Thompson's 25 points lead Cougars in first round of NIT

| March 17, 2011 10:00 PM

PULLMAN (AP) - Klay Thompson scored 25 points to lead Washington State over Long Beach State 85-74 on Wednesday night in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.

Long Beach State (22-12) trailed 36-18 at halftime, but began the second on a 24-9 run that got them within five points with 13 minutes to play.

"First half defense was very, very good," Washington State coach Ken Bone said. "They did get some open looks, they just didn't put the ball in the basket. We were very good in the first 20."

The 49ers hung close, but with six minutes to go, WSU scored seven points in 46 seconds, five by Faisal Aden, and took a 71-55 lead with 5:12 to go.

"We started the game with five defensive stops and only had two points," said Long Beach State coach Dan Monson, who has also coached at Gonzaga and Minnesota. "We just couldn't get anything going offensively. Then it became eerily familiar from our last game.

"And then panic set in."

"It felt good to get that first win out of the way," Thompson said. "We had some lapses, that's going to happen. We knew they were going to make a run and we did a good job being patient and not getting frustrated."

The Cougars (20-12) host Oklahoma State on Monday night.

LONG BEACH ST. (22-12)

Phelps 1-4 0-4 2, Robinson 7-12 2-3 16, Plater 5-16 0-0 14, Anderson 3-13 2-4 8, Ware 8-16 5-6 25, Wilson 0-1 0-0 0, Nevens 0-1 0-0 0, Chang 2-3 4-5 9, Jackson 0-1 0-0 0, Dervisevic 0-2 0-0 0, King 0-0 0-0 0, Richardson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-69 13-22 74.

WASHINGTON ST. (20-12)

Casto 6-11 2-6 14, Lodwick 1-3 0-0 3, Capers 2-5 0-0 4, Thompson 7-16 9-10 25, Moore 3-5 1-2 8, DiIorio 0-0 4-4 4, Aden 7-12 1-2 19, Motum 3-6 2-2 8, Loewen 0-0 0-0 0, Enquist 0-0 0-0 0, Simon 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-58 19-26 85.

Halftime_Washington St. 36-18. 3-Point Goals_Long Beach St. 9-30 (Ware 4-11, Plater 4-13, Chang 1-2, Wilson 0-1, Dervisevic 0-1, Anderson 0-1, Robinson 0-1), Washington St. 8-18 (Aden 4-6, Thompson 2-6, Moore 1-2, Lodwick 1-3, Motum 0-1). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Long Beach St. 37 (Robinson 14), Washington St. 41 (Casto, Lodwick, Thompson 7). Assists_Long Beach St. 12 (Anderson 5), Washington St. 17 (Moore 5). Total Fouls_Long Beach St. 19, Washington St. 17. Technical_Robinson. A_4,213.