PULLMAN — Freshman CJ Elleby scored a season-high 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds with four assists as Washington State beat Cal State Northridge 103-94 on Tuesday night.
Evergreen High School grad Robert Franks added 22 points and seven rebounds for Washington State (4-1). Viont’e Daniels had 14 points, going 4-8 from 3-point range.
Ahmed Ali’s layup in the closing seconds put Washington State over the century mark for the first time in regulation since March 2, 2002 against Centenary.
Lamine Diane had a double-double in the first half and finished with 32 points and 18 rebounds for Cal State Northridge (1-4). Darius Brown II scored 25 points with six assists and Rodney Henderson Jr. added 16 points. Diane played with four fouls for most of the second half and fouled out in the final minutes.
WSU went on an 8-2 run to end the first half on a fast-break dunk from Elleby and two 3s, one from Viont’e Daniels and another from Elleby at the buzzer. It gave the Cougars an 18-point lead at the half 54-36.
Franks was fouled hard on a dunk attempt and hit the floor. He made both free throws but headed to the bench to be evaluated. In his absence, WSU went on an 8-0 run over 1:27 with 3-pointers from Daniels and Carter Skaggs for a 20-point lead. The Matadors went 1 for 14 during the stretch.
CSUN cut the lead to eight in the last minute after forcing a turnover in the backcourt and converting a layup. Franks hit two free throws on the next possession, followed by a steal and an easy layup to close the game.
Each team attempted at least 70 field goals, with 79 from CSUN.
INJURIES
The Cougars played without junior Isaiah Wade for the second straight contest. Wade is WSU’s second-leading scorer at 13 points per game.
BIG PICTURE
Cal State Northridge: Being handed their fourth loss on the season, the Matadors need a win.
Washington State: The Cougars have won four in a row at home but go back on the road where they have their only loss on the season.
UP NEXT
Washington State plays New Mexico State on Saturday.
