PULLMAN – The all-too-sudden resurgence Washington State has experienced on the basketball court over the last few weeks can be largely attributed to the Cougars’ sharpened defense – and under that very umbrella, their diligence in guarding the three-point line.
In three of the last four games, WSU had held the opposition to 31 percent or lower from the three-point line. Arizona mustered 26 percent and Arizona State just 15.
Doing that for a fourth time in five games might have been a good way to shut down Utah, which came into Saturday’s game at Beasley Coliseum with more 3-point makes than anyone else in the Pac-12 Conference, and the league’s second-best percentage.