Cougars Show Fight but Fall Short in Tight Battle with Penn
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Washington State women’s basketball delivered one of its most balanced offensive showings of the season on Friday morning, but despite a strong push in the final minutes, the Cougars came up just short, falling 67-62 to Penn.
This one was a grind from start to finish, and while WSU (1-12) couldn’t quite get over the hump, the effort was there-and so was the shot-making. The Cougars shot a season-best 48% from the field and knocked down nine threes, their most in a game this year. They moved the ball with purpose, racking up 19 assists, another season high, and kept the Quakers within reach all game long.
Down five heading into the fourth quarter, WSU kept the pressure on. Twice they trimmed the deficit to six in the final stretch, and even though Penn had answers, the Cougars never stopped coming. They closed the game on an 8-0 run, forcing turnovers and tightening the screws defensively, but the clock ran out before they could complete the comeback.
Villa Leads the Charge-Again
If there’s one constant for WSU, it’s Eleonora Villa. The junior guard was relentless, pouring in 21 points and dishing out six assists while going the full 40 minutes.
She attacked the paint with confidence, hit a pair of threes, and continued to be the engine of the Cougars' offense. With this performance, Villa now sits at 1,150 career points-good for 18th in program history-and is just seven away from climbing another spot on the list.
She also continues to climb the charts in other categories: 118 made threes (15 away from the WSU all-time top 10), 455 made field goals (45 from 500), and 2,761 minutes played-putting her within striking distance of 3,000 and inching toward the program’s top-10 in that category as well.
Supporting Cast Steps Up
While Villa did her usual damage, she got some much-needed help on the offensive end. Malia Ruud turned in an efficient 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, showing poise and touch around the rim. Lauren Glazier added 10 off the bench, helping WSU tally 16 bench points overall-a key factor in keeping pace with Penn’s depth.
The Cougars also saw a career-best performance from beyond the arc from one of their younger contributors, who knocked down two threes on four attempts. As a team, WSU shot 40.9% from deep, their best mark of the season.
Defensive Grit Keeps It Close
Even though they were outrebounded, the Cougars made up for it with effort and defensive energy. They forced 10 turnovers and made life difficult for Penn down the stretch. That final 8-0 run was fueled by active hands and smart rotations, showing that this team still has plenty of fight in them despite the record.
Alex Covill continues to be a steady presence defensively. She remains at 118 career blocks, which ranks seventh in program history, and is closing in on milestones in both rebounds (198) and points (337), needing just 52 and 163 respectively to hit 250 and 500.
What’s Next
WSU now heads into a brief holiday break before opening West Coast Conference play. The Cougars will be back in action on Sunday, Dec. 28, when they travel to face Pepperdine at noon PT.
They’ll return home to host LMU on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 6 p.m. PT.
Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
While the results haven’t always gone their way, performances like this one show that WSU is still building, still competing, and still finding ways to grow. With conference play on the horizon, the Cougars will look to turn these close calls into wins.