vs George Washington (6-4) | Thursday, Dec. 22 | 4 pm HT | 6 pm PT | SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center (Honolulu)
  Live Stats | StatBroadcast
  Watch | ESPN2 (Roxy Bernstein & Tim Welsh)
  Listen | WSU Learfield Radio Network (Matt Chazanow & Craig Ehlo)

OPENING FIVE
1. Washington State concludes its nonconference schedule at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. The Cougars opening-round matchup with George Washington marks the first meeting of the programs in school history. WSU and GWU are scheduled to tip off at 4 p.m. HT (6 p.m. PT) from SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center with coverage on ESPN2.
2. Last time out, WSU traveled to Dallas for the Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge at American Airlines Center. The Cougs took No. 11 Baylor to the brink, but ultimately fell, 59-65. Jabe Mullins returned to the court after a four-game absence and led WSU with 16 points. TJ Bamba added 14 points, his ninth-straight game with at least 14 points, and Justin Powell scored 12 points. Poor freethrow shooting (7-of-12) and 16 turnovers were too much to overcome against the 11th-ranked Bears, despite outrebounding Baylor, 32-29.
3. TJ Bamba has emerged as Washington State's leading scorer at 16.4 points per game (seventh in the Pac-12), while shooting an efficient 48.3% from the floor. Bamba has scored in double figures for nine-straight games, including a career-high 24 points against Boise State, Nov. 12 - the first 20-point game of his career - and back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in his career with 22 points against Northern Kentucky and 20 points vs UNLV.
4. As a team, WSU averages 9.4 made 3-point field goals per game, more than any team in the Pac-12 (4th in Power 6 conferences, 38th in Division I). The Cougs boast three players in the Pac-12's top-10 of 3-point shooters. Individually, Jabe Mullins leads the Pac-12 with a 52.6% (20-of-38) clip from beyond the arc, followed by TJ Bamba with a .447 clip (21-of-47). Against Detroit Mercy (Nov. 25), the Cougars set a school record with 19 made 3s.
5. Junior transfer Justin Powell has become WSU's lethal point guard threat with the top assist-to-turnover ratio in the Pac-12 (4.10, 4th in Division I), and the seventh-best 3-point percentage in the Conference at 44.4% (28-of-63). Four times this season Powell has committed zero turnovers, and averages 4.1 assist per game (seventh in Pac-12).

COUGARS VS COLONIALS
Washington State concludes its nonconference schedule at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. The Cougars opening-round matchup with George Washington marks the first meeting of the programs in school history. WSU and GWU are scheduled to tip off at 4 p.m. HT (6 p.m. PT) from SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center with coverage on ESPN2.

LAST TIME OUT – VS #11 BAYLOR
WSU 59 - BAYLOR 65 | DEC. 18, 2022 | DALLAS, TEXAS
Baylor's Keyonte George scored five straight points to give Baylor the lead for good and finished with 19, as the 11th-ranked Bears beat the WSU Cougars 65-59 Sunday night in the final game of the Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge. Jabe Mullins, back in the lineup after missing four games with a knee injury, led the Cougars with 16 points off the bench. TJ Bamba added 14 points and Justin Powell 12.

ABOUT THE HAWAIIAN AIRLINES DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC
The 2022 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic features eight teams with twelve games played over a four-day stretch at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu. This year marks the 13th edition of the multi-team event. The participating teams are George Washington (Atlantic 10), Iona (MAAC), Pepperdine (West Coast), Seattle U (Western Athletic), SMU (American Athletic), Utah State (Mountain West), Washington State (Pac-12) and tournament host Hawai'i (Big West). Four teams in the 2022 field were part of the postseason last season, including a Washington State squad that advanced to the NIT semifinals. The Cougars were the 2010 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic runner-up, while 2014 tournament champion George Washington also makes its return to Honolulu.

NEXT UP
WSU returns to Pac-12 play, hosting UCLA, Friday, Dec. 30 at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Wash. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. PT and televised on Pac-12 Networks, Pac-12 Los Angeles, and Pac-12 Washington. Last year the Cougs met the Bruins three times, picking up an 81-73 win in Pullman, before falling to UCLA 56-76 in Los Angeles and in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Pac-12 Tournament, 65-75, in Los Angeles.

RETURN TO OAHU
WSU travels to Honolulu to conclude its nonconference schedule over Christmas. The Cougars have previously competed in the Diamond Head Classic twice, and participated in the Rainbow Classic four times before that. In total, the Cougs hold a 9-9 record across six multi-team events in Honolulu, dating back to the 1973 Rainbow Classic. The Cougs have reached the championship game three times, most recently in 2010 against Butler, but have never won a Hawaiian MTE.

BAMBA'S BACK
TJ Bamba has emerged as Washington State's leading scorer at 16.4 points per game (seventh in the Pac-12), while shooting an efficient 48.43% from the floor. Bamba has scored in double figures for nine-consecutive games, including a career-high 24 points against Boise State, Nov. 12 - the first 20-point game of his career - and back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in his career with 22 points against Northern Kentucky and 20 points vs UNLV. He is also shooting well from beyond the arc with 21 made 3-pointers this season on 44.7% shooting. Bamba led the Cougs with five rebounds against Prairie View A&M to go along with a team-high 16 points, marking the second time in Bamba's career he has led WSU in scoring and rebounding (March 3, 2022 against Oregon State).

BOMBS AWAY
The Cougars aren't afraid to pull the trigger from deep. As a team, WSU makes 9.4 3-point field goals per game, more than any team in the Pac-12 (fourth in Power 6 conferences and 38th in Division I). Washington State also attempts the most 3-pointers in the Conference (24.5) and shoots better than any Pac-12 team with a 38.4% clip (94-of-245). Individually, Jabe Mullins leads WSU with a 52.6% (20-of-38) clip from beyond the arc, followed by TJ Bamba with a .447 clip (21-of-47). Junior transfer Justin Powell isn't far behind at 28-of-63 (44.4%). In the Nov. 25th game against Detroit Mercy, the Cougars set a school record with 19 made from beyond the arc. Jabe Mullins led WSU with six made 3-pointers as the Cougs finished 19-of 29 from downtown. The splash show marked the fourth time under Kyle Smith the Cougs have made 15+ from beyond the arc.

POWELL'S PERFECT PASSING
Junior transfer Justin Powell has been taking care of the rock all season, as the Conference's leader with a 4.10 assist-to-turnover ratio. Powell is averaging 4.1 assists per game, seventh in the Pac-12. The Kentucky native dished out a career-high 12 assists in his WSU debut against Texas State, Nov. 7, the most assists by a Coug in a season opener since assists became an official stat in the 1985-86 season and the most by a WSU player in any game in 13 years, when Reggie Moore tallied 12 assists against Portland State, Dec. 19, 2009. It's also the first double-double with assists since Malachi Flynn dished out 11 assists to go with 11 points against Arizona, Jan. 31, 2018. Twice this season Powell has tallied seven assists without committing a turnover. When he went a perfect 7.0 against Eastern Washington, Nov. 21, he was the first Coug with at least as many assists and no giveaways since Andrej Jakimovski tallied nine assists without a turnover against Cal, Feb. 18, 2021. Powell is also the Conference's seventh-best 3-point shooter at 44.4% (28-of-63). Four times this season Powell has committed zero turnovers.

FREQUENT FLYERS
The Cougars have spent plenty of time in the air this year. Since the start of the season, WSU has flown 10,905 miles and will return to Pullman after Honolulu with over 13,797 aeronautical miles travels.

MULLINS MAGIC
Junior transfer Jabe Mullins wasted no time opening his scoring account at WSU. Mullins scored the opening basket for the Cougs in the season opener against Texas State and never looked back. After a four-game absence with knee injury, he has returned to lead the Pac-12 Conference with a 52.6% (20-of-38) 3-point field goal percentage. Against Eastern Washington, Nov. 21, Mullins made eight 3-point field goals - the most by a Coug since Noah Williams had eight vs Stanford on Feb. 20, 2021. It's also the most made 3s by a Pac-12 player this season and tied for the most by a high-major player in Division I. He followed the EWU game with six 3-point FGs against Detroit Mercy, as the Cougs set a school record with 19 made from beyond the arc.

GUEYE TAKING OVER
Sophomore Mouhamed Gueye, a preseason All-Pac-12 selection and All-Freshman honoree last season, tallied his second-straight double-double and third of the season versus Northern Kentucky (Dec. 7). Against the Norse, Gueye finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. In the previous game against Utah, he scored 20 points with 11 rebounds for his first career 20-point, 10-rebound double-double and the first by a Coug since Efe Abogidi registered 21 and 14 against Washington, Feb. 23, 2022. Gueye also tallied a double-double against Texas State, leading the Cougars in scoring and rebounding in the season opener. This season, Gueye has scored in double figures seven times, with 17 double-digit performances in his young career. He has led WSU in rebounding eight times this year.

RODMAN RETURNING VETERAN
As the Cougars' veteran senior, Rodman entered WSU's starting lineup in the season opener against Texas State. Rodman scored 16 points, the most since scoring a career high 21 points against Northern Colorado, Dec. 18, 2021. He finished with a +14 plus-minus and 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Rodman followed up with a career-high 14 rebounds against Boise State to lead WSU on the boards, with 5 offensive rebounds. He leads the Cougars this season with 11 charges drawn, more than double any teammate. On the offensive glass, Rodman has pulled in 17 offensive rebounds, most by any backcourt Coug, and is second on the team with 5.9 total rebounds per game.

DOMINATING THE GLASS
Despite the Cougars lack of frontcourt size, they hold a +6.3 rebounding margin this season (third in the Conference). When WSU faced Northern Kentucky, Dec. 7, the Cougs held the Norse to four first-half rebounds and just 12 rebounds in the game. It marked the fewest rebounds by a Washington State opponent since Dec. 29, 1992 when Princeton pulled in seven rebounds. The last time a WSU opponent was held below 20 rebounds was when Idaho State gathered 16 boards in Kennewick, Wash., Dec. 29, 2012. The Cougars finished with a +29 rebounding margin against Northern Kentucky, the largest margin since Nov. 15, 2008 when WSU went +34 (53-19) on the glass against Mississippi Valley State and only the second time in the last 25 years. WSU followed with another dominate rebounding performance against UNLV, limiting the Runnin' Rebels to 20 total boards (five in the first half) and finished with a +13 advantage on the glass.

INJURY BUG BITES EARLY
The Cougs have been short-handed since the start of the season due to injury. Prior to the season starting, the Cougars announced they will be without junior Dishon Jackson or redshirt freshman Myles Rice. Both are out indefinitely due to medical issues. Rice announced publicly in October he has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and is undergoing treatment. Jackson did not disclose his medical issue and asked for privacy. WSU has also been without Jakimovski (foot) since preseason. Junior transfer Jabe Mullins, one of the hottest shooting guards in the country, missed four games with a knee injury. In addition, Darling, Diongue, Rodman, and Rosario have each missed at least one game at different times due to illness or injury.

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