(1090 The Fan) — The Washington State Cougars survived multiple Utah chances late to secure its first Pac-12 win of the season, a 49-46 win Sunday in the Wallis Beasley Coliseum.
It was a one possession game the majority of the final 20 minutes and Washington State (8-8, 1-3) edged out in front 46-44 with 4:25 left when Dexter Kernich-Drew made a jumper. A free throw would give the Cougars a 3-point lead that Utah couldn’t top despite multiple opportunities.
A charge call on Cougars’ guard Que Johnson gave Utah the ball, down one point with 26.9 seconds left. Utah, though, would turn the ball over due to a travel call on guard Brandon Taylor.
Que Johnson led the Cougars with 14 points, fellow guard Kernich-Drew added 11 points and forward D.J. Shelton pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
The Cougars had to fight back from a 24-19 halftime deficit, which saw the team once again struggle to score in the half court. Washington State, though, outscored Utah 30-22 in the second half for the come-from-behind victory in front of its hometown crowd.
Jordan Loveridge had a game-high 15 points to pace the Utes, while teammate Delon Wright finished with 14 points and three assists.
In a matchup of two of the bottom tier scoring offenses in the Pac-12, neither team shot well from the field.
Utah shot just 4-for-19 in the second half as it squandered its halftime lead, ultimately finishing at 29 percent for the game. The Cougars were slightly better at 37 percent for the game.
Washington State will head to the Bay Area this week for games against Stanford and Cal.
-Anthony Dion, 1090 The Fan
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