PULLMAN, Wash. (January 10, 2026) – Washington State women's basketball delivered a resilient second-half response and turned Saturday's contest into a one-possession game late, but Santa Clara's timely shooting proved decisive in a 98-92 shootout at Beasley Coliseum.

The Cougars (3-16, 2-4 WCC) showcased offensive growth and toughness throughout, cutting down a 15-point halftime deficit behind a dominant third quarter and sustained late-game pressure.

Eleonora Villa finished with a career-high 29 points and six three-pointers, while Charlotte Abraham posted a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Alex Covill added 20 points in the paint, anchoring a Washington State offense that totaled 28 assists on 35 made field goals.

Washington State opened the game with strong ball movement and early perimeter shooting from Villa, who knocked down two first-quarter threes to keep the Cougars in rhythm. Covill added early interior scoring as WSU stayed within striking distance before Santa Clara closed the opening frame with a late run to lead 26-23.

Santa Clara gained separation in the second quarter behind hot perimeter shooting and transition buckets, pushing the margin to 53-38 at the break despite steady rebounding and interior defense from Washington State.

Out of halftime, the Cougars flipped the script – erupting for 31 third-quarter points, its highest-scoring quarter of the season, sparked by Abraham's back-to-back three-pointers and Covill's presence in the paint.

Villa continued to stretch the defense, while crisp ball movement led to open looks and high-percentage finishes. The Cougars outscored Santa Clara 31-20 in the period, trimming the deficit to just four entering the fourth quarter.

The momentum carried into the final frame as Washington State continued to attack. Villa drilled a deep three early in the quarter to pull the Cougars within three, and Tanja Valancic followed with a finish inside to make it a one-possession game. Midway through the quarter, Villa tied the contest at 86-86 with a pull-up jumper, capping the Cougars' comeback effort.

Santa Clara answered with timely threes in the final minutes, though, and while Washington State remained within striking distance until the final possessions, the Broncos were able to come away with the 98-92 victory.


Notes

• Eleonora Villa's 29 points puts her at 1,269 career points, 15th in program history and 19 from 14th.
• Villa made six threes, putting her at 130 career made threes, three away from joining the WSU all-time top-10 list.
• Villa made 10 field goals, reaching 500 for her career.
• Now at 2,989 career minutes played, Villa is 11 away from 3,000 and 334 from top-10 all-time at WSU (3,323).
• Alex Covill's two rejections put her at 129 career blocks, seventh all-time in program history and six from moving up to sixth.
• Covill's five boards puts her at 219 career rebounds, 31 away from 250.
• Covill's 20 points moves her to 393 career points, 107 from 500.
• Charlotte Abraham's 20 points puts her at 380 career points, 120 away from 500.
• Abraham's 11 rebounds put her at 131 for the season, 106 away from top-10 all-time at WSU in a single-season (237).
• Abraham also now has 218 career rebounds, 32 from 250.
• Villa's 29 points and six made threes were both career-high marks while her nine 3-point attempts tied a career-best.
• Abraham matched her career-highs with 11 rebounds and four made threes.
• Malia Ruud tallied career-best marks with eight rebounds and five assists.
• Tanja Valancic's four assists was a career-best.
• 92 points was a season-high for the team, as were its 35 made field goals, .524 3-point percentage, 48 rebounds and 28 assists.
• The team's 28 assists ranks tied for 6^th all-time in program history for assists in a single game.
• This was the third time this season WSU finished with multiple players with 20+ points.
• This was the first game since at least before the 1999-2000 season that the Cougars have had three players score 20+ points in a single game.

Up Next
The Cougars look to next weekend's road-home split, starting in Moraga, Calif. at Saint Mary's on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 6:30 p.m. before returning home to host San Francisco on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 6 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.

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