CORVALLIS, Ore. — Abe Lodwick set career highs with 23 points and 12 rebounds Wednesday to lead Washington State to a 72-55 win against Pac-12 rival Oregon State in a College Basketball Invitational semifinal at Gill Coliseum.
Reggie Moore added 22 points for Washington State (18-16).
Eric Moreland had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Oregon State (21-15).
Washington State advances to the CBI’s best-of-three championship against Pittsburgh, which beat Butler 68-62 in overtime in the other semifinal Wednesday.
The Cougars played most of the game without all-conference senior forward Brock Motum, who was helped off the floor less than two minutes in with a right ankle injury. Motum is the conference’s scoring leader, averaging better than 18 points per game.
“I thought our guys really rallied, knowing that our first team all-league guy was down and out for the game,” Washington State coach Ken Bone said. “Our guys were able to manufacture points in different ways. They did a great job. I thought they showed a lot of character, a lot of heart.”
Oregon State played without starting guard Ahmad Starks, who sat out with an illness.
Lodwick, a senior forward from Bend’s Mountain View High School, also recorded his first collegiate double-double. The Cougars finished with a 41-34 rebounding advantage.
Washington State led by 10 at halftime and extended that to 49-34 lead on Mike Ladd’s offensive rebound and basket with 15:21 left.
The Beavers got within 49-40 on Jared Cunningham’s 3-pointer. The Cougars later went on a 9-0 run — holding Oregon State scoreless for more than five minutes — to go ahead 60-42 on Patrick Simon’s 3-pointer with 8:55 remaining.
Oregon State scored the next seven straight to close within 60-49 on Cunningham’s steal and dunk with 5:41 remaining. But the Beavers would get no closer.
Cunningham finished with 13 points in the fourth game between the two teams this season.
Washington State won both games in the regular season, by five points at home and 10 on the road, before Oregon State won the Pac-12 first-round matchup 69-64 March 7 in Los Angeles.
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