WSU NOTES: Seniors won't be short-changed

Here's a sidebar I wrote Saturday night ...

By Josh Wright of the Tribune

Sunday, March 23, 2008

DENVER - As time crept along before Saturday's game, Kyle Weaver scrawled a two-word message on a board inside the Cougars' locker room.
"Do more," it read.
The simple memo was directed to all his teammates, but Weaver might as well have been looking his two fellow seniors in the eye. This was their time, he said, to take control. Which is exactly what they did.
Weaver, Derrick Low and Robbie Cowgill were masterful in Washington State's 61-41 rout of fifth-seeded Notre Dame, accounting for 45 points and 16 rebounds. The victory pushes the fourth-seeded Cougars into the NCAA tournament's round of 16.
The veteran trio has helped usher in the most successful two-year span in Cougar basketball history, but another early exit from the Big Dance would have been tough to stomach. Last year, the club was vanquished in double overtime by Vanderbilt in the second round.
"They wanted to win," WSU center Aron Baynes said. "We were in this position last year and we lost it. But this year, we knew what we had to do. I think our thirst was even (greater). The seniors really pulled us through (in) this one."
Added junior Taylor Rochestie, "Our seniors stepped up. It was win-or-go home for all of us, but ... it made it real sweet to just to see them just have a great game together."
Low, Weaver and Cowgill seemed to have an extra dose of intensity throughout the game. There were a couple moments, though, where it really showed.
Midway through the first half, for example, Weaver sent a nifty pass in the direction of the hard-charging Cowgill. As he released the ball, Weaver thought the Cougars were certain to get two easy points out of the exchange.
There was only one problem: Cowgill misinterpreted Weaver's move and stopped cutting to the basket. The ball was deflected out of bounds.
And that's when Weaver lit into his senior teammate, chastising him for not making the right move.
"Me being a senior, I can talk to a senior like that," Weaver said. "I feel like I can be on Robbie. 'Hey, let's get it together.' And I expect the same from him - for him to be on me when he feels like I'm not doing something I should be doing. ... That play just showed how much we wanted to win the game tonight."
Watching the seniors achieve their goal was particularly satisfying for Dick Bennett, who recruited the group to the Palouse. It even topped taking Wisconsin to the Final Four in 2000, he said.
"This is about as happy as I've been," the former Cougar and Badger coach said, "and it's better to be happy for others than yourself."
ROCHESTIE'S DEFENSE - For the second straight game, Rochestie summoned a worthy defensive performance against a dangerous player.
Thursday, he shut down Winthrop's Michael Jenkins, holding him to two points. And Saturday, he limited potent guard Kyle McAlarney to 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting.
"He really worked," WSU coach Tony Bennett said. "I think he was a little fatigued offensively. (He) didn't have a typical game."
While Rochestie tallied just six points, he doled out seven assists.
OLD STOMPING GROUNDS - The Cougs will play North Carolina or Arkansas on Thursday in Charlotte, N.C., a place that holds extra meaning to Bennett. The second-year coach met his wife, Laurel, while playing there for the Hornets of the NBA.
"That will be very special for our family to go back," he said. "But I'm just very thankful right now for what I've had the opportunity to be a part of."
Etc. - The Cougs won Saturday despite going 4-for-17 from beyond the arc. It was their second-lowest percentage from 3-point range this season. ... This is the second time WSU advances to a third game in the NCAAs. The last time came in 1941, when it lost to Wisconsin in the national championship game. Only eight teams took part in the event back then.