WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (13-4, 3-1) at #18 GONZAGA BULLDOGS (13-4, 4-0)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2025
6 p.m. PT (9 p.m. ET)
Spokane, Wash.
McCarthey Athletic Center
Capacity: 6,000

COUGAR RADIO NETWORK
KXLY 920AM // KHTR 104.3FM
KTTH 770AM // KONA 610AM
Play-by-Play: Chris King
Analyst: Craig Ehlo

TELEVISION & STREAMING
ESPN+ & SWX (local)
Play-by-Play: Greg Heister
Color: Dan Dickau & Richard Fox
Producer: Chauncey Jones

OPENING TIPS
1. Washington State returns to the road with a short trip north to face the No. 18 Gonzaga Bulldogs, Saturday, Jan. 11, in Spokane. Tip off is scheduled for 6 p.m. at McCarthey Athletic Center, with coverage on ESPN+. The Cougars and Bulldogs will meet for the first time since 2015 after the series was removed from the nonconference schedule as one of the longest continuous series in college basketball history, dating back 150 games and 108 continuous seasons.
2. Coach David Riley has WSU off to its best start since 2006-07 and the second-best start by first-year head coach in program history. Riley is the second Wazzu coach to start with 13 wins in 17 games.
3. WSU ranks top-30 in the country in four team categories: 17th in blocks per game (5.5), 21st in effective FG% (.570), 22nd in FG% (.492), and 27th in 2-point FG% (.585), Individually, Nate Calmese ranks 22nd nationally with 111 FGs, and LeJuan Watts ranks 31st nationally in rebounds (141).
4. Nate Calmese leads WSU's active roster with 16.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. The junior transfer sits seventh in the WCC in scoring, sixth in assists, and third in steals per game.
5. Ethan Price has come alive in conference play with three 20-point games in the first four WCC games. The senior is the first Coug since Kyle Weaver (2004-08) with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 200 assists.

LAST TIME OUT
The Cougars' overtime comeback fell short against the Pacific Tigers, 95-94, Thursday night, suffering their first conference and first home loss of the season. WSU trailed for the majority of the game, forcing overtime with a LeJuan Watts putback dunk and took its largest lead of the game in the overtime period. With Pacific trailing by two with two seconds remaining in the extra frame, Lamar Washington made a corner three with no time remaining to clinch the win. Ethan Price scored a career high 28 points along with grabbing eight rebounds, his third game with 20+ points in the last four. LeJuan Watts scored 16 with eight rebounds.

PICK YOUR POISON
The Cougars have distributed scoring across the majority of the playing rotation with four active players averaging 10+ points through 17 games. At least four Cougs have scored in double figures 11 times, while six different individuals have tallied 20-point performances. Nate Calmese sits seventh in the conference in scoring and LeJuan Watts ranks fourth in the WCC in rebounding.

SHARING THE ROCK
The Cougs dished out 24 assists in the win over Portland, Dec. 28, matching the season-high with the most single-game assists in six seasons. WSU is boasts a 12-1 record when tallying 15+ assists, most recently suffering its first loss with 17 assists in the heartbreaker to Pacific. In contrast, the Cougs are 1-3 when delivering fewer than 15 assists, securing their first win with 14 assists against San Francisco, Jan. 4.

UP NEXT
Head Coach David Riley leads the Cougs to San Diego for his first meeting against the Toreros and WSU's first contest against USD since 2017. The Cougars and Toreros last played in Pullman, Dec. 19, 2017, a third-consecutive win for Wazzu. WSU holds a 3-1 record against USD, with the only loss coming at San Diego's old basketball facility, the Sports Center. The sides also met once in a neutral-site clash at the 2009 Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska.

RIM PROTECTORS
The Cougar team leads the WCC and ranks 17th in the country with 5.5 blocked shots per game. WSU boasts two of the top five shot blockers in the conference with Okafor at second (1.5) and Erikstrup at fifth (1.2). As a team, WSU has swatted away a league-best 93 shot attempts.

INJURY BUG BITES EARLY
Coach David Riley confirmed in December the successful shoulder surgeries of senior Cedric Coward and freshman Marcus Wilson, both of whom will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season on a 4-6 month recovery timeline. Sophomore Rihards Vavers is out indefinitely, likely for the season, with broken bones in both hands. Isaiah Watts suffered a hand injury against Washington, Dec. 18, and will miss several weeks.

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 58%, and a larger portion of points coming from beyond the arc. The Cougars rank 27th nationally in 2-point FG percentage.

FLOOR GENERAL CALMESE
Nate Calmese, who began his college career as the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year at Lamar, has seen all his ballhandling statistics improve over three seasons, including increases in assists (+120%), steals (+58%), and rebounds (+36%).

THE PRICE IS RIGHT
Ethan Price, a senior transfer from Eastern Washington, has started all 117 games of his career for Coach Riley. Since WCC play began, Price is averaging 19.5 points per game, with three 20-point performances in four games. The Englishman delivered a career-high 28 points, Jan. 9, against Pacific, with a career-high six 3-pointers. Price surpassed 1,000 career points during his junior season with the Eagles. Early this season, Price dished out his 200th career assist and the senior most recently surpassed 500 career rebounds to become the first Cougar player since Kyle Weaver (2004-08) to record at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 200 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 eight points, 11 rebounds, and career-high eight assists in the Dec. 30 win over LMU. It was the most complete performance since Kyle Weaver delivered the only triple-double in WSU history, Jan. 13, 2007 with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. LeJuan Watts notched his sixth double-double, Jan. 4, with a career-high 24 points and team-high 12 rebounds. Watts has led the Cougs in rebounding 13 times and ranks fourth in the WCC with 8.3 rpg.

NONCONFERENCE SUCCESS
The Cougars concluded the nonconference schedule at 10-3, earning 10 nonconference wins for the first time since 2010-11, a group that ultimately reached the NIT semifinals with Klay Thompson. Coach David Riley became the first WSU first-year head coach since Ken Bone in 2009-10 to win 12 of his first 15 games. Riley became the third coach in Coug history to start 12-3 or better in his first season on the Palouse.

EFFICIENT IN THE ARC
In the Nov. 18 win over Northern Colorado, the Cougars shot 76.7% from 2-point range, the highest single-game 2-point percentage by a Wazzu team since December 9, 2007, when the Cougs shot 76.7% from inside the arc against Portland State (26-40). WSU boasts the top effective FG team in the WCC with a .570 eFG%, 21st in Division-I as of Jan. 10.

TINKERING WITH TEMPO
The Cougs are averaging 82.3 points per game, second in the WCC behind Gonzaga, and are 12-2 when scoring over 70 points. WSU got its only win when being held under 70 points in a 68-57 mudfight at Nevada, Dec. 2.

TOMAS TEASES TALENT
With a short bench, true freshman Tomas Thrastarson made his first career start against Northern Iowa, Dec. 21, and has held the starting spot ever since. The Icelandic native delivered a season-high 17 points and six rebounds in the WCC home opener against LMU, Dec. 30. The freshman has gone on to score in double figures in 3-straight games, averaging 11.0 in WCC play.

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 of six Cougs this year with a 20-point performance. The Beaverton, Oregon native also grabbed eight rebounds, setting a WSU career high, and has started every game as a Cougar. Erikstrup made a homecoming in the Cougars' inaugural WCC game, playing his 80th career Division-I game at Portland, Dec. 28, and is one of four active Cougars averaging double figures. Erikstrup delivered a career-high vs D-I opponent nine rebounds against USF, Jan. 4.

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. Okafor ranks second in the WCC with 1.5 blocks per game, recording at least one block in 14 of 15 games played. 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, and has established himself as the Cougs' premier rim protector. Okafor matched his season-high in the WCC opener at Portland, scoring 12 points.

AT HOME IN SPOKANE ARENA
The Cougars hold an all-time record of 22-19 at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena dating back to 1995. The last time WSU played a conference game at Spokane Arena was a 75-62 win over Oregon State, Jan. 4, 2017 when the Cougs were led by the 2024 game's TV analyst Ernie Kent. In 2011-12, Wazzu hosted both Oregon schools at Spokane Arena, and hold an all-time conference record of 3-1 in the Lilac City venue.

'ZAY SETTLED AS A STARTER
Isaiah Watts, the only returning letterwinner from the 2023-24 roster, is on pace to quadruple his scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals output from his freshman season. The West Seattle sophomore has already eclipsed his freshman season totals in points, rebounding, steals, and assists. Three times Isaiah has surpassed 20 points, including a career-high 22 points against Eastern Wash. Zay made his first career start in place of an injured Cedric Coward, Nov. 26, grabbing a career-high five steals and remained in the starting lineup until an injury in his non-shooting hand against UW that will sideline him for several weeks.

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.

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 Eastern Washington. However, Coward has not seen the floor since winning the award, out for the season following left shoulder surgery.

THE CENTURY MARK
When the Cougs defeated Portland State, 100-92, in the season opener, 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.

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 Riley team was selected fifth in the preseason 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.