Washington State Basketball: Trio of Cougars Help to Drop Idaho Vandals 64-55

Nov. 14 2012; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars guard Dexter Kernich-Drew (34) dunks the ball against Utah Valley Wolverines during the second half at the Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum. The Cougars would go onto beat the Wolverines by a final score of 72-49. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-US PRESSWIRE

Washington State and Brock Motum got it going a little bit Wednesday night in their defeat of Idaho. Motum finally asserted himself in the post, scoring 26 on an efficient 11-20 night while his teammates chipped in nicely as well. Dexter Kernich-Drew scored a career high 15 and D.J. Shelton had 14, including 2 from beyond the arc for the big forward.

Meanwhile, the Vandals’ Kyle Barone was held to his season low mark thus far, scoring only 11 in his 33 minutes of work. Connor Hill added 10 and Stephen Madison 13 but it wasn’t enough for Idaho, as they dropped to 1-4 on the year. This also marks the 10th straight loss for Idaho to Washington State.

The game was getting tight as the Vandals made a run to cut the lead to 5 a couple times in the final couple of minutes, but thanks to two really nice moves to the basket by Shelton, WSU was able to play keep away. Shelton’s assertiveness late helped relieve what has been a growing problem without DaVonte Lacy on the floor due to his injured knee, a scoring threat besides Motum in the final moments. Also, Motum seemed more willing to accept the ball in the mid-range area last night, which helped space the floor better for the Cougs and the perimeters were able to slash and cut more effectively because of it.

Cougars now move above .500 with a 4-3 record. Washington State will play the Portland Pilots on Saturday before preparring for Gonzaga next week, in what is a season long 9 game home stretch at Friel Court.