5 Washington State players who stood out in exhibition win over Washington

SEATTLE, Wash. – Leaving the floor at Hec Edmundson Pavilion was a big party line of yelling, smiling and fist-pumping heading to the locker room.

Don’t tell the Washington State Cougars that their 84-80 win over the host Washington Huskies in the ‘Apple Cup’ men’s basketball exhibition game didn’t mean much Sunday.

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It was their first win together as a new group.

Five Cougars scored in double figures, led by Ronnie Harrison’s double-double – 23 points and 11 rebounds. WSU made nine 3-pointers in the game and outrebounded the Huskies, 40-32.

“It is definitely a great momentum-builder,” WSU point guard Lazerek Houston said. “Especially from New Mexico (a first 94-62 exhibition loss) where things didn’t go our way – bouncing back and coming to win this, it means a lot.”

Based on their final-exhibition showing, here are five WSU players who look ready for the regular season to tip off Monday at home against Davidson:

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1. Ronnie Harrison, small forward

Given his inside-outside importance and how he impacts both sides of the court, Harrison is the team’s most important contributor this season.

Case in point: During one of the Cougars’ lull periods early in the second half, WSU came back to life only after Harrison began seeing the basketball.

After not taking a shot for the first 8:20 of the second half, Harrison went on his own 10-0 run – starting with a mid-air acrobatic putback basket. He followed with a mid-range face-up bank shot and turnaround bucket. He punctuated it with a transition dunk, giving the Cougars a 56-52 lead with 9:54 remaining.

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“It is a little bit tougher in our offense where we’re giving guys a lot of freedom,” WSU coach David Riley said. “And they have to choke on that freedom sometimes.

“I thought Ronnie changed the game. … He really did a great job of playing with force.”

2. Lazerek Houston, point guard

There were stretches where Houston was too aggressive – almost too selfish – in seeking out the dynamic one-on-one…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/5-washington-state-players-stood-232602812.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-26 23:26:00

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