WASHINGTON STATE (4-5, 0-0 WCC) VS BYU (7-2, 0-0 BIG 12)
Friday, Dec. 13 // 6 p.m. PT
Pullman, Wash. // Beasley Coliseum
Watch | ESPN+
Listen | Pullman Radio KQQQ, 1150 AM (Steve Grubbs pXp)
Live Stats | Statbroadcast


After a stint of six road games that lasted over a month, the Cougars are back in Pullman to host BYU on Friday, Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

WSU will also be holding a Toy Donation Drive during Friday's game, and fans who are able are encouraged to bring a toy donation with them to Beasley Coliseum, and in exchange will receive a WSU stocking.

NEXT UP
The Cougars play one final non-conference game at home against Saint Martin's on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 12 p.m. noon before the team opens conference play in the West Coast Conference (WCC), traveling to San Diego to face the Toreros on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. PT. Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE
WSU is 4-5 to start the 2024-25 season after home wins over Eastern Washington and Idaho, and a pair of wins in Puerto Rico over Norfolk State and Virginia in what has been a very strong non-conference slate. Through nine games, the Cougs are shooting .407 from the field and .304 from deep while averaging 66.1 points per game. Defensively, the team is currently fifth in the nation, averaging 7.0 blocks per game.

RECORD BOOK CLIMBERS AND MILESTONE CHASERS
>> Tara Wallack has 982 career points, 18 away from 1,000, and with 494 rebounds, is six away from 500.
>> Wallack ranks sixth all-time at WSU with 124 career blocks.
>> Wallack has played 3,144 career minutes, 121 away from entering the WSU all-time top-10 list.
>> Wallack is also 816 minutes away from matching the most in program history.
>> Alex Covill has 76 career blocks, 17 away from entering the WSU all-time top-10 list.
>> Head Coach Kamie Ethridge has 99 wins at WSU, 1 away from 100, and with 182 career wins, is 18 from 200.

SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 14th meeting all-time between WSU and BYU with BYU leading the series, 7-6. Although BYU has won each of the last two meetings, WSU has won each of the last two meetings in Pullman and is 4-1 all-time against BYU in Beasley Coliseum.

NEW FACES, NEW PLACES
WSU has six players this season earning minutes for the first time in a Cougar uniform as junior transfer Jean Chiu, redshirt freshman Candace Kpetikou, and true freshmen Charlotte Abraham, Marta Alsina, Alice Dart and Dayana Mendes have all made an impact already in 2024-25. Of these new faces, Abraham and Mendes have accrued the most minutes thus far, averaging 18.6 and 16.1 minutes, respectively. Abraham is shooting 31.9 percent from the floor and 30.0 percent from deep, while Mendes is averaging 8.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting at a 42.0 clip from the floor. Alsina and Dart have also made their presence known. Alsina is a plus defender with four steals at 11.1 minutes per game, and Dart is averaging 3.0 points and 1.1 rebounds over 7.3 minutes per game.

STACKING BLOCKS
WSU has been one of the top blocking teams in the nation, ranking fifth in both total blocks (63) and blocks per game (7.0), behind only Kentucky (81 blks, 9.0 bkpg), USC (68 blks, 7.6 bkpg), TCU (71 blks, 7.1 bkpg), and Hawaii (57 blks, 7.1 bkpg). The team's 63 blocks leads the WCC by a margin of 17 blocks over Pacific (46), and its 7.0 blocks per game is over two whole blocks ahead of the second-highest number of 4.9 per game, held by San Francisco.

COUGS IN THE RANKINGS
The Cougs look to climb back into the rankings this season after having been ranked as high as number 21 last year. Washington State was voted to the Preseason Associated Press Top-25 Poll for the first time in program history, appearing at No. 24 in the preseason poll. WSU was picked to finish second by the WCC coaches and media, the best preseason pick in program history after being picked fifth ahead of the 2023-24 (Pac-12) and 1991-92 (Pac-10) seasons.

ETHRIDGE INKS EXTENSION
WSU Director of Athletics Anne McCoy announced this past April that Ethridge has signed a one-year contract extension keeping her in Pullman through the 2029-30 season. "Since her arrival in 2018, Kamie has solidified Washington State women's basketball as a destination where student-athletes can receive a world-class education while competing at the highest levels," said McCoy. "Her leadership has resulted in historic seasons for WSU, including this most recent campaign when WSU reached the postseason for the fourth-consecutive year, marking another program first. We are thrilled Kamie shares the same love and passion for Washington State that so many of us do and excited she will be leading our program for many years to come." Coach Ethridge has continued to raise the bar every season she has been on the Palouse. The Hall of Famer has brought her winning ways to Pullman, quickly elevating the WSU women's basketball program into the upper echelon of the college women's basketball landscape. Ethridge has guided Washington State to four straight postseason tournament appearances, and its first back-to-back 20-win seasons.

Fans wishing to purchase tickets for the 2024-25 women's basketball season can click on the link HERE, visit wsucougars.com to order online, or call the WSU Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-COUGS.

For all the latest WSU women's basketball news, photos and videos, like the team on Facebook (facebook.com/WSUCougarWBB), or follow on Twitter (@WSUCougarWBB) and Instagram (@wsucougarwbb).