SMU MUSTANGS (5-2) vs WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (6-1)
Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024
6:30 p.m. PT (9:30 p.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. Washington State faces the SMU Mustangs at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 27, at Acrisure Arena in the 2024 Acrisure Holiday Invitational title game on truTV. The Cougars have faced the Mustangs just once before, defeating SMU on their home floor in the 2022 NIT Second Round.
2. LeJuan Watts has recorded three double-doubles this season, most recently against Iowa, Nov. 15, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The sophomore transfer has scored 10+ points in six of seven games as a Coug and ranks fourth in the WCC with 8.4 rebounds per game.
3. Six Cougs are averaging 10+ points through seven games. At least four Cougs have scored in double figures in six of the first seven games, while four individuals have tallied 20-point performances.
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 .571 eFG%, 41st in D-I.
5. The Cougs are averaging 87.1 points per game, 28th in the country, and are 6-0 when scoring over 80 points.

LAST TIME OUT
WSU defeated Fresno State, 84-73, Tuesday night at the 2024 Acrisure Holiday Invitational at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. Nate Calmese delivered his second 20-point game with team-high 22 points and a career-high eight rebounds with six assists. Ethan Price added a season-high 16 points with season-high six assists. LeJuan Watts scored 14 points with a team-high nine rebounds and Dane Erikstrup added 13. The Cougars controlled the paint and defended the rim, outscoring the Bulldogs 50-34 in the key, while blocking seven shots, and outrebounding Fresno State by nine rebounds (42-33).

COWARD NAMED WCC POTW
Cedric Coward was named WCC Player of the Week, Nov. 25, for the first time in his career after matching his D-I career-high with 30 points vs Northern Colorado, while committing zero turnovers, the first 30-point performance of the season by a Coug. The Fresno native followed with 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and a steal against his former team, Eastern Washington. Over two games, Coward shot 19-of-30 (.633) from the floor, including 5-of-11 from deep (.455).

SHARING THE ROCK
The Cougs dished out a season-high 24 assists in the win over Eastern Washington, last Thursday, marking the most assists by a WSU team since tallying 27 assists against CSUN, Nov. 27, 2018. The Cougs followed with 22 assists against Fresno State for the second-consecutive 20-assist game.

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.

WINNING ON THE GLASS
Washington State has outrebounded its opponent in every game this season. The Cougs hold a +9.6 rebounding margin, which ranks 34th nationally and third in the WCC.

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

CALMESE QUICKNESS
Nate Calmese leads the Cougars and sits second in the conference in steals with 15 steals through seven games. Calmese has led the Cougs in steals in five of his first seven games as a Coug.

DIFFERENT KINDA COUGS
WSU is built different this season, regularly playing with four or all five men around the perimeter, a different look from the 2023-24 Cougs, which played with two bigs inside. The change has results in a higher 2-point field goal percentage, over 60%, and a larger portion of points coming from beyond the arc.

DON'T SQUANDER THE LEAD
Wazzu has led at halftime every game this season with a 6-1 record when entering the halftime break with a lead. Most recently, the Cougs beat Fresno State, 84-73, after taking a three-point lead into the locker room.

RIM PROTECTORS
The Cougar team ranks second in the WCC and 18th nationally with 5.9 blocked shots per game. Dane Erikstrup and Cedric Coward have each recorded a game with five blocks and share the team-high and rank second in WCC with 10 blocked shots apiece.

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.

'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 8.4 rebounds per game, and eclipsed 200 career rebounds versus Northern Colorado, Nov. 18.

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 six of his first seven games at WSU, adding his second 20-point game in the win over Fresno State.

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.

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 established his role as the spark off the bench, scoring 10+ points in five of the first seven games, including a career-high 22 points against Eastern Washington, Nov. 21. Isaiah made his first career start in place of an injured Cedric Coward, grabbing a career-high five steals against Fresno State. The achievement marked the most steals by a Coug in a game since Myles Rice stole seven balls against Grambling State, Dec. 10, 2023. The sophomore is also grabbing 4.1 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 play their first true road contest of the season to begin the month of December, traveling to Reno, Nevada to face the Wolf Pack, Monday, Dec. 2. The Cougs and Wolf Pack last met at Beasley Coliseum in 2000, an overtime win for WSU. Coach Riley faced Nevada in his first season as head coach at EWU, falling to Coach Alford's side, 76-91. WSU holds a 3-1 all-time advantage in the series.

NATE ECLIPSES CENTURY MARK
Nate Calmese played his 54th career game Tuesday night, having already surpassed 100 career rebounds  and 100 career free throws last week. The junior dished out a team-high six assists against Fresno State, Nov. 26, reaching 100 career 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. Against Fresno State, Okafor rejected a career-high three shots.

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. Wynott played a career-high 14 minutes last night, delivering four rebounds and his first two career assists.

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.