vs. Washington (13-12, 5-9) | Saturday, Feb. 11 | 7:30 p.m. PT | Beasley Coliseum (Pullman, Wash.)
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  Watch | Pac-12 Network (JB Long & ldridge Recasner)
  Listen | WSU Learfield Radio Network (Matt Chazanow & Craig Ehlo)

OPENING FIVE
1. The Cougars host the Washington Huskies in the first half of the Boeing Apple Cup Series, Saturday, Feb. 11 at Beasley Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT with coverage on Pac-12 Networks. Last year, WSU and UW split the series, with each side winning at home, 78-70. In the first matchup, Wazzu beat UW in Pullman behind a then-career-high 25 points from Mouhamed Gueye. During the rematch in Seattle, the Huskies won 78-70. Michael Flowers scored a season-high 30 points and Mouhamed Gueye added 10 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
2. Last time out, WSU fell at NO. 9/9 UCLA, 52-76. Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 24 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, on Saturday night in the win. WSU was without second-leading scorer DJ Rodman. The senior missed both games in Los Angeles because of illness. TJ Bamba led WSU with 19 points. Justin Powell added 17, hitting five 3-pointers.
3. The Cougars average 8.6 made 3-point field goals per game, more than any other team in the Pac-12 and 12th among major conference programs. WSU sits second in the Conference in 3-point percentage at 35.8%. Individually, three Cougars are amongst the top-10 shooters in the Conference, led by Jabe Mullins in fourth with a 42.4% (42-of-99) clip from beyond the arc. Justin Powell sits fifth at 41.7% and DJ Rodman is ninth in the Pac-12 with a 38.5% clip. Nine times this season WSU has made 10+ threes.
4. Mouhamed Gueye has turned into a double-double machine, with 10 double-doubles this season. Last Thursday at USC, Gueye scored a career-high 31 points, 20 in the first half, and grabbed 12 rebounds for his third-straight double-double. The Senegalese sophomore is averaging 13.7 ppg (12th in Pac-12) and 8.2 rpg (third in Pac-12). Fifteen times this year Gueye has led the Cougs in rebounding, and he has grabbed more offensive rebounds than any other player in the Pac-12 with 86 offensive boards. Six times, Gueye has grabbed 6+ offensive rebounds.
5. Justin Powell averages 2.7 assists per game with a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. Powell's distribution rate ranks 14th in the Pac-12. Ten times this season Powell has not given up a turnover. The Prospect, Ky., native is also fifth in the Conference shooting from beyond the arc with a 41.7% clip.

COUGARS VS HUSKIES
Washington State returns to the Palouse for its final homestand of the regular season. The Cougars host the Washington Huskies in the first half of the Boeing Apple Cup Series, Saturday, Feb. 11 at Beasley Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT with coverage on Pac-12 Networks. Last season the programs split the series with matching 78-70 victories at home. In the first matchup, Feb. 23, 2022, Wazzu beat UW in Pullman behind a then-career-high 25 points from Mouhamed Gueye. Efe Abogidi added a 21-point, 14-rebound double-double. During the rematch in Seattle, Feb. 26, the Huskies returned the favor with a 78-70 win. Michael Flowers scored a season-high 30 points and Mouhamed Gueye added 10 points and seven rebounds in the loss.

LAST TIME OUT – AT UCLA
WSU 52 - UCLA 72 | FEB. 4, 2023 | LOS ANGELES
Last time out, WSU fell at NO. 9/9 UCLA, 52-76. Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 24 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, on Saturday night in the win. Washington State was without second-leading scorer DJ Rodman. The senior missed both games in Los Angeles because of illness. The Cougars were led by TJ Bamba with 19 points. Justin Powell added 17, hitting five 3-pointers.

NEXT UP
The Cougars conclude their home regular season scheduled next weekend, hosting the Oregon schools. WSU plays host to Oregon State, Thursday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. The game will be carried on ESPNU. Last season the Cougs swept the Beavers, defeating OSU in Corvallis in overtime, Feb. 28. Gueye scored nine of his 18 points in overtime to secure WSU's 103-97 victory. In the return trip to Pullman, the Cougars beat OSU, 71-67, as TJ Bamba scored 16 points off the bench in the win, to go with eight rebounds.

BOEING APPLE CUP
The Cougars have controlled the rivalry as of late having won three of the last four against the Huskies, including two of the last three games in Seattle. Last season in Pullman, then-freshman Mouhamed Gueye scored a career-high 25 points and added another 10 in the game at Washington. Head Coach Kyle Smith became the second Coug head coach to win his first three games against UW.

GUEYE TAKING OVER THE CONFERENCE OF CHAMPIONS
Sophomore Mouhamed Gueye, a preseason All-Pac-12 selection and All-Freshman honoree last season, has become a double-double machine with 10 double-doubles this season. Gueye has grabbed more offensive rebounds than any player in the Pac-12 with 86 offensive boards. Gueye is averaging 13.7 points per game (12th in Pac-12) and 8.2 rebounds per game (third in Pac-12). Six times this year, he has grabbed six or more offensive rebounds. Last Thursday night at USC, the Senegalese sophomore scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for his third-straight double-double. Dec. 30 against No. 11 UCLA, he snagged a career-high 18 rebounds, most by a Coug since Josh Hawkinson tallied 20 against Washington (Jan. 9, 2016).

BOMBS AWAY
The Cougars aren't afraid to pull the trigger from deep. As a team, WSU makes 8.6 3-point field goals per game, more than any other team in the Pac-12 and 12th among major conference programs. Individually, three Cougars are amongst the top-10 shooters in the Conference, led by Jabe Mullins in fourth with a 42.4% (42-of-99) clip from beyond the arc. Justin Powell sits fifth at 41.7% and DJ Rodman is ninth in the Pac-12 with a 38.5% clip. Nine times this season WSU has made 10+ threes. 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. The Cougars are 6-3 with at least 10 made 3-point field goals.

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 tied for 19th 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 17.3 attempts from deep per game - best in the Pac-12 and 18th in Division I. Against Conference opponents, Wazzu is holding teams to 32.3% from 3-point range (sixth in Conference).

BAMBA BRINGS THE BUSINESS
TJ Bamba, who has nursed a left hand injury since early January, scored a team-high 19 points at No. 9 UCLA last Saturday. Bamba has emerged as Washington State's leading scorer at 14.4 points per game, ninth in the Pac-12. Bamba has scored in double figures 15 games this season, including three games with 20+ points. Against Boise State, Nov. 12, Bamba scored a career-high 24 points - the first 20-point game of his career.  Bamba has also proven to be a formidable force, getting to the free throw line more than any Cougar. The Bronx native has made 70 of his attempts at the charity stripe, 10th in the Conference.

WINNING BIG, LOSING SMALL
Eight of the Cougars' 10 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 2-7 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 six 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 12.0 points per game after averaging just 4.6 ppg through his first 12 games. Rodman is shooting 48% from 3-point range over that eight-game span (24-of-50).  The senior veteran is ninth in the Conference in 3-point shooting with a 38.5% clip (37-of-96).

POWELL'S PERFECT PASSING
Junior transfer Justin Powell has been taking care of the rock all season, with a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. Powell is averaging 2.7 assists per game, 14th in the Pac-12. He is also fifth in the Conference as a 3-point shooter at 41.7% (58-of-139). Ten 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. 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.

MULLINS MAGIC
After a four-game absence with minor knee injury, junior transfer Jabe Mullins has returned as one of the country's top 3-point shooters. He sits fourth in the Pac-12 with a 42.4% (42-of-99) 3-point field goal percentage. Mullins averages 2.00 made 3-point field goals per game, tied for eighth 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 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. The Snoqualmie, Wash., native also rarely misses from the line, having missed just once since arriving at WSU (24-of-25) at 96.0%.

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 twice made five 3-pointers in a single game. In the win over Stanford, Jan. 14, Jakimovski scored a 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 11.2 offensive rebounds per game, which has led to an average of 11.2 second-chance points per game, compared to just 8.2 second-chance points per game for Cougar opponents on 8.4 offensive rebounds per game.

GETTING TO THE GLASS
Despite the Cougars lack of frontcourt experience, they hold a 3.0 rebounding margin this season (seventh 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.

ADRAME ANNOUNCES HIMSELF
Twice this season freshman Adrame Diongue showcased his defensive length with three rejections. Against No. 6 Arizona, Jan. 26, the Senegalese freshman registered three blocked shots, after swatting three attempts away against No. 11 UCLA, Dec. 30. Diongue ranks second on the team behind Gueye with 12 blocked shots and is averaging one blocked shot per Conference game (1.00).

RODMAN RETURNING VETERAN
As the Cougars' veteran senior, Rodman leads the Cougars and Division-I with 21 charges drawn, more than double any teammate. On the offensive glass, Rodman has pulled in 41 offensive rebounds, second-most behind Gueye, and is second on the team with 5.5 total rebounds per game. The Newport Beach native has scored in double figures six of his last 10 games, including his second-career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds at Arizona State (career-high vs Pac-12 opponent). Unofficially, Rodman leads Division I in charges drawn with 21 charges drawn this season. He is also tied for second on the team in steals (18).

TOP-5 TOUGHEST SCHEDULE & TOUGH LUCK
According to the KenPom adjusted strength of schedule, Washington State has played the fifth toughest schedule in the country. WSU is ranked 62nd in the current KenPom ratings and is the only sub-.500 program in the top 65. According to the KenPom "luck rating," a measure of the deviation between a team's actual winning percentage and what one would expect from its game-by-game efficiencies, the Cougars are the third unluckiest team in Division I this year, sitting at 361 out of 363 ranked programs.

ROSARIO'S RETURN
Junior Carlos Rosario made his return for the Cougars in the season opener versus Texas State. It had been 627 days (Feb. 18, 2021) since Rosario last played for Wazzu, having to medically redshirt his sophomore season after playing just seven games his freshman season due to medical issues. In his return to the court, Rosario scored his first-career field goal and finished with a career-high six points and three rebounds.

FREQUENT FLYERS
The Cougars have spent plenty of time in the air this year. WSU has made two separate trips to Texas this year, in addition to a trip to Hawaii. Since the start of the season, WSU has flown over 19,983 aeronautical miles.