San Francisco Triumphs Over Washington St. in WCC Quarters

LAS VEGAS — Ryan Beasley, a sophomore, delivered an outstanding performance by scoring a personal best of 29 points, leading San Francisco to an 86-75 victory over Washington State in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament on Sunday night.
The Dons, who are the third seed with a 24-8 record, will advance to face the second-seeded Gonzaga in the semifinals scheduled for Monday. Meanwhile, the top-seeded Saint Mary’s is set to play against Pepperdine, the ninth seed, in the other semifinal matchup.
Heading into the game, Beasley had averaged 7.7 points per game and struggled with his three-point shooting, hitting only 26% from beyond the arc. However, he managed to connect on 4 of 8 attempts from long range in this decisive game. Malik Thomas contributed significantly with 18 points and six rebounds, while Tyrone Riley IV and Junjie Wang each scored 10 points, with Wang also grabbing 10 rebounds.
For Washington State, the sixth-seeded team holding a 19-14 record, Ethan Price led the charge with three made three-pointers, finishing with 26 points and six rebounds. LeJuan Watts was impactful with 20 points and four steals, and Nate Calmese added 16 points along with an impressive 11 assists.
A key factor in the Dons’ victory was their dominance on the boards, as they outrebounded the Cougars 49-25. This significant rebounding edge translated into a 21-4 advantage for San Francisco in terms of second-chance points.