PULLMAN, Wash. (November 14, 2025) – Washington State didn't blink against one of the nation's top teams on Friday night, pushing undefeated Stanford for four quarters before falling 54-46 at Beasley Coliseum.

The Cougars (0-4, 0-0 WCC) turned in their most complete defensive effort of the young season, out-hustling the Cardinal for long stretches and refusing to let the game slip despite several Stanford runs.

Malia Ruud powered the Cougars with 11 points and 7 rebounds, while Eleonora Villa added 10 points, including a pair of huge third-quarter free throws that helped WSU stay within striking distance.

Despite Stanford's size advantage across the board, the Cougars held their ground physically. WSU forced 15 turnovers, racked up 10 steals, and held the Cardinal to just 2-of-18 from three-point range.

WSU's defensive backbone showed early. After falling into a brief 7-4 hole, the Cougars responded with a 5-0 burst highlighted by Ruud's transition three and a smooth mid-range jumper from Mackenzie Chatfield, giving WSU its first lead and igniting the home crowd. That tone carried throughout the night: each time Stanford tried to separate, the Cougars answered.

Charlotte Abraham contributed nine points, and Tanja Valancic chipped in four points, four rebounds, and a team-high 3 steals, spearheading a Cougars defense that repeatedly disrupted Stanford's rhythm.

The Cougs were especially stubborn in the second period, slicing the deficit to as little as three after a corner three from Valancic and a sprint-out layup from Villa. Even as Stanford leaned heavily on its front court in the third, WSU weathered the run and clawed back with its free-throw shooting and late-quarter stops.

WSU's bench made a meaningful impact too, with Keandra Koorits burying a timely second-quarter three and Marta Alsina providing defensive pressure that helped slow down the Cardinal wings.

The final minutes became a defensive grind on both sides, but the Cougs continued to match Stanford possession for possession, holding the visitors to just 10 points in the fourth quarter.


Notes

• Eleonora Villa's 10 points puts her at 1,001 career points, becoming the 24th Coug to reach 1,000+ point milestone.
• Villa has 103 career made threes, 30 away from joining the WSU all-time top-10 list.
• At 2,463 career minutes played, Villa is 537 away from 3,000 and 860 from top-10 all-time at WSU.
• Head Coach Kamie Ethridge has 199 career wins as a head coach, one away from 200.
• Alex Covill remains at 118 career blocks, seventh all-time in program history.
• Mackenzie Chatfield grabbed a career-high six rebounds.
• Malia Ruud had a career-high seven rebounds.
• Tanja Valancic's three steals was a career-best.

Up Next
The Cougars stay in Pullman to host Oregon on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Single-game tickets for the 2025-26 Women's Basketball season are on sale now. Fans wishing to purchase tickets can click on the link HERE, visit wsucougars.com to order online, or call the WSU Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-COUGS.

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