Elleby, Cannon spark Washington St past Old Dominion 66-50

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (AP) — C.J. Elleby scored 21 points and Marvin Cannon had 10 of his 14 in the second half on Tuesday night when Washington State took control to defeat Old Dominion 66-50 in the consolation bracket of the Cayman Islands Classic.

Cannon scored 10 points in less than 10 minutes, part of a 25-6 run that broke open a one-point game. The run started with a flurry of 3-pointers, starting with Jeff Pollard that pushed the WSU lead to 38-34. Elleby and Cannon followed with triples and after a Monarchs’ layup, it was Cannon and Elleby from distance to make it 50-36. Those five 3s came in a 5-minute, 20-second span.

The Cougars kept going, getting two Cannon free throws and a dunk in quick succession, as the lead reached 60-40 with 7:42 to play. The Cougars were 9 of 15 while the Monarchs went 2 of 13 with three turnovers.

Jervae Robinson and Pollard had 10 points apiece for the Cougars (3-3).

“This was a great win for us,” said WSU coach Kyle Smith. “Old Dominion does a great job, they’re strong and they’re physical, and we had to really play as a team. I thought we were really strong defensively in the second half.”

Xavier Green led the Monarchs (3-4) with 20 points and Marquis Godwin had 11, all in the first half.

Both teams made 10 field goals in the first half and Washington State led 30-28. Old Dominion was 6 of 12 from 3-point range, 4 of 16 inside the arc. The Cougars were just 2 of 9 on 3-pointers but made six more free throws, going 8 of 13.

BIG PICTURE

Washington State: The Cougars played to win in this one, taking charge in the second half. The opposite happened in their opening game, when Nebraska broke open a close game in the second half.

“We did some soul-searching last night,” Smith said. “You never know how you’re going to bounce back from a loss, especially this early in the season. We compete hard, and a lot of guys contributed. I thought Marvin Cannon really stepped up.”

Old Dominion: The Monarchs let another one get away. They led their opener against George Mason for most of the game and were down one with 1:15 to play before losing by seven.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Cannon scored in double figures for the first time this season. … Washington State continues to force turnovers while protecting the ball. Old Dominion had 15 turnovers and the Cougars just seven. … Elleby has reached 20 points five times this season, including the last four games.

UP NEXT

Washington State faces Colorado State on Wednesday for fifth place.

Old Dominion meets Loyola-Chicago on Wednesday.

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