Men’s college basketball recap

MOSES LAKE — With each passing day, March hoops draws nearer. As Washington men's basketball teams start to make their push toward the postseason, see below how they have fared and where they stand.   

Gonzaga (19-1)   

The Zags are on a roll, winning their 12th straight game Saturday against Seattle University. Mario Saint-Supéry finished with 20 points, Jalen Warley scored 14 and Davis Fogle put up 13. The Bulldogs out-rebounded Seattle 44-24 as they sealed a 71-50 win.   

The Bulldogs are currently ranked as the eighth-best team in the nation, according to the Associated Press rankings. On average, the Zags’ best scorers have been Graham Ike with 18 per game and Braden Huff with 17 per game. Ike also averages eight rebounds per game, which leads the team this season.   

The Zags look to continue their win streak Wednesday, when they host Pepperdine at 6 p.m.  

University of Washington (10-8)  

After a 6-1 start to their season, the Huskies have stumbled a few times, most recently dropping their last two games to the Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans.   

Against the Wolverines, JJ Mandaquit had a career-high 15 points, according to a statement by UW Athletics. The freshman connected on 5-of-8 field goals (with a career high in three-pointers) and added four rebounds and two assists. Quimari Peterson put up 13 points, including four threes, and Zoom Diallo registered 12 points.  

Against the Spartans, Diallo led the Huskies with 18 points for his ninth-straight game in double digits. The Huskies pulled within five in the second half but could not take the lead.  

They are 2-5 in the Big Ten conference, which makes them 14th overall. They are also unranked nationally. The Huskies will have a chance to turn their season around on Jan. 21 when they face seventh-ranked Nebraska at 6 p.m.  

Washington State (8-12)   

The Cougars are looking to break a three-game losing streak Wednesday, when they travel to play San Diego at 6:30 p.m. Currently 3-4 in conference play, WSU’s most recent stumble came against San Francisco on Sunday.   

The Cougars held a four-point lead with just over two minutes left in the game before the Dons clamped down and held WSU scoreless until the final buzzer. With just over seven minutes left, ND Okafor delivered a turnaround hook shot to give the Cougs a seven-point lead.  

The Dons went on an 8-0 run over the next three minutes, regaining the lead with four minutes remaining. Jerone Morton scored a driving layup, followed by a 3-pointer, seizing control back for WSU with 2:30 remaining. Morton's triple proved to be WSU's final field goal, as the Dons closed the game on a 9-0 run, reclaiming the lead with 91 seconds to play.  

“We’ve got to do a better job defensively. The rebounding is something that's been a strength of ours this year, and that first half in particular is another stretch that I think really hurt us,” head coach David Riley said.   

Central Washington (9-9)   

The Wildcats are 3-4 in the Greater Northwest Athletic Conference and are looking to turn their season around. Their most recent win came against Montana State-Billings, defeating the Yellowjackets 85-72.  

“That was a very gutsy win by this team. Billings is hard to beat at home. We have been defending well the last stretch of games. Unfortunately, we just haven't been making shots. The lid finally came off the basket for us in the second half, with us going 6-10 from 3,” head coach Brandon Rinta said.   

In the second half, MSUB found chances to cut the lead down mostly off of free throws as the 'Jackets got the score to 65-66, but then the 'Cats responded in a big way with an 11-3 run off three-pointers from Jordan Clark, Bradley Swillie and Jamari Harris to make it a 77-68 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the game, according to a release from CWU Athletics.   

Miles Gurske got fouled to get to the charity stripe and he drained both to keep MSUB's chances alive, but CWU's defense held strong and got a pair of free throws from Xavier Kamalu-Vargas to make it a nine-point lead, then Swillie hit the dagger on a layup to make it 81-70. The Yellowjackets fought to try and cut the lead down, but Central held on to win it 85-72.  

The Wildcats return to the hardwood Thursday to host Saint Martin's at 7:30 p.m.  

Eastern Washington (4-14)  

The Eagles earned some momentum Saturday when they defeated the Idaho State Bengals 84-66 on the road.   

According to a statement by EWU Athletics, their offense was led by Isaiah Moses' game-high 22 points. Alton Hamilton IV followed with 15 points and a team-best nine rebounds, while Kiree Huie and Johnny Radford each added 12. JoJo Anderson rounded out the scoring in double figures with 11 points, and Huie anchored the defense with three blocks.  

“The key to this one was we came out very aggressive,” said associate head coach Ryan Lundgren. “We knew they were a very aggressive team, and I thought we hit them with the first punch. They didn't react very well there in the first half.”  

This win earns them their second win in the Big Sky Conference, 2-3 overall. The Eagles look to keep stacking wins in conference play when they host Portland State Thursday at 6 p.m. Lundgren said it’s an important opportunity to build on their newfound momentum.   

“Great road win," Lundgren said. “Now we've got two really good teams coming up. It'll be a challenge, but we get to play in front of our fans and hopefully build on this.” 

    Zoom Diallo (5) drives past a Michigan State defender during their game. The Huskies were defeated 80-63 by the Spartans.
  

    The Cougars’ Eemeli Yalaho (2) takes a shot from the corner against San Francisco. The Cougars fell short 85-80 on the road.
  

    Central Washington’s Jordan Clark (0) takes a contested shot against Montana State Billings.
  

    The Eagles’ Alton Hamilton IV (4) shoots a free throw. The Eagles defeated Idaho State on 84-66 on the road Saturday.