BearTalk

Being close for 20 minutes hasn’t gotten it done for Washington State.

The Cougars, who host Cal tonight at Friel Court, have trailed by a total of 17 points in their five defeats this season. That works out to an average halftime margin of just 3.4 points.

Problem is, WSU hasn’t been able to maintain in the second half. In those losses, the Cougs have been outscored by a total of 57 points, or 11.4 per game, in the second half.

The teams that have conquered the Coug — top-ranked Pitt, Baylor, Gonzaga, LSU and Washington — occupy the same strata as the teams they will face in the Pac-10.

“Obviously, against high-level competition you have to play the majority of the game, 40 minutes, or it won’t be good enough,” WSU coach Tony Bennett said this week.

“When we’ve been in the game, we’ve played well I think it’s because defensively we’ve been rock solid,” Bennett added. “Even in those games where we’ve struggled to score, our defense has held us in there.”

For a while.

WSU is averaging just 49.4 points in its losses, and players who played complementary roles in the past are now struggling as starters.

Cal coach Mike Montgomery, who watched the Cougars last year in his role as a TV analyst, sees the difference between that 26-9 club and this year’s squad, which is 8-5.

Gone are guards Kyle Weaver and Derrick Low and forward Robbie Cowgill, who combined to average more than 33 points. More than that, Weaver and Low could create offense for themselves and their teammates.

“They’re struggling to score a little bit,” Montgomery said. “(Daven) Harmeling and Caleb Forrest are guys who have been there a long time, but they’ve been more in a supporting role. Now they’ve become more primary performers, and it’s not been as easy for them.”

Taylor Rochestie returns at the point, but he also has suffered without Low and Weaver. His scoring numbers are about the same, but he’s slipped from a 43.4-percent 3-point shooter to 29.2 this year.

“The ball’s in his hands all the time now and he’s got to try to create for other people now,” Montgomery said. “The dynamic has changed. I think sometimes people didn’t realize how good Low and Weaver were. And even Cowgill, those guys really got it.”

The other returning starter is 6-foot-10, 270-pound center Aron Baynes, who leads the team at 11.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, but takes barely seven shots per game.

“He’s good,” Montgomery said. “Washington monstered down on him some (with double teams), and he’s pretty good at passing it out of there. If he gets it low, he can score. He’s got a pretty good left-right jump hook.”

The fifth starter is shooting guard Klay Thompson, son of former NBA standout Mychal Thompson. Klay is primarily a perimeter scorer, as evidenced by the fact he’s attempted only 11 free throws in 13 games.

BENNETT IMPRESSED BY CAL: Cougars coach Tony Bennett, like almost everyone else, was caught a bit off guard by Cal’s performance on the opening weekend of the Pac-10 season.

“I’m surprised the way they handled Arizona and Arizona State, yeah,” Bennett told the Spokane Spokesman-Review. “I thought those would be battles. They handled them. Which tells you a lot about how well they’re playing.”

The arrival of Montgomery as the Bears’ coach would have an immediate impact, Bennett knew, but he didn’t anticipate the transformation of point guard Jerome Randle.

“I knew they would be very well coached and physical and tough,” Bennett said. “I didn’t know Randle would be playing as well as he is. He’s playing as well as any guard in the country right now.”

Rochestie will draw the assignment of trying to neutralize Randle.

“The direct challenge is he has a green light to score,” Rochestie said. “Anybody who has the green light, especially if they are playing well and has confidence, is hard to guard.

“The fact he has the confidence to pull up and shoot the 3 right away, that immediate threat makes you get out and guard him. And then he’s one of the quickest players in the country. So if you try to get out and guard him, he can also go by you.”

TIPOFF: 7 p.m. Thursday, Friel Court, Pullman, Wash.
TV: None. RADIO: 1550 AM.

NOTES: Cal is 15-15 the past 15 seasons on the Washington road trip . . . The Bears won 69-64 at WSU last year, led by Ryan Anderson’s 27 points . . . Jerome Randle, who has made 19 of his past 20 free throw attempts, has moved into the No. 1 spot on Cal’s career FT percentage list at 85.7 (198-for-231). He is just ahead of Michael Chavez, who shot 84.3 percent (198-for-235) from 1980 through ’83 . . . Cal remains No. 1 nationally in 3-point accuracy at 50.5 percent. Well back in second is Miami-Ohio at 42.9 percent.

 
   PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS:

   Cal (13-2, 2-0):
   PF Jamal Boykin, 6-8, Jr., 9.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg
   SF Theo Robertson, 6-5, Jr., 11.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg
   C Jordan Wilkes, 7-0, Jr., 4.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg
   SG Patrick Christopher, 6-5, Jr., 15.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg
   PG Jerome Randle, 5-10, Jr., 19.5 ppg, 5.1 apg

   Washington State (8-5, 0-1):
   PF Caleb Forrest, 6-8, Sr., 6.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg
   SF Daven Harmeling, 6-7, Sr., 6.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg
   C Aron Baynes, 6-10, Sr., 11.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg
   SG Klay Thompson, 6-6, Fr., 10.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg
   PG Taylor Rochestie, 6-1, Sr., 10.2 ppg, 4.5 apg