PULLMAN, Wash. (December 30, 2025) – Washington State women's basketball showed grit Tuesday night at Beasley Coliseum, but a third-quarter surge by LMU proved the difference as the Lions edged the Cougars, 67-58.

The Cougars (2-13, 1-1 WCC) showed encouraging stretches on both ends, shooting at a 41.4 percent clip, and outrebounding LMU 37-35 in total boards and 15-13 in offensive boards.

Eleonora Villa led all scorers for the Cougars with 21 points, adding three assists while playing the full 40 minutes.

Charlotte Abraham chipped in 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds on her way to another double-double, and Malia Ruud added 13 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting night.

WSU came out with good energy, leaning on crisp ball movement and interior touches to seize early momentum. WSU closed the opening quarter on a 10-3 run, highlighted by a pair of finishes from Ruud and a late three from Villa, to take a 16-12 lead after one.

The game tightened in the second quarter as both teams traded runs. Villa knocked down a pair of threes and Abraham facilitated the offense, but LMU countered with timely perimeter shooting to level the score at 28-28 heading into halftime.

The first 20 minutes featured six ties and saw neither side lead by more than four, underscoring the evenly played opening half. The turning point came in the third, though, as LMU strung together a 12-2 run midway through the quarter, capitalizing on turnovers and converting multiple second-chance opportunities.

Washington State answered behind back-to-back threes from Abraham and Villa, but the Lions continued to press inside and closed the period on a late spurt to build a 54-41 cushion entering the fourth.

Still, the Cougars didn't fold as WSU opened the final quarter attacking the paint, with Ruud and Villa combining for six early points to trim the deficit. Washington State outscored LMU 17-13 in the fourth and forced several stops, but couldn't quite string together enough consecutive possessions to fully erase the gap.


Notes

• Eleonora Villa's 21 points puts her at 1,188 career points, moving up to a tie for 15th in program history and 100 from 14th.
• Villa made two 3-pointers, putting her at 121 career made threes, 12 away from joining the WSU all-time top-10 list.
• Villa also made eight field goals, totaling 470 career made field goals, 30 from 500.
• Now at 2,840 career minutes played, Villa is 160 away from 3,000 and 483 from top-10 all-time at WSU.
• Alex Covill remains at 118 career blocks, seventh all-time in program history.
• Covill also has 200 career rebounds, 50 away from 250, and 341 career points, 159 from 500.
• Charlotte Abraham recorded a double-double in the second consecutive game, her first two career double-doubles.
• Abraham's 11 rebounds was a career-high and her four assists matched a career-best.
• Malia Ruud's three assists was a career-high mark.
• The team's 15 offensive rebounds against LMU was a season-high.

Up Next
The Cougars travel to Portland to take on the Pilots on Friday, Jan. 2 at 6 p.m. before heading to Seattle U for a Sunday, Jan. 4 matchup at 1 p.m. 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).