Washington State pulls away from Bethune-Cookman 86-58

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Robert Franks scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Carter Skaggs added 14 points and Washington State defeated Bethune-Cookman 86-58 on Friday night.

Washington State (8-4) started strong with four 3-pointers from Skaggs and built a 19-point lead midway through the first half. But the Wildcats rallied, getting a buzzer beater by Jeffery Altidort to cap a 7-0 run that tied the game at 40 at intermission.

The Cougars then opened the second half with urgency, pulling away with a 23-7 run in the first eight minutes. Viont'e Daniels scored 12 points and sparked the run by going 3 for 3 from 3-point range to give the Cougars a 16-point lead.

Later, a 10-0 run at the 7:31 mark stretched the Cougars' advantage to a dominant 24-point lead.

Franks finished 4 of 8 from long range, and continued his stellar play averaging 17.2 points and seven rebounds on the season. Skaggs has has hit 10 of 16 from behind the 3-point line his last two games.

Drick Bernstine had 10 points with 15 rebounds and 5 assists for Washington State and Malachi Flynn added 12 points and seven assists.

"We got the lead and lost our focus. We challenged them at halftime to get that focus back, and I thought they did it," said WSU coach Ernie Kent. "I thought for 20 minutes they were really locked in at both ends of the floor and played extremely well."

After rallying to tie the game at the break, Bethune-Cookman (5-9) couldn't keep the momentum and lost control in the second half.

Soufiyane Diakite led the Wildcats with 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, but was held to just four points in the second half.

Jeffery Altidort added 12 points and sparked the first half run for Bethune-Cookman by completing a four-point play. Altidort also hit a buzzer beater to end the half, but didn't score any points the rest of the game.

Brandon Tabb who leads the Wildcats in scoring with 18.3 PPG only managed just six in Friday's contest. Tabb fouled out with 9:55 remaining after committing a personal foul and then drew a technical from the official.

BCU coach Ryan Ridder said, "I think any time your team hits adversity you're going to find out exactly where you stand. We had plenty of adverse situations within the last 12 days from losing four in a row to being stuck in Atlanta for 40 hours, so we got to find out who we are."

STAT OF THE NIGHT

WSU made 15 three-pointers and ranks sixth nationally at 11.6 made threes per game. Bethune-Cookman only managed five assists all game to the Cougars 19.

BIG PICTURE

Washington State: The Cougars bounced back after a late game loss against Kansas State and took the victory at home. WSU has lost four of their last six games, but look to build off this victory before heading into Pac-12 play against UCLA.

Bethune-Cookman: The Wildcats have lost four in a row on a 12-day road trip. They look to get back on track when they head home to play South Carolina State.

UP NEXT

Washington State: The Cougars travel to play UCLA on Dec 29.

Bethune-Cookman: The Wildcats head home to play South Carolina State on Jan 3.