at California (3-25, 2-15) | Saturday, Feb. 25 | 2:10 p.m. PT | Haas Pavilion (Berkeley, Calif.)
  Live Stats | StatBroadcast
  Watch | Pac-12 Networks (Roxy Bernstein & Don MacLean)
  Listen | WSU Learfield Radio Network (Derek Deis & Craig Ehlo)

OPENING FIVE
1. WSU faces Cal in Berkeley Saturday afternoon, to conclude the Bay Area road trip. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. from Haas Pavilion with coverage on Pac-12 Network. Cal traveled to Pullman, Jan. 11, with Wazzu winning 66-51, behind 14 points each from DJ Rodman and Mouhamed Gueye. Justin Powell added 12 points as the Cougs made nine 3-pointers and shot 46% from the floor. The Cougs have won six-straight against Cal and 9 of the last 12.
2. Last time out, the Cougs beat Stanford, 67-63, Thursday night to complete the season sweep of the Cardinal. TJ Bamba scored 17 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, including the go-ahead bucket with 45 seconds left. Mouhamed Gueye grabbed 15 rebounds and 15 points for his 13th double-double and sixth in the past eight games. With the win WSU secured back-to-back victories at Maples Pavilion for the first time since 1982 and 1983.
3. The Cougars average 8.9 made 3-point field goals per game, more than any team in the Pac-12 and eighth among major conference programs. Individually, three Cougars are amongst the top-10 shooters in the Conference, led by Jabe Mullins with the second-best 3-point percentage at 42.3% (47-of-111). Justin Powell sits just behind him in third at 41.6%, followed by DJ Rodman in eighth in the Pac-12 with a 38.9% clip.
4. Mouhamed Gueye leads the Pac-12 in double-doubles, with 13 double-doubles this season. Thursday night at Stanford, Gueye scored 15 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for his sixth double-double in the last eight games. At USC, Feb. 2, Gueye dropped a career-high 31 points. The Senegalese sophomore is averaging 14.2 ppg (11th in Pac-12) and 8.6 rpg (third in Pac-12). Gueye has grabbed more offensive rebounds than any other player in the Pac-12 with 102 offensive boards, ranked 13th nationally in offensive rebounds per game. Nine times, Gueye has grabbed 5+ offensive rebounds in a single game and eighteen times this year he led the Cougs in rebounding.
5. TJ Bamba has emerged as Wazzu's leading scorer at 14.8 points per game, eighth in the Conference. Against Stanford Thursday night, Bamba scored a career-high against a Pac-12 opponent, netting 22 points in the win. Bamba has scored in double figures 19 times this season, including five games with 20+ points.

COUGARS VS GOLDEN BEARS
WSU continues its three-game road swing to conclude the regular season, visiting Berkeley to play Cal, Saturday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. The Cougars and Golden Bears will meet at Haas Pavilion with coverage on Pac-12 Network. Cal traveled to Pullman, Jan. 11, with Wazzu winning 66-51, behind 14 points each from DJ Rodman and Mouhamed Gueye. Justin Powell added 12 points as the Cougs made nine 3-pointers and shot 46% from the floor.

LAST TIME OUT – AT STANFORD
WSU 67 - STAN 63 | FEB. 23, 2023 | STANFORD, CALIF.
TJ Bamba scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half, Mouhamed Gueye added a double-double and Washington State held off Stanford 67-63 on Thursday night. Bamba sank 9 of 14 shots, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, for the Cougars. Gueye finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds as WSU picked up its fourth straight win and ending a four-game losing streak on the road. Andrej Jakimovski made three 3-pointers and scored 11, while Justin Powell also sank three from beyond the arc and scored nine with five assists.

NEXT UP
WSU concludes the regular season with a road trip to rival Washington in the second half of the Boeing Apple Cup Series. The Cougars and Huskies will tipoff from Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle at 8 p.m., Thursday, March 2, with television coverage on ESPNU. In February, UW traveled to Pullman, where the Cougs beat the Huskies, 56-51, behind 20 points from TJ Bamba and 17 points and 15 rebounds from Mouhamed Gueye.

GUEYE TAKING OVER THE CONFERENCE OF CHAMPIONS
Sophomore Mouhamed Gueye, a preseason All-Pac-12 selection and All-Freshman honoree last season, leads the Pac-12 Conference with 13 double-doubles this year. Gueye has grabbed more offensive rebounds than any player in the Pac-12 with 102 offensive boards, ranking 13th nationally. Gueye is averaging 14.2 points per game (11th in Pac-12) and 8.6 rebounds per game (third in Pac-12). Nine times this year, he has grabbed five or more offensive rebounds. Thursday night at Stanford, Gueye scored 15 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for his sixth double-double in the last eight games. At USC, Feb. 2, Gueye dropped a career-high 31 points. Eighteen times this year Gueye has led the Cougs in rebounding.

BOMBS AWAY
The Cougars aren't afraid to pull the trigger from deep. As a team, WSU makes 8.9 3-point field goals per game, more than any team in the Pac-12 and eighth among major conference programs. Individually, three Cougars are amongst the top-10 shooters in the Conference, led by Jabe Mullins in second with a 42.6% (47-of-111) clip from beyond the arc. Justin Powell follows in third place at 41.6% and DJ Rodman is eighth in the Pac-12 with a 38.9% clip. Eleven times this season WSU has made 10+ threes and are 8-3 in those games.

BAMBA BRINGS THE BUSINESS
TJ Bamba, who has nursed a left hand injury since early January, scored a Pac-12 career-high 22 points at Stanford, Feb. 23. Bamba has emerged as Washington State's leading scorer at 14.8 points per game, eighth in the Pac-12. Bamba has scored in double figures 19 times this season, including five games with 20+ points. Against Boise State, Nov. 12, Bamba scored a career-high 24 points - the first 20-point game of his career. 

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 14-5 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.

RODMAN'S RETURN
During Sunday's Senior Day celebration ahead of tipoff against Oregon, senior forward DJ Rodman announced he would be utilizing his COVID eligibility rule and returning to WSU for a fifth season in 2023-24. Since returning for his senior season, Rodman has more than doubled his scoring output, while pulling in 5.4 rebounds per game.

TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK
The Cougars have made significant adjustments in ball control throughout the season, reducing the number of turnovers per game from 13.9 in the first 14 games and just one game with fewer than 10 turnovers, to 10.9 turnovers per game in the last 15 games and six games with fewer than 10 turnovers.

POWELL'S PERFECT PASSING
Junior transfer Justin Powell has been taking care of the rock all season, with a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Powell is averaging 2.9 assists per game, 13th in the Pac-12. He is also third in the Conference as a 3-point shooter at 41.6% (67-of-161). Thirteen times this season Powell has committed zero turnovers. Three times this season Powell has tallied 7+ 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.

DEFENDING THE PERIMETER
In addition to their offensive prowess from beyond the arc, the Cougars are also a top defensive team around the perimeter. WSU is 21st in the country and best in the Conference in three-point field goal defense, limiting opponents to 5.6 made 3-pointers per game. The Cougar backcourt is also quick to run shooters off the line, limiting opponents to 17.5 attempts from deep per game - best in the Pac-12 and fourth among major conferences. Against Conference opponents, Wazzu is holding teams to 31.9% from 3-point range (sixth in Pac-12).

TJ GETTING TO THE LINE
Bamba has also proven to be a formidable force to contain, getting to the free throw line more than any other Cougar. The Bronx native has attempted 114 shots at the charity stripe. He has made 82 of his attempts, 10th in the Pac-12.

WINNING BIG, LOSING SMALL
Nine of the Cougars' 14 victories this season have come by at least 10+ points. Closing out close games is crucial for the Cougs, who lost to Utah, #11 Baylor, UNLV, #11 UCLA, Colorado, and #6 Arizona by a combined 20 points. Washington State's smallest margin of victory came Jan. 14 against Stanford, a 60-59 nailbiter and the smallest margin of victory in the Kyle Smith era (first since Santa Clara Dec. 17, 2016). Seven times this season the Cougars have lost by six points or fewer, including a 1-point defeat to No. 11 UCLA, Dec. 30, the first single-point loss for WSU since an overtime defeat by Colorado, Jan. 8, 2014. The Cougars are 5-7 in two-possession games this season.

RODMAN'S NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION
Despite missing two games to illness, DJ Rodman has scored in double figures seven times since Christmas, including a season-high 19 points in the Cougs' 1-point loss to No. 11/8 UCLA. The Newport Beach, Calif., native has averaged 11.1 points per game after averaging just 4.6 ppg through his first 12 games. Rodman is shooting 46.3% from 3-point range over that 14-game span (31-of-67).  The senior veteran is eighth in the Conference in 3-point shooting with a 38.9% clip (44-of-113).

MULLINS MAGIC
After a four-game absence in the early season with minor knee injury, junior transfer Jabe Mullins has returned as one of the country's top 3-point shooters. He is second in the Pac-12 with a 42.3% (47-of-111) 3-point field goal percentage. Mullins averages 1.9 made 3-point field goals per game, 11th in the Pac-12. Seven times this season he has made 3+ shots from beyond the arc. Against Eastern Washington, Nov. 21, Mullins made eight 3-point field goals - the most made 3s by a Pac-12 player this season and tied for third-most by a high-major player in Division I.  The Snoqualmie, Wash., native also rarely misses from the line, having missed just three since arriving at WSU (25-of-28) at 89.3%.

JAK IS BACK
Andrej Jakimovski is finding his form, as the North Macedonian junior returned to the starting lineup after missing the first 10 games of the season with a foot injury. Against Arizona State, Jan. 28, Jakimovski scored a career-high 22 points, leading WSU with his first 20-point game of his career. The North Macedonian has made four or more 3-pointers three times. In the win over Stanford, Jan. 14, Jakimovski scored a then-season-high 17 points to lead the Cougars. The sharp shooter made 5-of-6 from 3-point range, matching a career-high for made field goals from beyond the arc. Jaki became the third Coug this season to make 5+ 3-pointers in a single game.

COUGS CREATING SECOND CHANCES
The Cougars have become a prominent offensive rebounding team, leading to second-chance scoring opportunities. Washington State averages 10.9 offensive rebounds per game, which has led to an average of 11.1 second-chance points per game, compared to just 8.2 second-chance points per game for Cougar opponents. Wazzu leads the Pac-12 Conference in limiting opponents' offensive rebounds, offering up just 8.4 offensive rebounds per game on average.

GETTING TO THE GLASS
Despite the Cougars lack of frontcourt experience, they hold a 2.7 rebounding margin this season (seventh in the Conference) and seven times they have posted a 10+ rebounding margin or better. 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.