Washington State, which had cruised through its first four games, got its first — sorta? — scare of the season on Monday when the Winthrop Eagles trimmed a 24-point second-half deficit all the way to five points with 12 seconds to go, but the Cougars made enough of their free throws down the stretch to secure a 92-86 victory.
As they had in the first four games, the Cougars dominated this one early, taking a 16-point lead after just eight minutes had elapsed behind an 18-3 run. Tyrell Roberts and Noah Williams each rediscovered their 3-point strokes, and WSU appeared to be off and running.