SOUTHERN UTAH THUNERBIRDS (1-4, 0-0 WAC) at WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (1-3, 0-0 WCC)

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19
8:02 p.m. PT
Pullman, Washington
Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum
Capacity: 11,671

COUGAR RADIO NETWORK
Seattle 770AM & 94.5FM 
Spokane 920AM & 100.7FM
Pullman 104.3FM | Tri-Cities 610AM
Chris King & Craig Ehlo

STREAMING
ESPN+ & ESPN App
Play-by-Play: Ann Schatz
Analyst: Mary Murphy
Producer: Will O'Toole

OPENING TIPS
1. Washington State plays its final home game of the month, Wednesday, November 18, hosting Southern Utah in the second-half of a basketball doubleheader at 8 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum and streaming ESPN+.
2. The Cougars welcome the visiting Thunderbirds in the fourth all-time meeting between the programs and first since 2003. No one on the current WSU roster has faced Southern Utah before, while Head Coach David Riley faced the T-birds once in his first season as a head coach at Eastern Washington, falling 76-89 in Cheney in December 2021.
3. Transfer Emmanuel Ugbo has led the Cougars in scoring twice and rebounding in three of the first four games, averaging a team-best 14.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg. In his WSU debut, Ugbo matched his career high with 17 points and added a career-high eight rebounds. At Davidson, Ugbo earned his first Coug start, delivering 16 points and five rebounds. The Dutchman is shooting over 65% from the floor.
4. True freshman Ace Glass began his college career with a team-high 17 points versus Idaho, adding six rebounds, the most of any Cougar guard on the night. Glass is shooting 45% from the floor and is one of three double-digit scorers for WSU, averaging 10.0 ppg.
5. Sophomore Tomas Thrastarson has made a noticeable leap since his rookie campaign, comfortable attacking the basket. The Icelandic viking has matched or bested his career-high twice in four games, scoring 19 points in the November 10 win over St. Thomas.

LAST TIME OUT
Washington State lost, 81-69, to the Washington Huskies, Friday night at Beasley Coliseum, in the 301st all-time meeting between the programs. Eemeli Yalaho had a career-high 15 points with three 3-pointers made. Ace Glass added 12 points off the bench and Emmanuel Ugbo had 11 points with seven rebounds, marking his fourth-consecutive game in double figures. The Cougars went on a 25-12 run after trailing by as many as 22 points to cut the Huskies' lead to nine with 1:30 left in the game.

UP NEXT
The Cougars travel to Maui, Hawaii to conclude the month at the Southwest Maui Invitational, November 24-26. The Cougars drew Chaminade in the opening round and will face Texas or Arizona State in the second round. It marks WSU's first appearance in the historic Thanksgiving multi-team event.

OKAFOR EFFICIENCY
Returning redshirt-junior ND Okafor delivered a season high 12 point, November 10, on 6-of-9 shooting, while adding six rebounds. Okafor finished his sophomore season with a 62.3 field goal percentage, the fifth-best single-season percentage in program history. Okafor also led the team in blocks with 40 rejections last season, fourth in the WCC, on a team that finished 20th in the country in blocks per game. 

COUGARS PICKED SIXTH IN WCC
Entering the 2025-26 season as an affiliate member of the West Coast Conference, Wazzu was selected sixth in the preseason coaches poll. The Cougars did not receive an honoree on the conference preseason team.

BRAYDEN KYMAN INKS DEAL
Class of 2026 senior Brayden Kyman, a 6-8 power forward from Rancho Santa Margarita, California, signed a financial aid agreement to play basketball at Washington State beginning next season. The versatile forward can score at all three levels with a deep range and length to work inside.

COUGS BOND IN EUROPEAN TRIP
The Cougars took an international tour this summer, visiting England and Spain. WSU played three exhibition games over 10 days, while sightseeing London, Malaga, and Barcelona. Division-I teams are allowed foreign tours once every four years. The Cougar men last traveled in 2015 to Italy.

TOMAS TURNS UP
Returning sophomore Tomas Thrastarson has turned heads with his offseason development after being named to the 2024-25 WCC All-Freshman Team after playing in 31 games with 11 starts, averaging 4.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, and 19 blocks. In the season opener against Idaho, Thrastarson matched his career-high with 17 points and delivered a career-high 11-of-12 from the charity stripe. He broke his career high November 10, scoring 19 points, including 18 first-half points to lead WSU to its first win of the year. The Viking also matched his career-high with a team-high seven rebounds in the win over St. Thomas.

RILEY RUNS IT BACK
David Riley begins his second season at WSU after finishing his first season on the Palouse 19-15 with a postseason berth to the inaugural College Basketball Crown. The selection marked a third postseason in four seasons for Coach Riley, and fourth-consecutive postseason for the Cougs. 

IDAHO SPOILS SEASON OPENER
The Cougars dropped their season opener to Idaho, Monday, November 3, 81-83, snapping a 7-game winning streak against the Vandals. WSU is 102-23 all-time in season openers. Wazzu is 63-9 when opening the season at home and lost a season opener at Beasley Coliseum for the first time in program history. Prior to the Idaho loss, the Cougars had won 29 consecutive season openers at home and had won 35-consecutive Beasley Coliseum openers (not necessarily the first game of the season).

OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
The Cougars will look to continue a high-powered offense which Coach Riley instilled last season on Friel Court. During Riley's first season the Cougs set school records in shots made (968) and assists (574), more than any previous team in school history. The Cougs finished ninth in the country in FG percentage, 19th in assists, and 20th in blocks.

NEW PAC-12 ON THE HORIZON
The revitalized Pac-12 Conference is set to launch July 1, 2026 with a strong slate of men's basketball programs including Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego State, Texas State, and Utah State.

COWARD JOINS THE ASSOCIATION
Cedric Coward, a 2024 WCC All-Preseason selection, and graduate of WSU, was drafted No. 11 in the 2025 NBA Draft, joining the Memphis Grizzlies after a trade. Coward, who played just six games last season prior to suffering a season-ending injury, linked up with 2024 WSU Draftee, Jaylen Wells. There are currently five Cougars playing in the NBA — Cedric Coward, Mouhamed Gueye, Isaac Jones, Klay Thompson, and Jaylen Wells.