a dose of confidence after a 12-point loss Thursday at Arizona. It gave the Cougars a 5-2 record in the Pacific-10 Conference, a notable feat after playing five of their seven league games on the road.

"In a league like this, we're just scrapping and fighting," coach Tony Bennett said. "People may look at us and say, 'But you're ranked.' It's a battle for us every time out. We aren't your typical dominant team. We have to do it as a unit and rely on a lot of things."

In a victory remembered mostly for the final possession, several huge plays made a difference.

n Washington State scored a crucial basket on an inbounds play at the end of the first half that pulled the Cougars within two points at halftime -- 29-27 -- after the Sun Devils had led by as many as 11 points.

n Washington State scored the first 11 points of the second half and outscored Arizona State 14-3 to take a 41-32 lead, making four shots from 3-point range. Taylor Rochestie hit one from about 30 feet as the shot clock ran out and Low, held to five points in Thursday's loss at Arizona, made three 3-pointers.

n The last 3-pointer Low made, which gave WSU a 52-42 lead with 8:08 remaining, appeared to be an offensive basket interference that officials didn't call. Low's shot from the left side bounced high off the rim and TV replays showed that Baynes appeared to touch the ball before it dropped through the net.

When Arizona State took its final possession with 8.1 seconds to go, Harden made his final drive to the basket and the Cougars stood their ground. He took the ball on the right wing and slashed into the lane. WSU's Kyle Weaver and Aron Baynes met the Sun Devils guard for a bang-bang moment that decided the game. The big question afterward was how much of that play was actually body on body contact? Was it a foul?

"I'm not going to comment on that," Baynes said.

Rochestie braced himself for a whistle. "The whistle and the ball haven't gone our way a whole lot in the past," he said. "On a close situation like that, they could call a foul or they could not call a foul. It was good to have it go our way."

Added Bennett: "I've been on the other end of that when a foul's been called, and I feel that's not the time to call it. There was some physical stuff going on at both ends."

The contact didn't end at the final buzzer.

As the Cougars celebrated the victory near their bench, a couple of drink bottles thrown from the stands landed among the players. Nobody was hurt, and the Cougars soon were headed back home, where they'll play their next four Pac-10 games, beginning Thursday against California.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA