Turnover-causing defense, CJ Elleby are keys to victory for WSU men

PULLMAN – For the fourth time this season, Washington State forced more than 20 turnovers by its opponent.

The Cougars’ defensive effort helped lead them to a 70-56 victory over UC Riverside Sunday, their third victory in a row.

“That’s just what we do,” said WSU coach Kyle Smith. “We have some good quickness on defense and we got off to a good start in both halves.”

CJ Elleby, a graduate of Cleveland High in Seattle, scored 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting and had six rebounds for WSU. Jeff Pollard added 16 points and seven boards.

The Cougars (6-4) forced 23 turnovers that led to 24 points. UC Riverside (7-4) scored 16 points off WSU’s 12 turnovers.

“I thought our guys competed for 40 minutes, but our execution was bad, turning the ball over 23 times,” said UC Riverside coach David Patrick. “We haven’t done that all year. Kudos to Washington State for their pressure.”

WSU women prevail

Redshirt senior Borislava Hristova and freshman Bella Murekatete each posted double-doubles for the Washington State women’s team in an 87-59 victory over UC Irvine that followed the WSU men’s game.

Murekatete had 15 points and 13 rebounds in 20 minutes for the Cougars (6-4). Hristova added 19 points and 10 rebounds in what was the ninth double-double of her career.

It was the first time since March 2017 the Cougars had two players with a double-double in the same game.

“I’m really excited about this team and the growth I feel like we made,” WSU coach Kamie Ethridge said. “You’re seeing real, tangible growth out there.”

Other games

• Two Pac-12 women’s teams ranked among The Associated Press top 10 won by double-digit margins at home.

No. 1 Stanford beat Ohio State 71-52 and UCLA defeated Pacific 68-57.

• Freshman Onyeka Okongwu scored 24 of his 28 points in the second half as the host USC men defeated Long Beach State 87-76 to improve to 9-2.

• Marcus Carr scored a career-high 35 points, leading host Minnesota to an 84-71 victory over No. 3 Ohio State.

• No. 17 North Carolina, which visits No. 6 Gonzaga on Wednesday, lost at home 68-64 to 12-point underdog Wofford.

Standout North Carolina guard Cole Anthony didn’t play Sunday and is out indefinitely with a right-knee injury.

“It still said ‘North Carolina’ on our shirt,” Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said after the team’s third straight loss. “I didn’t do a good enough job to get us through.”