Halftime Report
Wash. State is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They are fully in control with a 51-30 lead over Portland.
If Wash. State keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 11-3 in no time. On the other hand, Portland will have to make due with a 5-9 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Wash. State Cougars @ Portland Pilots
Current Records: Wash. State 10-3, Portland 5-8
How To Watch
What to Know
Wash. State is preparing for their first West Coast matchup of the season on Saturday. They and the Portland Pilots will face off at 8:00 p.m. ET at Chiles Center. The Pilots have the home-court advantage, but the Cougars are expected to win by 12.5 points.
Last Saturday, Wash. State earned a 76-68 victory over N. Iowa.
Wash. State’s success was spearheaded by the efforts of Dane Erikstrup, who went 6 for 7 en route to 15 points plus two steals, and LeJuan Watts, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 12 rebounds. Erikstrup’s performance made up for a slower match against Washington last Wednesday. Another player making a difference was Nate Calmese, who had 16 points in addition to six assists.
Even though they won, Wash. State struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only five offensive rebounds. That’s the fewest offensive rebounds they’ve posted since back in January.
Meanwhile, Portland was able to grind out a solid win over Lafayette on Saturday, taking the game 74-64.
Portland got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Chris Austin out in front who went 6 for 11 en route to 20 points. What’s more, Austin also posted a 54.5% field goal percentage, which is the highest he’s posted since back in March. Austin Rapp was another key player, scoring 15 points in addition to eight rebounds.
Wash. State has been performing well recently as they’ve won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-3 record this season. As for Portland, their win bumped their record up to 5-8.
Odds
Wash. State is a big 12.5-point favorite against Portland, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Cougars as a 13.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 153 points.
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