Field Level Media
Jan 18, 2019
Robert Franks came off the bench to pour in a game-high 24 points and grab eight rebounds Thursday night as Washington State cruised to an 82-59 rout of California in a matchup of Pac-12 cellar-dwellers in Pullman, Wash.
In snapping a six-game losing streak that dated back to a Dec. 22 loss to San Diego, the Cougars (8-9, 1-3 Pac-12) also put four other players in double figures. CJ Elleby, Viont'e Daniels and Marvin Cannon each scored 11 points while Jeff Pollard added 10.
Justice Sueing hit for 15 points and Matt Bradley scored 14 for the Golden Bears (5-12, 0-5), who lost their sixth consecutive game and have allowed at least 80 points in of those contests. Washington State exploited Cal's leaky defense for 53.6 percent field-goal shooting and 9-of-20 accuracy from the 3-point arc.
Franks drained a 3-pointer just 1:16 into the second half to put the Cougars ahead by 47-35, and they maintained a double-figure margin for the game's remainder. The margin reached 20 before the under-12 TV timeout on Daniels' fastbreak layup and crested at 29 in the final two minutes.
The Golden Bears canned only 39.3 percent of their floor attempts and were outrebounded 36-30. They were also outscored 38-22 in the paint and permitted 24 fastbreak points.
Washington State started the game on a 12-4 run that lasted 4 1/2 minutes. Ahmed Ali capped the spurt with a 3-pointer off Elleby's assist.
The Cougars upped the lead to 22-12 at the 12:28 mark of the first half when Elleby canned a jumper in the lane. At that point, California made its best sustained push, going on a 17-4 run and taking its first lead at 29-26 when Juhwan Harris-Dyson converted a transition layup with 5:36 left.
However, Washington State found a finishing kick that the Golden Bears couldn't match. The Cougars unleashed a 16-2 spurt to grab a 42-31 advantage on two Pollard free throws with 45 seconds left before Bradley made a layup that pulled Cal within nine at halftime.
--Field Level Media