FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) In less than 24 hours, Washington State went from playing another game of catch-up to dictating down the stretch against a ranked team.
Malachi Flynn scored 26 points and the Cougars held off No. 21 Saint Mary's 84-79 to reach the title game of the Wooden Legacy on Friday.
In the opening round, Flynn hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 5 seconds remaining to seal a 75-71 win against Saint Joseph's after the Cougars rallied from 20 points down.
This time, the Cougars were the ones putting the Gaels (5-1) in a 16-point hole in the second half, and they stayed cool when Saint Mary's got within three on a 3-pointer by Jordan Ford with 47 seconds left.