Washington State stumbled to its worst offensive game of the season and Hawaii pulled away from the cold-shooting Cougs in the second half.

WSU posted season lows in points and field-goal percentage, falling 62-51 to the Rainbow Warriors on Friday night during the semifinal round of the Diamond Head Classic at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.

“We just gotta get tougher, grittier,” WSU coach Kyle Smith said. “Like I’ve said, this (tournament) was going to test us. We can’t crack. We gotta keep persevering.”

The Cougars (5-7) meet Utah State in the third-place game of the eight-team holiday tourney at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. For the first time in program history, the host Warriors (8-3) advanced to the title game, which will tip off at 5:30 p.m. on Christmas Day against SMU.

WSU went up by eight points midway through the first half, but the advantage faded as the Cougars lost all traces of momentum on offense. WSU scored three points over the final 7:34 of the first half, allowing Hawaii to take a 24-23 lead at the break.

The teams were locked in a one-possession game for the first 10 minutes of the second half, but Hawaii eventually capitalized on one of several Cougar droughts and used an 8-0 run, which spanned more than four minutes, to gain separation.

After WSU stopped the bleeding with about five minutes remaining, Warrior forward Samuta Avea responded with a 3 and a midrange jumper, and Hawaii extended the lead to a game-high 15 points with 2:29 on the clock.

WSU’s offense looked out of sorts throughout the game, suffering long stretches of stagnation with minimal ball movement and forced shots. When the Cougs had clean looks at the rim, they couldn’t finish consistently. Their open 3-point attempts rattled out.

WSU shot 18 of 59 (30.5%) from the field and tied a season-low in made 3s, finishing 3 of 13 from distance. The Cougs’ previous season-low in scoring was 59 points – in losses to both Baylor and Prairie View A&M. Before Friday, their worst shooting performance of the season was a 14-for-44 (31.8%) effort in a 70-59 loss at Prairie View A&M on Nov. 15.

The Cougars also recorded just two assists against 12 turnovers against Hawaii.

“They really lock up on you,” Smith said of the Rainbow Warrior defense. “That’s not an excuse for two assists. We had to finish around the rim (better). … They just kept getting physical with us, and we weren’t able to power through it.

WSU guard TJ Bamba, the team’s leading scorer this year, tallied 19 points on 6 of 18 shooting. No other Cougs scored in double figures.

Standout post Mouhamed Gueye, who got in foul trouble early, contributed seven points and seven rebounds. Freshman center Adrame Diongue played a career-high 14 minutes and added five points and eight boards off the bench.

Starting point guard Justin Powell, who averages 11.5 points per game, was held scoreless. Guard Jabe Mullins had seven points and shot 1 of 4 from 3-point range a day after hitting a late triple to lift the Cougs to a 66-64 win over George Washington.

The Cougs were missing forward Andrej Jakimovski, who sat out for “load management” after playing limited minutes in WSU’s win over George Washington. A foot injury had kept Jakimovski sidelined for the Cougars’ first 10 games of the year.

Avea led the Warriors with 19 points on 8 of 14 from the field. Guard Jovon McClanahan totaled 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. Hawaii shot 3 of 11 on 3-pointers but converted 20 of 36 attempts inside the arc – more than good enough to outpace WSU’s flailing offense.

Coug/Warrior connections

Smith and Hawaii coach Eran Ganot worked together as Saint Mary’s assistants from 2003-06. Warrior guard Justus Jackson, who scored two points, is the son of former star WSU wide receiver Chris Jackson – a 1,000-yard receiver for the Cougs’ 1997 Rose Bowl team. Former WSU basketball standout Derrick Low (2004-08) is Hawaii’s radio broadcast analyst. He called the game. Former Coug guard Ryan Rapp (2019-22) is now a backup for the Warriors. He did not play Friday.