FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS (3-2) vs WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (5-1)
Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024
9:02 p.m. PT (12:02 a.m. ET)
Palm Desert, Calif.
Acrisure Arena (11,000)
Acrisure Holiday Invitational

Cougar Radio Network
KXLY 920AM // KHTR 104.3FM
KTTH 770AM // KONA 610AM
Play-by-Play: Derek Deis
Analyst: Craig Ehlo

Television: truTV
Play-by-Play: Chris Sylvester
Analyst: Steve Smith
Reporter: Nkwa Asonye
Producer: Dennis Blount

Opening Tips
1. WSU faces Fresno State in the Acrisure Holiday Invitational, Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 9 p.m. PT at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif. The Cougars last faced the Bulldogs in 2012 in Pullman and have not lost to Fresno State since 2003 in Fresno. Current WSU student-athletes Cedric Coward and LeJuan Watts both grew up in Fresno. The Bulldogs are scheduled to join the Pac-12 Conference in 2026-27.

2. Three Cougars scored 20+ points in the win over Eastern Wash., marking the first time since Jan. 15, 2015 when three Cougs, Josh Hawkinson (26), Ike Iroegbu (20), and DaVonte Lacy (24), all eclipsed 20 points versus Oregon.

3. Cedric Coward scored 30 points in last Monday's win over Northern Colo., matching a D-I career-high, and become the first 30-point performance by a Coug since Myles Rice scored 35 points at Stanford, Jan. 18, 2024.

4. In the Nov. 18 win over Northern Colo., the Cougars shot 71.4% from 2-point range, the highest single-game 2-point percentage by a Wazzu team since WSU shot 74.3% from inside the arc against SMC, Nov. 24, 2017. WSU boasts the top effective FG team in the WCC with a .570 eFG%, 48th in D-I.

5. The Cougs are averaging 87.7 points per game, 25th in the country, and are 5-0 when scoring over 80 points.

LAST TIME OUT
Washington State defeated Eastern Washington, 96-81, Thursday, Nov. 21, at Spokane Arena in Spokane, Wash. Dane Erikstrup scored a season-high 24 points, going 6-of-8 from 3-point range, for his first 20-point game as a Coug. Cedric Coward added 22 points with a team-high nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and block. Isaiah Watts added a career-high of 22 points with four triples, career-high five assists, and career-high three steals.

SHARING THE ROCK
The Cougs dished out a season-high 24 assists in the win over Eastern Washington, Thursday, marking the most assists by a WSU team since tallying 27 assists against CSUN, Nov. 27, 2018.

DOWNTOWN DOWNPOURS
Wazzu had its best game of the season from beyond the arc against Eastern Washington last Thursday, hitting 16 triples at a 53% clip (16-of-30). It marked the most 3-pointers by the Cougs in a single game since setting the school record with 18 three-pointers in a win over Detroit Mercy, Nov. 25, 2022. Dane Erikstrup led Wazzu with six 3-pointers, becoming the first Coug since current Memphis Grizzlies' rookie Jaylen Wells made six triples in a win at No. 4 Arizona last February. This year's Cougs rank top-50 in the country with 10.2 3-pointers per game.

WINNING ON THE GLASS
Washington State has outrebounded its opponent in every game this season. The Cougs hold a +9.7 rebounding margin, which ranks 40th nationally and third in the WCC.

CALMESE SETS SEASON-HIGH
Nate Calmese scored a season-high 27 points, Nov. 15 against Iowa, his first 20-point performance since Feb. 25, 2023 as a freshman at Lamar. The junior transfer scored in double figures in five of his first six games at WSU.

ERIKSTRUP EXCELLENCE
Dane Erikstrup scored a WSU career-high 24 points in WSU's win over his former team Eastern Washington, Nov. 21, becoming the fourth Coug this year with a 20-point game. The Beaverton, Oregon native also grabbed eight rebounds, setting a WSU career high.

PICK YOUR POISON
The Cougars have distributed scoring across the majority of the playing rotation with five Cougars averaging 10+ points through six games. At least four Cougs have scored in double figures in five of the first six games, while four individuals have tallied 20-point performances. Cedric Coward and Nate Calmese are both top-10 in scoring in the WCC, sitting fourth and sixth, respectively.

CALMESE QUICKNESS
Nate Calmese leads the Cougars and the WCC in steals with 15 steals through six games. The Arizona native  ranks 17th nationally in steals, and leads the WCC. Calmese has led the Cougs in steals in five of his first six games as a Coug.

RIM PROTECTORS
The Cougar team ranks second in the WCC and 30th nationally with 5.7 blocked shots per game. Dane Erikstrup and Cedric Coward have each recorded a game with five blocks and share the team and Conference lead with 10 blocked shots apiece.

'JUAN, TWO, THREE DOUBLE-DOUBLES
LeJuan Watts recorded his third double-double of the year, Nov. 15 against Iowa, scoring 11 points with a game-high 10 rebounds. The sophomore transfer from EWU has scored in double figures in five games as a Coug and is averaging a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game, and eclipsed 200 career rebounds versus Northern Colorado, Nov. 18.

TRIO OF 20-PIECES
When Cedric Coward, Dane Erikstrup, and Isaiah Watts combined for 68 points, they became the first Cougar trio to scored 20 points each in the same game  in 3,598 days. The last WSU trio to achieve three 20-point games at once came Jan. 15, 2015 against Oregon when Josh Hawkinson, Ike Iroegbu, and DaVonte Lacy combined for 70 points.

SIXTH SHOOTER 'ZAY
Isaiah Watts, the only returning letterwinner from the 2023-24 roster, scored a then-career-high 20 points in the season-opening win over Portland State, finishing a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line and 4-of-5 from 3-point range in a career high 28 minutes. Since then, Isaiah has established his role as the spark off the bench, scoring 10+ points in five of the first six games, including a career-high 22 points against Eastern Washington, Nov. 21. The Washington sophomore is also grabbing 4.2 rebounds per game.

FRESHMAN PHENOMS COLLIDE
Five current WSU players were named the Freshman of the Year for their respective conference prior to arriving at WSU, including Nate Calmese (Southland), Cedric Coward (NWC/D-III), Dane Erikstrup (CCAA/D-II), Ethan Price (Big Sky), and LeJuan Watts (Big Sky).

UP NEXT
The Cougars will turn around for a game Wednesday, Nov. 27 in either the third-place game or the championship of the 2024 Acrisure Holiday Invitational. WSU will face either SMU or Cal Baptist at 6:30 p.m. or 9 p.m. PT depending on Tuesday's results. Both games will be televised live on truTV.

NATE APPROACHES TRIPLE DIGITS
Nate Calmese started his 53rd career game Thursday night, having already surpassed 100 career rebounds earlier in the week. The junior made his lone freethrow against EWU, reaching 100 career free throws. Calmese is seeking one other century milestone, 100 career assists, and currently sits at 94 total assists.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE THREAT
Head Coach David Riley has describe LeJuan Watts as a consistent threat for a recording a triple-double. The sophomore standout got the closest he's been as a Coug with five assists in a Nov. 18 win over Northern Colorado. Watts has tallied three double-doubles and four double-digit rebounding games so far.

OKAFOR BACK ON THE FLOOR
Junior ND Okafor, a transfer from California, played his first minutes as a Coug in the Nov. 11 win over Idaho. Okafor missed the first two games due to concussion protocol. In his Cougar debut, Okafor delivered a career-high 12 points, with six rebounds, a block, and a steal. In the Nov. 15 game against Iowa, Okafor pulled in five boards to eclipse 100 career rebounds.

PRICE DELIVERS 200 DIMES
Senior Ethan Price delivered two assists in the Nov. 15 game against Iowa, surpassing 200 career assists in his college career.

WYNOTT DEBUT
True freshman Kase Wynott, a native of Winchester, Idaho, and Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year for Lapwai High School last year, made his home debut at Friel Court in the win over Northern Colorado, finishing with two rebounds and his first-career steal.

THE CENTURY MARK
When the Cougs defeated Portland State, 100-92, the Cougars eclipsed 100 points for the first time since beating Oregon State, 103-97 in overtime, Feb. 28, 2022, in Corvallis, Ore. It marked the first triple-digit performance at Beasley Coliseum since beating CSUN, 103-94, Nov. 27, 2018. WSU scored 100 points in regulation for the first time since beating Idaho 109-61, Nov. 18, 2021 in Moscow, Idaho.

COWARDS EARNS PRESEASON ALL-WCC
WSU senior transfer Cedric Coward was named to the Preseason All-WCC Team. The EWU transfer started strong with a 23-point, 12-rebound double-double in the Cougs' season opener and has led the Cougars in scoring in both games to start the year.

COUGS PICKED FIFTH IN WCC
Entering the 2024-25 season as an affiliate member of the WCC, Wazzu was selected fifth in the preseason coaches poll. The last time a David Riley team was selected fifth in the preseason conference poll, at EWU in 2022-23, his team rattled off an 18-game unbeaten streak on the way to a Big Sky Conference regular season championship.