National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Washington St. 84, Portland 68
When: 10:30 PM ET, Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Where: Key Arena, Seattle, Washington
Officials: # Rick Batsell, # Mike Greenstein, # J.T. Orr
Attendance: 8441

Junior guard Klay Thompson exploded for 35 points as Washington State rolled past Portland 84-68 in the sixth annual Cougar Hardwood Classic at the KeyArena in Seattle.

Thompson, a first-team all Pac-10 selection last season, was 13 for 16 from the field, including 3 for 4 from 3-point range. He scored the first nine points of the game as the Cougars (2-0) improve to 6-0 in the classic.

The monster game was not a career high for Thompson, who scored 43 points against San Diego on Nov. 28, 2009.

Faisal Aden added 21 points for the Cougars, who held a 24-4 lead eight minutes into the game.

The Pilots (4-2) got themselves out of the hole, closing to within 57-56 after Nemanja Mitrovic's 3-pointer with 10:55 left in the game. But the Cougars rallied back with a 7-0 run with four points from Thompson and a 3-pointer by Patrick Simon. They would outscore the Pilots 25-12 over the final 10 minutes of the half.

Jared Stohl led Portland with 21 points, followed by 17 from Mitrovic and 12 from Luke Sikma, son of seven-time NBA all-star Jack Sikma.

Mitrovic, who scored 12 second-half points for the Pilots, went down with an injury with 9:14 remaining and did not return.

Up next for the Cougars is a Friday road date against Fresno State. Portland will host UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night.
Top Game Performances
 
Portland   Washington St.
Jared Stohl 21 Scoring Klay Thompson 35
Eric Waterford 4 Assists Marcus Capers 5
Luke Sikma 6 Rebounds DeAngelo Casto 7
Luke Sikma 4 Free Throws Made Klay Thompson 6
Tim Douglas 3 Steals Faisal Aden 2
Kramer Knutson 2 Blocks Marcus Capers 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Portland 68 35.4 10-27 12-15 14 32 4 7
Washington St. 84 58.8 11-21 13-19 12 27 11 5