Isaac Jones scores 20 as Washington State rallies past Drake

Field Level Media|published: Fri 22nd March, 24:49 2024

Mar 21, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Washington State Cougars guard Isaiah Watts (12) controls the ball against Drake Bulldogs forward Darnell Brodie (51) in the first half in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha. credits: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Isaac Jones recorded 20 points and 11 rebounds and Isaiah Watts made the go-ahead shot to help Washington State post a 66-61 victory over Drake in an East Region first-round contest on Thursday night at Omaha, Neb.

Jaylen Wells added 17 points and nine rebounds as the seventh-seeded Cougars (25-9) won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2008.

Atin Wright scored 20 points for the 10th-seeded Bulldogs (28-7). Tucker DeVries had 14 points and six assists and Darnell Brodie contributed 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.

The Cougars face No. 2 seed Iowa State in Saturday's second round.

Watts drained a 3-pointer with 1:51 left to give the Cougars a 61-59 lead. Watts added two free throws to make it a four-point margin with 34.8 seconds remaining.

Andrej Jakimovski made 3 of 4 free throws down the stretch as Washington State held on.

The Cougars shot 38.2 percent from the field, including 7 of 14 from 3-point range.

The Bulldogs made 42.4 percent of their shots and were 5 of 15 from behind the arc.

Drake led by one point eight minutes into the second half before it increased its lead to eight with a 9-2 run.

Brodie made two free throws and Wright hit a jumper to account for a 54-46 lead with 7:47 left in the game.

But Washington State answered with a 9-1 run with Wells hitting two free throws, Jakimovski draining a 3-pointer and Jones adding a basket to bring the Cougars within one with 5:15 remaining.

After Wright split two free throws for Drake, Jones made two free throws for Washington State to tie it at 55 with 4:28 remaining.

Kevin Overton followed with a 3-pointer to push the Bulldogs back ahead with 4:14 remaining before the Cougars closed strong.

Jones scored nine first-half points as Washington State led 33-29 at the break. DeVries and Wright tallied nine apiece in the half for Drake.

Overton and DeVries both hit treys during a 9-0 run that gave the Bulldogs a 19-15 lead with 9:41 left in the half. The Cougars answered with a 13-4 burst and Jones scored the final four points to give Washington State a 28-23 edge with 3:34 remaining.

DeVries' layup pulled Drake within 31-29 with 33 seconds left before Jones made the final basket of the half.

—Field Level Media