WASHINGTON STATE (5-6, 0-0) at #9 WASHINGTON (12-1, 0-0) 
7:00 p.m. | Tuesday | Dec. 27, 2016
Seattle, Wash. | Alaska Airlines Arena (10,000)

SERIES HISTORY
The Cougs return to the court at Washington with a trip to Seattle that not only starts the long haul of conference play but also marks the fourth of six-straight on the road for Washington State. The Huskies come into Pac-12 play as one of the top teams in the nation thanks to the tandem of Kelsey Plum and Chantel Osahor. Plum, the all-time leading in scoring in Pac-12 history, leads the nation in scoring at 30.2 ppg. Osahor leads the nation in rebounding at 14.2 rpg and is averaging a double-double thanks to a 14.3 ppg mark. The two teams rivalry date backs to the first year of women's hoops in 1971 with 90 games having been played between the two state rivals. Washington owns a 70-20 advantage in the all-time series including having won the last three meetings.

LAST TIME OUT
A last ditch effort and a pair of career efforts proved not to be enough for the Washington State women's basketball team as the Cougars dropped a tough 69-67 decision to No. 18 Kentucky on Wednesday afternoon. For the second-straight contest, the Cougars found themselves coming up just short of a big comeback on the road as WSU trailed 26-8 after one quarter before rallying in the second quarter with a program-best 28 point quarter. Overall, the Cougs were led by Alexys Swedlund with game-high 20 points. The 20 points marked a career high for the South Dakota native as she did most of her damage behind the arc with a career-best six three-pointers. She would also come up with three of the Cougs' nine steals on the day. Right behind the sophomore, Channel Molina came up with a career-best 17 points to go with five assists. Redshirt-sophomore Nike McClure led the way with a career-best nine rebounds as WSU won the rebounding battle 38-to-37. The Cougs finished the day outshooting the Wildcats 41.3%-to-.36.7%.

ABOUT THE HUSKIES
The Huskies are 18-12 all-time in Pac-12 openers and 2-1 under head coach Mike Neighbors. This will be the ninth time Washington opened Pac-12 play against WSU. The Huskies are 7-1 against the Cougars in conference openers. For the first time in 18 years, Washington cracked the Top 10 in the regular season, checking in at No. 9 in the latest AP Top 25 poll. The Huskies are the highest ranked Pac-12 team. Washington is leading the nation in several categories this season including 149 made three-pointers. Washington is 149-of-372 from three-point range, hitting at a .401 clip and 12 different players have hit at least one. The Huskies' 11.5 three-pointers per game ranks third while the team's 90.0 points per game and 31.3 scoring margin is fourth-best in the NCAA.