Motum's huge game not enough in Coug loss

BROCK MOTUM FILLED up the basket like he had never done before -- alas, Wazzu's defense cancelled it out. In the 71-67 loss to ASU, the Cougars allowed the Sun Devils to shoot 54.5 percent from the field and 46.7 from beyond the arc. You're just not going to win many games in the Pac-12 with that kind of D, even when your star player goes for 30-plus.

Washington State played from behind virtually the entire game. And the Cougs just aren't the kind of team that puts together a lightning fast 10-0 run -- when they've erased significant deficits this season, it's been done in a methodical, measured manner.

And when WSU can't find their rhythm, you have losses like the one to ASU today. A game where the Cougs spent most of the second half down by 4-10 points and unable to ever quite get there.

But Motum sure did give it a try.

MOTUM HIT ON 13-19 shots and was perfect from the FT line (6-6). He was also the main man on the boards for the Cougs, grabbing a team-high eight rebounds.

The Cougars were without Faisal Aden (knee) but ASU was in worse shape -- the Sun Devils dressed only six players on scholarship.

THINGS LOOKED PROMISING for a Cougar comeback victory in the first half. Suddenly trailing by eight points, it looked as if ASU might run away with it.

Instead, D.J. Shelton keyed the Cougars' rally when he drew an offensive charge -- his second of the half. Shelton looks like he could develop that skill to the level DeAngelo Casto did before him, and Kyle Weaver did before Casto.

Motum and Reggie Moore subsequently drew offensive charges of their own and the Cougs wiped out the 8-point deficit, eventually trailing at halftime by a single point.

But ASU came out of the locker room and promptly built their lead to eight before five minutes had elapsed. Despite Motum's output, the Cougars never got over the hump.

NOTABLE NOTES:

Davonte Lacy was the only other Cougar in double figures, with 13 points on 3-9 shooting. All but one of his shot from the floor were three point attempts.

Moore had nine points and eight assists. He was 3-10 from the field.