WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (3-1) VS UTAH TECH TRAILBLAZERS (2-2)
Friday, November 24 at 1 p.m. PT
Pullman, Wash.
Beasley Coliseum // 11,671
Radio Coverage
Derek Deis & Craig Ehlo
WSU Learfield Network
Television Coverage
Pac-12 Network & Washington
Greg Heister & Dan Dickau

OPENING FIVE
1. Washington State returns to Pullman to host Utah Tech in a Black Friday matinee, Nov. 24 at 1 p.m. from Beasley Coliseum with coverage on Pac-12 Network
2. Myles Rice continued his strong freshman start, scoring in double figures in 3 of his first 4 games, including a 21-point performance against Mississippi State
3. TwoCougars scored in double figures for the first time in their careers in WSU's win over Rhode Island, as Rueben Chinyelu scored 12 points and Jaylen Wells added 10...Kymany Houinsou also posted a career-high 13 points, adding three rebounds, a block, a steal, and two assists
4. Isaac Jones has emerged as the Cougs' leading scorer with double-figure scoring in every game, including a double-double in the win over Prairie View with 11 rebounds and 18 points...Jones is fourth in the Pac-12 with a 64.7 field goal percentage
5. Jaylen Wells scored his first-career points in WSU's win over Rhode Island, scoring 10 points at all three levels, while pulling in a team-high seven rebounds

COUGARS VS TRAILBLAZERS
Washington State welcomes the Trailblazers of Utah Tech for the programs' first all-time meeting, Friday, Nov. 24 at Beasley Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT with coverage on Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 Washington. Fifth-year head coach Kyle Smith has also never faced Utah Tech, despite 13 seasons as a head coach across three conferences.

LAST TIME OUT // VS RHODE ISLAND
WSU 78 // URI 57 // NOV. 19, 2023 // UNCASVILLE, CONN.
Isaac Jones scored 21 points to help the Washington State men's basketball team to a 78-57 win over Rhode Island in the consolation game at the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off on Sunday afternoon in Uncasville, Connecticut. Kymany Houinsou contributed 13 points in a reserve role and Rueben Chinyelu scored 12 points off the bench for Washington State (3-1), which produced 35 bench points compared to eight for Rhode Island.

NEXT UP // EASTERN WASHINGTON
Washington State plays host to the Eastern Washington Eagles next Monday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. The Cougars and Eagles met twice last year, once in a neutral site game in Spokane, before being paired for the opening round of the NIT. The Cougars blitzed EWU, 82-56, at Spokane Arena with hot 3-point shooting, led by Jabe Mullins with a career-high 24 points. Eastern would get revenge with a win at Beasley Coliseum in March, beating the Cougs 74-81, as Wazzu went without big-man and eventual second-round NBA Draft pick, Mouhamed Gueye.

SMOOTH SHOOTING
The Cougars have gotten off to a hot start from the floor, shooting above .500 in each three of their first four games. Wazzu is second in the Pac-12 Conference with a .500 team field goal percentage, trailing only No. 3 Arizona in shooting.

BLOCK PARTY
WSU has owned the height advantage early in nonconference play, boasting 28 blocks, 7.0 per game, to lead the Pac-12 Conference and tie for sixth nationally. True freshman Rueben Chinyelu swatted away three blocks in the season opener, marking the second year in a row with a true freshman tallying three rejections in the season opener. Oscar Cluff leads Wazzu with seven blocks, while all four primary frontcourt players have at least five blocks each (Chinyelu, Cluff, Jakimovski, Jones).

LIMITING SECOND CHANCES
The Cougars have used their height advantage on the defense glass to hold opponents to an average of 8.8 second-chance points per game. Wazzu averages 12 points from second-chance points.

DEFENDING THE PERIMETER
Kyle Smith's lengthy backcourt has caused problems for opponents' shooters early, so far leading the Pac-12 in 3-point defense, limiting opponents to just 23% from beyond the arc. Washington State ranks 15th nationally and is one of only seven high-major programs with a top-15 perimeter defense.

TALENTED TRANSITION DEFENSE
Fast break points have been hard to come by for Cougar opponents with just 15 transition points all season. Wazzu is quick to get back on defense, outscoring opponents in fast break opportunities 9.5 to 3.8 points in transition per game.

GETTING PAINT TOUCHES
Kyle Smith has made it clear the Cougs thrive when everyone on the team gets paint touches. Through four games, Wazzu has outscored its opponents 170 to 110 in the key. Against Rhode Island Sunday, WSU scored 52 points in the paint. The Cougars are getting over 55% of their scoring from inside the key (42.5 points per game).

JAYLEN JOINS THE CLUB
Junior transfer Jaylen Wells scored his first-career points in last Sunday's win over Rhode Island. The former Division-II star and All-American buried a triple for his first points, later adding points in the paint and at the free throw line to eclipse 10 points for his first double-digit performance. The Sacramento native also grabbed a team-best seven rebounds for a new career mark and first time leading the Cougs on the glass.

KYMANY CAREER HIGHS IN CONNECTICUT
Sophomore Kymany Houinsou enjoyed a double-digit performance in the opening half of WSU's win last Sunday, scoring 11 of his career-high 13 points in the first period. Houinsou's performance included career-highs in field goals made and attempted, while the Frenchman added three rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one blocked shot.

CLUFF FINDS HIS FOOTING
Junior college transfer Oscar Cluff found his footing in the second game of the season, exploding for 17 points and five rebounds. The Australian center shot a perfect 5 of 5 from the floor, and finished 7 of 8 from the free throw line. Cluff holds a .577 shooting average, 10th-best in the Pac-12 Conference.

MYLES' MIRACLE RETURN
Redshirt-freshman Myles Rice waited two seasons on the sideline before getting to play his first college basketball game. After redshirting his true freshman year during 2021-22, Rice was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma prior to the 2022-23 season and underwent chemotherapy treatment throughout the academic year. Last spring, Myles received his last chemotherapy treatment and was declared in remission. The Columbia, S.C. native got the starting nod in the season opener and played 29 minutes in the win. Since then, Rice has scored in double figures three out of four games, including a 21-point performance against Mississippi State last Saturday. Rice is the top-rebounder in the backcourt, grabbing 3.5 boards per game. He also dishes out 2.5 assists per game.

JONES JOINS DOUBLE-DOUBLE CLUB
Fifth-year senior transfer Isaac Jones notched his first career double-double as a Coug in a Nov. 10 over Prairie View. The Spanaway, Washington native scored a team-high 18 points with a team-best 11 rebounds, becoming one of only 12 Conference players with a double double this year. Jones currently has 18 career double-doubles, including last season at Idaho.

JAK IS BACK
Senior Andrej Jakimovski returned as the Cougars' only 4-year veteran and entered the season fully healthy for the first time since his freshman year. Jakimovski exploded for a game-high 21 points in the season opener, one shy of his career high. The North Macedonian made eight baskets from the floor, including three from beyond the arc. Jakimovski also blocked two shots in Monday's win, his first career game with multiple blocks, while also distributing two assists. Against Prairie View, Jakimovski added 14 points and nine rebounds, while grabbing a career-high four steals and dishing out two assists. With his next career start and appearance, Jakimovski will eclipse 90 games played and 50 career starts.

KYLE STARTING WITH SUCCESS
Kyle Smith is the first head coach in Washington State men's basketball history to finish with a .500+ record in his first four seasons on the Palouse. Tony Bennett posted three-consecutive winning seasons before leaving the program.

WATTS WORKS INTO LINEUP
True freshman Isaiah Watts played 10 minutes off the bench in WSU's win over Idaho, marking his collegiate debut. The Washington native made two crucial 3-pointers in the contest, finishing with six points, one rebound and a blocked shot.

COACH KYLE - KING OF THE PNW
Since arriving on the Palouse prior to the 2019-20 season, WSU Head Coach Kyle Smith has dominated his fellow Pac-12 Pacific Northwest opponents. Against Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington, Coach Smith is a combined 15-5 and defeated all three regional rivals in succession for the first time since 1993-94 under Kelvin Sampson. The Cougars have swept the Huskies, Ducks, and Beavers in Pullman for two-straight seasons and are 6-1 at Beasley Coliseum against Conference PNW opponents under Coach Smith.

HOMEGROWN ROSTER
The Cougars boast six student-athletes on the 2023-24 roster from the state of Washington, including three former Washington State Players of the Year. Senior Jabe Mullins was named the WIAA 4A Player of the Year in 2020, followed by sophomore Dylan Darling in 2022, and incoming freshman Parker Gerrits last spring.

HOME SWEET HOME
Washington State will complete its entire nonconference schedule without a true road game. WSU will host seven nonconference games at Beasley Coliseum, while participating in four neutral-site games before kicking off conference play. The scheduling quirk marks the first time since the 2020-21 season that the Cougars do not play a true nonconference road game.

TWO COUGS SIGN TO PLAY FOR WAZZU
WSU announced two new Cougars who signed National Letters of Intent to play college basketball in Pullman next fall. Evan Stinson signed as the No. 2 prospect in Washington State, a small forward from Cheney, Washington. Marcus Wilson, a native of Albuquerque, signed as a combo guard currently competing at highly-regarded Bella Vista Prep.

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