WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (6-2) vs NEVADA WOLF PACK (6-1)
Monday, Dec. 2, 2024
7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET)
Reno, Nevada
Lawlor Events Center
Capacity: 12,000

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

Television & Streaming
Mountain West Network
Play-by-Play: Alex Margulies
Analyst: Keith Fuetsch
Reporter: Shannon Kelly

Opening Tips
1. The Cougars 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 at 7 p.m. PT. The Cougs and Wolf Pack last met in 2000 in Pullman, an overtime win for WSU and holds a 3-1 all-time advantage.
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 in double figures in seven of eight games as a Coug, and ranks fourth in the WCC with 8.3 rpg.
3. Six Cougs, including currently sidelined senior Cedric Coward, are averaging 10+ points per game and at least four Cougs have scored in double figures in six games, while four players have tallied 20-point games.
4. Nate Calmese leads WSU in scoring, assists, and steals with 17.5 points, 3.9 assists, 2.1 steals per game. The junior transfer sits third in WCC in scoring and steals, and sixth in assists per game. Calmese has led the Cougs in steals and assists five times.
5. The Cougs are averaging 83.8 points per game, second in WCC behind Gonzaga, and are 6-0 when scoring over 80 points.

LAST TIME OUT
The Washington State men's basketball team fell to SMU, 77-60, in the Acrisure Holiday Invitational Championship, Wednesday night at Acrisure Arena. Wazzu gave up a season low eight turnovers, but the difference came in the paint where SMU dominated. The Mustangs outrebounded the Cougars, 51-25, the most boards allowed by the Cougs since Jan. 2, 2021 against Arizona. Nate Calmese led the team in scoring with 15 points and dished out a team-high six assists. Ethan Price and LeJuan Watts each had 12 points. Cedric Coward sat out injured for the second time.

PICK YOUR POISON
The Cougars have distributed scoring across the majority of the playing rotation with six Cougars averaging 10+ points through eight games. At least four Cougs have scored in double figures six times, while four individuals have tallied 20-point performances. Nate Calmese sits third in the conference in scoring and LeJuan Watts ranks sixth in the WCC in rebounding.

SHARING THE ROCK
The Cougs dished out a season-high 24 assists in the win over Eastern Washington, Nov. 21, 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. As a team, Wazzu ranks second the WCC behind Gonzaga in assists per game.

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).

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 64%, and a larger portion of points coming from beyond the arc.

EFFICIENT IN THE ARC
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 .558 eFG%, 56th in Division-I as of Dec. 1.

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, Nov. 26, 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. Isaiah started against SMU, leading the team in rebounding and steals. The sophomore is grabbing 4.3 rebounds per game.

RIM PROTECTORS
The Cougar team leads the WCC and ranks 13th nationally with 5.9 blocked shots per game. WSU boasts three of the top five shot blockers in the conference with Coward at third, Erikstrup at fourth, and Okafor at fifth.

'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 seven 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 against Eastern Washington, Nov. 21, 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.

DOWNTOWN DOWNPOURS
Wazzu had its best game of the season from beyond the arc against Eastern Washington, Nov. 21, 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.

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.

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
Washington State will travel approximately 300 miles to Idaho's capital city to face the Boise State Broncos in a pseudo-neutral site game at Idaho Central Arena in downtown Boise, seven-tenths of a mile from the BSU campus. The Broncos, future members of the Pac-12 Conference, are led by WSU alumnus Leon Rice. The programs have exchanged neutral-site nonconference contests at Spokane Arena and Idaho Central Arena each of the last three seasons. The Cougs got revenge in Spokane last season after suffering back-to-back defeats previously, while WSU owns the all-time record 5-4.

NATE ECLIPSES CENTURY MARK
Nate Calmese has started all eight games as a Coug, and has eclipsed three milestones early in nonconference play, surpassing 100 career assists, free throws, and rebounds in the last four games.

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, Nov. 18, finishing with two rebounds and his first-career steal. Wynott played his most significant minutes at last week's Acrisure Holiday Invitational, playing a career-high 21 minutes against SMU. In the win over Fresno State, Wynott delivered 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.

COWARD 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.