Andrej Jakimovski scored 17 of his game-high 20 points in the first half and grabbed six rebounds as Washington State cruised to a 93-53 victory against Utah Tech on Friday afternoon in Pullman, Wash.
Myles Rice scored 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field, and Jaylen Wells added 16 for the Cougars (4-1), who shot 56.1 percent for the game (32 of 57), including 15 of 23 (65.2 percent) from 3-point range. Teammate Rueben Chinyelu contributed eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Jakimovski shot 5 of 8 on 3-pointers, with Wells going 4 for 6. Rice and Joseph Yefusu were 2 for 3 apiece from long distance.
Kymana Houinsou led WSU with five assists.
Beon Riley and Noa Gonsalves scored 11 points apiece for Utah Tech (2-3), which was limited to 29.8 percent shooting (17 of 57).
After trailing by eight points early, the Trailblazers pulled within 29-27 on a 3-pointer by Aric Demings with 5:56 remaining in the first half.
But the Cougars closed the first half with a 16-0 run to take a 45-27 lead and then scored the opening five points after the intermission to extend the advantage to 50-27.
Jakimovski and Rice combined for the first 10 points in the run, with Rice sparking it with a pull-up jumper before Jakimovski made a 3-pointer. A dunk by Rice and three free throws by Jakimovski made it 39-27.
Wells and Jabe Mullins made 3-pointers in the final minute of the half to extend the lead.
Two free throws by Demings finally stopped the run at the 17:38 mark of the second half, ending Utah Tech’s scoreless streak at 8:18.
The Trailblazers’ Tanner Christensen and Jaylen Searles, who both entered the game averaging double-digits in scoring, combined for eight points on 2-for-14 shooting.
–Field Level Media