Bennett, Washington State Are Done

This was not the way Dick Bennett wanted to go out.

The Washington State coach spent the final game of an illustrious career grimacing after turnovers, stomping his feet after missed shots and exhorting his outclassed team to try and do better.

In the end, there was little Bennett’s Cougars could do to stop Oregon guard Chamberlain Oguchi, who scored 21 of his 26 points in the first half of the Ducks’ 66-55 victory in a Pacific 10 Conference men’s tournament first-round game Wednesday night at Staples Center.

Oguchi made five consecutive three-point shots and scored 15 consecutive first-half points for the seventh-seeded Ducks, who advanced to play second-seeded Washington in a quarterfinal at 8:30 tonight.

Guard Malik Hairston had 21 points for Oregon.

Trailing by 19 points midway through the second half, 10th-seeded Washington State made one final push to extend Bennett’s career by at least one day.

“I wasn’t thinking of anything,” Bennett said when asked what was going through his mind in the final moments. “I wanted to make a basket and call time. I’m just disappointed we couldn’t get close enough to strategize.”

The Cougars pulled to within seven points with little more than five minutes left on a three-point basket by Caleb Forrest before Oregon applied the finishing touches.

Bennett, best known for guiding Wisconsin to the Final Four in 2000, entered retirement with seven consecutive losses, though that won’t diminish a 490-306 record in 27 seasons that included a 36-49 mark in three seasons at Washington State.

Bennett’s son Tony, the Cougar associate head coach, will assume control of the program.

Bennett, 62, accomplished plenty during his brief stay in Pullman, ending Washington State’s 27-game road losing streak and becoming the first Cougar coach to beat UCLA in Los Angeles.

But he never could solve Oregon Coach Ernie Kent. Bennett’s Cougars were 0-7 against the Ducks.

Washington State (11-17) went into the game against the Ducks allowing a conference-low average of 57.4 points, but it became clear when Oregon (14-17) had rattled off 11 points before the first television timeout that the Cougars were facing an uphill battle.