Huskies hold Cougars off down stretch

PULLMAN - Done strutting and carrying his team, Isaiah Thomas turned and gave a little salute to the Washington State student section as he left the floor Saturday night.

Washington's diminutive guard got a different salute in return, the result of his play in the closing minutes that left the Cougars with a fourth straight loss to their rivals.

Thomas hit two 3-pointers and scored 10 of his 22 points during a crucial second-half stretch, and Washington squandered a 14-point halftime lead before winning 59-52.

With the Huskies (19-9, 9-7 Pac-10) trailing 44-41 after scoring just six points in 12 minutes, Thomas hit a tying 3-pointer. He followed with two free throws and, after a Scott Suggs 3-pointer, Thomas hit again from behind the arc to push the Huskies in front to stay at 52-48.

"Once you get those road wins, those are the best wins because you come together so much as a team. And it's all about team on the road," Thomas said. "... I'm 4-0 as a Husky playing the Washington State Cougars. I'm happy with that."

Thomas' big shots in the final 10 minutes were needed after Washington saw a 35-21 halftime lead disappear under a Cougars surge. An 18-4 spurt to start the second half pulled Washington State even, and its largest lead of three came after Xavier Thames' basket with 7:45 left.

That's when Thomas got going. His 3-pointer to tie was followed by a Scott Suggs 3-pointer to give Washington a 47-46 lead. Thomas' next shot beyond the arc pushed the lead to four, and he added two free throws with 3:18 left.

DeAngelo Casto led Washington State (16-12, 6-10) with 19 points, tying his career high. But he got no help from leading scorer Klay Thompson, whose shooting slump continued.

Thompson missed his first eight shots before finally snapping an 0-for-20 streak with a 3-pointer with 13 minutes left that pulled the Cougars even, 39-39. Thompson missed all 12 shots on Feb. 20 against Southern California.

"I'm not a smart man, but what I tell Klay is to keep shooting. Get in the gym, get some shots up ... work on getting the offensive shots he needs to," Washington State coach Ken Bone said. "That's all I can do."

Washington State plays at Oregon State on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (19-9)

Bryan-Amaning 8-11 1-2 17, Pondexter 3-11 0-0 7, Holiday 1-2 0-0 2, Thomas 7-15 6-7 22, Gaddy 1-1 0-0 2, Overton 1-4 2-2 4, Suggs 1-3 0-0 3, Turner 1-4 0-0 2, Breshers 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 23-52 9-13 59.

WASHINGTON ST. (16-12)

Koprivica 2-7 0-0 6, Casto 8-16 3-3 19, Capers 1-5 2-2 4, Thompson 2-14 0-0 5, Moore 1-8 6-8 8, Thames 2-6 0-0 5, Watson 2-3 1-5 5, Harthun 0-2 0-0 0, Lodwick 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-61 12-18 52.

Halftime-Washington 35-21. 3-Point Goals-Washington 4-17 (Thomas 2-6, Suggs 1-3, Pondexter 1-3, Overton 0-2, Turner 0-3), Washington St. 4-14 (Koprivica 2-4, Thames 1-2, Thompson 1-7, Moore 0-1). Fouled Out-None. Rebounds-Washington 42 (Bryan-Amaning 12), Washington St. 35 (Koprivica 8). Assists-Washington 13 (Holiday, Thomas 3), Washington St. 10 (Koprivica, Moore, Thompson 3). Total Fouls-Washington 17, Washington St. 16. A-11,671.