SAN DIEGO – Washington State's second-half comeback fell short against San Diego, Wednesday night at Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego. The Cougars rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit, pulling within two points in the final 10 seconds, but could not complete the comeback despite 29 points from Ace Glass and 21 points from ND Okafor.
 
The Cougars scored 60 points in the second half, more than any other half this season, but allowed San Diego to make 15 three-pointers and shoot 54 percent from beyond the arc to clinch the win. The Toreros never trailed in the second half after building a double-digit halftime lead. USD made eight first-half 3-pointers, taking a controlling 18-point lead with under three minutes remaining in the first half.  Washington State rattled off a 10-0 run, capped by a triple from Glass, to slash the deficit to single digits once more in the opening stanza.
 
WSU's Rihard Vavers delivered 16 points, including 10 second-half points, in his return to action after missing two games with a head injury. Vavers added a career-high seven rebounds and complemented Glass, who poured in 24 second-half points in the Cougs' comeback effort. Glass notched his best game of WCC play, including a career-high seven rebounds to lead WSU with Vavers.
 
Washington State held San Diego without a free throw in the first half, as the Toreros finished the game 7-of-13 from the charity stripe. USD found the point differential off the bench, with San Diego's rotation scoring 43 points to WSU's 22 bench points.
 
The Toreros recorded a season-high 25 assists on 37 field goals, the most assists by a Cougar opponent this season and the most since Santa Clara notched 22 assists last February.
 
With 44 seconds remaining in the contest and WSU trailing by five, the Cougars implemented a full court trap to steal or foul, forcing San Diego to shoot six free throws in the final minute. The strategy allowed the Cougs to pull within two points under eight seconds remaining, before the Toreros sank their final two free throws to clinch the game with a four-point lead.
 
Washington State returns to the Palouse and the friendly confines of Beasley Coliseum for a three-game homestand beginning Saturday, January 24 at 3 p.m. against Pepperdine live on ESPN+. The Cougars will remain in Pullman to host Seattle U, Wednesday, January 28 before concluding the month with a Saturday matinee against Portland, January 31 at 3 p.m.