Northwestern St. Demons vs Washington St. Cougars Box Score on Dec 23, 2020

Efe Abogidi had his third straight double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds as Washington State remained unbeaten with a 62-52 nonconference victory against Northwestern State on Wednesday afternoon in Pullman, Wash.

Isaac Bonton added 13 points, six rebounds and three steals for Washington State (8-0), which is off to its best start since 2007-08, when Tony Bennett's Cougars opened 14-0 before losing at No. 5 UCLA. Teammate Myles Warren scored a career-high 11 points

Jairus Roberson led Northwestern State (1-10) with 14 points, making four 3-pointers, before fouling out in the final minute. Larry Owens added nine points and 10 rebounds for the Demons, who were playing their third game in as many days after losing to top-ranked Gonzaga twice in a row.

Both teams got a scare in the opening two minutes when Noah Williams, the Cougars' second-leading scorer, butted heads with Northwestern State's Robert Chougkaz while they were going after a loose ball on the floor. Both players crumpled to the court and stayed down for a couple of minutes. Williams, who missed practice time in the preseason with a concussion, walked slowly down the tunnel to the locker room with assistance and didn't return during the first half. But he was back in the lineup after the intermission. Chougkaz spent the final 38 minutes sitting on the Demons' bench.

Northwestern State took an early 8-5 lead, prompting Washington State coach Kyle Smith to call timeout with 16:27 left in the half.

That sparked a 17-0 run by the Cougars over the next 6:07. Warren scored eight points during that stretch, including a 3-pointer that gave Washington State the lead for good.

The Demons' Jamaure Gregg made a free throw with 10:22 left to snap the run, but Northwestern State went 10:20 without a field goal, a stretch that didn't end until Roberson's 3-pointer from the corner with 6:09 remaining made it 24-12.

The Demons pulled within 29-24 early in the second half, but the Cougars used a 13-2 run to extend their advantage back to double digits.

Northwestern State went 0-5 on a six-day road trip that began with losses to Tulsa and Missouri State.

--Field Level Media