Washington St. stays undefeated with narrow win at Gonzaga

Aron Baynes scored 13 points -- including nine in the second half -- and pulled down seven rebounds as eighth-ranked Washington State outlasted No. 17 Gonzaga, 51-47, at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Kyle Weaver chipped in with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists for the Cougars (8-0), fresh off a come-from-behind victory at Baylor and off to their best start since the 1991-92 squad opened the season by winning its first 12 games.

Robbie Cowgill had a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards in the victory.

"The strength of our team can be anyone on any given night," Washington State coach Tony Bennett said. "Tonight's game wasn't one where the offense was really pretty, so it's a game that I thought you have to throw it out to the sides and have someone throw it up or a guy like Kyle making a play off a dribble. Just making individual plays."

David Pendergraft had a game-high 15 points for Gonzaga (7-2), which was dealt its first-ever home loss while ranked and held to its lowest point total since a 71-47 defeat to Southern Utah on December 23, 1996.

Micah Downs had 11 points and eight rebounds, while Jeremy Pargo scored 10 points in defeat. Matt Bouldin, the team's leading scorer coming in, finished 0-for-9 from the field and didn't register a point in the contest.

"A lot of it is their defense," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "Their program is built on their defense. They do a nice job. They frustrate you, they body you, they keep your hands back and play really physical."

The game was tight early on, but leading 11-8 with 9:45 remaining in the first half, Washington State used a 15-6 run to gain control. Cowgill had six points during the spurt, which was capped by Taylor Rochestie's jumper at 5:49 to make it 26-14.

The Bulldogs scored the next five points, helped along by a three-point play from Larry Gurganious, but after a Cowgill bucket at the other end, still trailed 28-19 at the break.

The Cougars refused to push the ball early on in the second half and they paid, as Gonzaga opened with a Pendergraft layup and rolled with that momentum over the next ten minutes. Austin Daye hit a jumper from in close and drew the foul, also converting on the free throw to make it a five-point game with nearly 14 minutes to go.

Cowgill stopped the bleeding for the Cougars, but Gonzaga continued to match them nearly basket for basket, pulling within 41-38 on a trey by Downs with 7:36 remaining in the contest.

A pair of free throws by Daye made it a two-point game, 45-43, with 3:37 left. The Cougars, though, finally locked down with a little more than two minutes to play. Weaver's layup at 2:23 made it a two possession game, while Rochestie's trey was the backbreaker, expanding the edge to 50-43 with just 29 ticks on the clock.