vs Northern Kentucky (5-4, 2-0) | Wednesday, Dec. 7 | 6 pm PT | Beasley Coliseum
  Live Stats | StatBroadcast
  Watch | Pac-12 Network & Pac-12 Washington (Greg Heister & Dan Dickau)
  Listen | WSU Learfield Radio Network (Matt Chazanow & Craig Ehlo)

OPENING FIVE
1. WSU returns to its nonconference schedule, hosting Northern Kentucky, Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m. from Beasley Coliseum. The game will be televised on Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 Washington and marks the first all-time meeting between the Cougs and the Norse.
2. Last time out, WSU played its Pac-12 home opener, falling to Utah, 67-65 in overtime, Sunday afternoon. Mouhamed Gueye picked up his second double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds. TJ Bamba added 14 points for the sixth-consecutive game, but both fouled out near the end of regulation. It marked the first Cougar overtime loss since falling to Arizona State, 77-74, in Tempe, Feb. 27, 2021.
3. TJ Bamba has scored in double figures for six-straight games, including a career-high 24 points against Boise State, Nov. 12 - the first 20-point game of his career. Bamba is averaging a team-best 15.4 points per game on 46.3% shooting, including 46.7% from beyond the arc.
4. Until the Utah game, WSU had been shooting lights out from deep. The Cougs are averaging 9.0 made 3-pointers per game, best in the Conference and 58th in the country. Against Detroit Mercy, Nov. 25 WSU set a school record with 19 made 3-pointers. Individually, Jabe Mullins leads WSU with a 56.7% (17-of-30) clip from beyond the arc.
5. The Cougars have been short-handed since preseason, when Dishon Jackson and Myles Rice were announced out indefinitely for medical issues. Since the season-opener, WSU has been without Andrej Jakimovski (foot), while Dylan Darling, Adrame Diongue, Jabe Mullins, DJ Rodman, and Carlos Rosario have all missed at least one game.

COUGARS VS NORSE
Washington State returns to its nonconference schedule, hosting Northern Kentucky, Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. inside Beasley Coliseum. The game will mark the first all-time meeting between the Cougars and the Norse with coverage on Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 Washington. Earlier this season, WSU beat fellow Horizon League participant Detroit Mercy, 96-54, with a school record 19 made 3-point field goals behind 22 points from Jabe Mullins. Over the last 20 years, WSU holds a 3-1 advantage against Horizon League teams.

LAST TIME OUT – VS UTAH
WSU 65 - UTAH 67 (OT) | DEC. 4, 2022 | PULLMAN, WASH.
The Utes defeated the Cougars 67-65 in overtime on Sunday. WSU had trouble closing it out, getting one free throw from Justin Powell for a 59-56 lead with 14 seconds remaining. With six seconds left, Utah's Marco Anthony scored in the paint, drew a foul and converted the free throw to send the game to overtime. The Cougars tied it at 65 when DJ Rodman made three free throws with 30 seconds left. Rollie Worster made two free throws for a 67-65 lead with 25 seconds left and WSU missed a couple of chances at the rim as time ran out.

NEXT UP
WSU closes its nonconference season with a 5-game road swing, beginning Saturday, Dec. 10 against UNLV in the Las Vegas Clash. The game, scheduled to tipoff at 1 p.m. on FS1 from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, will be the first half of a Pac-12 double-header, followed by Arizona vs Indiana. The matchup will mark the first all-time meeting between the Cougar and Rebel programs.

GUEYE TAKING OVER
Sophomore Mouhamed Gueye, a preseason All-Pac-12 selection and All-Freshman honoree last season, earned his second double-double of the season Sunday vs Utah. He finished with 20 points and 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 six times, with 16 double-digit performances in his young career.

BOMBS AWAY
Until the Utah game (season low 13.3% and season high 30 attempts), Washington State has been shooting lights out from deep this season. The Cougs are averaging 9.0 made 3-pointers per game, best in the Conference and 58th in Division I.  Individually, Jabe Mullins leads WSU with a 56.7% (17-of-30) clip from beyond the arc, followed by TJ Bamba with a .467 clip (14-of-30). 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.

BAMBA'S BACK
TJ Bamba has scored in double figures for six-consecutive games, including a career-high 24 points against Boise State, Nov. 12 - the first 20-point game of his career. Bamba is averaging a team-best 15.4 points per game on 46.3% shooting, including 46.7% from beyond the arc. He 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).

POWELL'S PERFECT PASSING
Junior transfer Justin Powell is averaging 4.4 assists per game, sixth in the Pac-12. Powell also takes care of the rock, with the 3rd-best assist to turnover ratio in Division I (4.43). 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. Against Eastern Washington, Nov. 21,Powell tallied seven assists without a turnover, 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.

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. In addition, Darling, Diongue, Mullins, Rodman, and Rosario have each missed at least one game at different times due to illness or injury.

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. He leads WSU with a 56.7% (17-of-30) 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 third-most by any player in Division I this season and the most by a high-major player. 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.