SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (December 3, 2025) – Washington State women's basketball put together one of its grittiest efforts of the season Wednesday afternoon, going toe-to-toe with a hot-starting BYU squad before falling just short, 56-54, at the Delta Center.

The Cougars (1-8, 0-0 WCC) controlled long stretches of the game with disciplined defense, a composed half-court attack, and another high-scoring performance from Eleonora Villa, who poured in 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting to lead all scorers.

WSU forced 18 turnovers and repeatedly made the Cougars from Provo uncomfortable, turning mistakes into 16 points the other way.

Washington State's poise was especially evident in the third quarter, when the Cougars erupted for 17 points, outscoring BYU and seizing momentum behind sharp execution and timely shooting.

Malia Ruud added nine points, including a key third-quarter three that sparked the WSU surge.

Charlotte Abraham delivered one of her most complete outings of the season, finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds, and three assists while playing nearly the entire game.

Mackenzie Chatfield anchored the defensive effort with eight rebounds and four assists, helping WSU contain BYU's perimeter threats and fuel transition opportunities.

WSU's interior presence also shined as WSU matched BYU with 30 points in the paint, thanks to physical drives from Villa and steady finishing from Ruud and Abraham. Washington State also recorded four blocks and held BYU to just 3-for-14 from deep.

After trailing by as many as eight in the second quarter, Wazzu clawed back, tying the game multiple times and setting up a tense final period. WSU generated quality looks down the stretch but couldn't quite get the decisive bucket to fall, as BYU edged ahead late behind a handful of free throws.

WSU would tie things up one final time as an Abraham assist in transition to a wide-open Villa locked the score at 54-all with 2.8 seconds to play. BYU responded, however, with a game winner at the buzzer for the 56-54 win.


Notes

• Eleonora Villa's 23 points puts her at 1,083 career points, 20th in program history.
• Villa has 111 career made threes, 22 away from joining the WSU all-time top-10 list.
• Villa also has 430 career made field goals, 70 from 500.
• At 2,615 career minutes played, Villa is 385 away from 3,000 and 708 from top-10 all-time at WSU.
• Alex Covill remains at 118 career blocks, seventh all-time in program history.
• Covill also has 198 career rebounds, 52 away from 250, and 337 career points, 163 from 500.
• Mackenzie Chatfield hauled in a career-high 8 boards.
• Malvina Haziri with four steals and Keandra Koorits with two, each marked a career-high.

Up Next
The Cougars return to Pullman after a long road stretch to host Eastern Washington on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. PT, and then Texas Tech on Friday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. PT. Both games 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.

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).