WSU Basketball Opens Conference Play with Gritty Wins on Both Sides
It wasn’t always pretty, and it certainly wasn’t easy-but both Washington State basketball programs found a way to open conference play with a win on Sunday. The women gutted out a 66-63 victory over Pepperdine in Pullman, while the men held off a late push from Portland to escape the Rose City with a 67-62 win. For two teams that have faced their fair share of challenges in non-conference play, this was exactly the kind of start they needed.
Women’s Team: A Grit-and-Grind Win Signals a New Chapter
Let’s start with the women. Kamie Ethridge’s squad has been through the wringer already this season. Their non-conference schedule was one of the most brutal in the country-Stanford, LSU, BYU, Oregon, Seton Hall, Texas Tech-every night was a battle, and the Cougars were doing it with a young, rebuilt roster.
Gone are the veteran anchors from the 2022-23 Pac-12 title team. Tara Wallack graduated, Astera Tuhina transferred to Oregon, and Kyra Gardner made the short move over to Idaho. That left Ethridge turning to a new generation of Cougs, and Sunday’s win showed this group might be ready to write its own story.
The win over Pepperdine didn’t come easy. The first quarter felt like both teams were trying to shake off the holiday rust-neither could find rhythm, and the Waves’ modest 4-0 run was somehow enough to give them their biggest lead of the night at five.
But WSU found its footing in the second quarter. Mackenzie Chatfield and Tanja Valancic knocked down jumpers to flip the momentum, and Charlotte Abraham gave the Cougs a jolt with back-to-back threes before halftime. That gave WSU a narrow lead heading into the break, and from there, it was a back-and-forth slugfest.
The third quarter was a tug-of-war, with neither team able to get much separation. But the Cougars finally broke through late in the third when Ele Villa drilled a three, and Malia Ruud followed it up with a bucket in the paint to start the fourth. Abraham added another triple to give WSU its first-and only-double-digit lead of the game.
Still, Pepperdine wouldn’t go quietly. The Waves kept answering, shot for shot, and with under a minute to go, they cut the lead to one possession on a layup from Lina Falk. Villa responded with a tough layup of her own, and after Pepperdine split a pair of free throws, WSU had a chance to ice it.
Then came the near-disaster: on the inbound, Abraham caught the ball and mistakenly crossed back over midcourt, giving the Waves a late possession with a chance to tie. But Pepperdine couldn’t capitalize, and Alsina calmly knocked down her free throws to push the lead back to five.
Even after a last-second three from the Waves, WSU held strong in the final seconds to secure the win. It wasn’t perfect, but it was gritty-and for a young team trying to find its identity, that’s a win you’ll take every time.
Men’s Team: Late-Game Drama, But a Win’s a Win
Over in Portland, the WSU men’s team had a similar storyline-control for most of the game, then a wild finish that nearly unraveled everything.
The Cougars came into this one riding a two-game win streak, and while their non-conference schedule wasn’t quite as punishing as the women’s, it still had some bite. They rank 91st in strength of schedule on KenPom, and five of their eight losses have come against top-80 opponents. So, while the recent wins have come against lesser competition, it’s clear this team is starting to figure some things out-especially on the defensive end.
That said, this one nearly slipped away.
WSU looked like they had it in the bag with under two minutes to play. Eemeli Yalaho capped a 9-0 run to put the Cougars up 12 with 1:43 left.
But Portland’s Mikah Ballew had other plans. He went on a personal 7-0 run-hitting a three and four straight free throws-to suddenly cut the lead to five.
After a pair of free throws from Ace Glass, Ballew came right back with another triple. Glass hit two more free throws, but Portland still wasn’t done.
Cameron Williams missed a three that would’ve made it a one-possession game, but Yalaho couldn’t seal it at the line, missing both free throws and giving the Pilots another chance. This time, Matus Hronsky buried a three to make it a two-point game.
That’s when WSU drew up the play of the night.
Out of a timeout, the Cougars dialed up a deep inbounds pass-think football’s version of a go route. Yalaho launched it to Jerone Morton, who caught it in stride and took it all the way to the hoop for a game-sealing layup with four seconds to go. Just like that, the Cougars avoided disaster and moved to 1-0 in conference play.
Rihards Vavers led the way with 13 points off the bench, part of a 27-point effort from WSU’s reserves. That kind of depth is going to be key as the season wears on, especially if the Cougars want to stay competitive in the WCC.
What’s Next
Both teams are back in action Tuesday night. The women will stay home to host Loyola Marymount, while the men head to Seattle to face the Redhawks at Climate Pledge Arena.
The road ahead won’t be easy, but Sunday’s wins showed something important: these WSU squads might be young, they might be rebuilding-but they’re not backing down. And in conference play, that’s half the battle.