Cougars clamp down on Grambling St.

PULLMAN (AP) -Faisal Aden scored 12 points to lead Washington State to a 69-37 victory over Grambling State on Wednesday night.

Post player Brock Motum had the first double-double of his career. He had 11 points and 10 rebounds, six on the offensive boards, for the Cougars (3-4).

"It was the first double-double of his career - barely - but he did it all in 23 minutes of play," coach Ken Bone said. "I'm very happy with those six offensive rebounds."

DaVonte Lacy added 10 points for Washington State.

Peter Roberson led Grambling State (0-6) with 12 points and eight rebounds. Xavier Rogers added 10 points for the Tigers, who suited up only seven players.

Aden sparked the Cougars early, hitting a pair of 3-pointers. But after a brief spell on the bench he went cold and finished 5 for 16.

Bone said part of that was his fault because he wanted his team to work on passing the ball and getting assists. But he also wanted Aden to score, so that sent mixed messages to his senior.

"That puts him in a predicament," Bone said. "I think his percentage tonight was my fault from what I communicated to him."

When Aden went cold, Motum heated up. He scored seven of his 11 points midway through the first half, sparking the Cougars to a 14-4 lead in the paint in the first 20 minutes.

"I worked a lot last season on developing a post game," Motum said. "Growing up I tried to do a bit of everything. I just want to keep developing both aspects of my game."

With a little over 4 minutes left in the first half, Washington State went on a 13-3 run and took a 34-17 lead into the break.

The Cougars ran away from the Tigers in the second half, taking a 48-29 lead with 12 minutes left. They followed with a 15-3 run that left the Tigers trailing 63-34.

GRAMBLING ST. (0-6)

Danridge 1-2 0-0 2, Roberson 5-11 2-2 12, Livas 3-11 0-0 6, Purvis 1-8 0-0 3, Higgins 1-5 1-2 4, Rogers 3-15 2-4 10, Wheeler 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 14-55 5-8 37.

WASHINGTON ST. (3-4)

Motum 5-11 1-2 11, Enquist 4-6 0-0 8, Capers 2-3 1-2 5, Moore 1-4 2-2 5, Aden 5-16 0-0 12, Lacy 3-7 2-2 10, DiIorio 1-1 2-2 4, Shelton 0-1 6-8 6, Kernich-Drew 0-1 0-0 0, Simon 3-6 0-0 8. Totals 24-56 14-18 69.

Halftime_Washington St. 34-17. 3-Point Goals_Grambling St. 4-25 (Rogers 2-11, Higgins 1-5, Purvis 1-6, Livas 0-3), Washington St. 7-23 (Simon 2-5, Lacy 2-6, Aden 2-7, Moore 1-3, Kernich-Drew 0-1, Motum 0-1). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Grambling St. 32 (Roberson 8), Washington St. 45 (Motum 10). Assists_Grambling St. 8 (Danridge, Higgins, Livas, Rogers 2), Washington St. 18 (Moore 7). Total Fouls_Grambling St. 15, Washington St. 11. A_2,930.