PULLMAN, Wash. – Texas Southern couldn't overcome a slow first half start in a 77-65 loss to Washington State Saturday.
The Tigers and Cougars were tied at 15 with just over 13 minutes to play in the first half, but Texas Southern fell behind when Washington State went on a 27-8 scoring run that spanned nearly nine minutes of the period. The run allowed the Cougars to build a 21-point lead at the break.
Texas Southern was able to get within nine of the Cougars thanks to a 21-9 scoring run, but was unable to threaten Washington State's lead the rest of the way.
Malcolm Riley led TSU with 23 points and six rebounds. Chris Thomas scored 20, and Jose Rodriguez added 11 points, five boards and two steals.
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