National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Washington St. 81, Gonzaga 59
When: 11:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Where: Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum, Pullman, Washington
Officials: # Mike Greenstein, # Frank Harvey, # Chris Rastatter
Attendance: 10177

Junior guard Klay Thompson scored 24 points, and host Washington State beat Gonzaga for the first time in three years, 81-59 Wednesday.

Thompson added six rebounds, six assists and seven steals for Washington State (6-1), which started the game on a 26-6 run. Faisal Aden scored 14 points and Patrick Simon added 11 for the Cougars.

Gonzaga (4-4), which is off to its worst start in coach Mark Few's 12 seasons, came back with an 18-5 run to finish the first half, and trim Washington State's lead to 30-24.

Center Sam Dower had 11 points and five rebounds as Gonzaga's only double-figure scorer. Guard Steven Gray, who entered the game averaging 20 points per game, finished with seven points on 2-of-10 shooting and seven assists.

Gonzaga shot 19 for 48 (39.6 percent) from the field, including 4 of 18 (22.2 percent) on 3-pointers.

Washington State, meanwhile, shot 30 for 60 (50 percent) and 11 for 24 (52.4 percent) from beyond the arc. Gonzaga also struggled with its 3-point defense in losses to San Diego State, Kansas State and Illinois.

Gonzaga’s treacherous non-conference schedule continues Saturday at Notre Dame, and the Bulldogs still have Baylor, Xavier and Oklahoma State this month, plus games against Wake Forest and Memphis.
Top Game Performances
 
Gonzaga   Washington St.
Sam Dower 11 Scoring Klay Thompson 24
Steven Gray 7 Assists Klay Thompson 6
Robert Sacre 10 Rebounds Klay Thompson 6
Robert Sacre 4 Free Throws Made Klay Thompson 4
Sam Dower 1 Steals Klay Thompson 7
Robert Sacre 2 Blocks DeAngelo Casto 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Gonzaga 59 39.6 4-18 17-21 17 36 3 4
Washington St. 81 50.0 11-21 10-17 21 24 3 14