PULLMAN, Wash. (January 8, 2026) – Washington State women's basketball showed fight Thursday night inside Beasley Coliseum, trimming a large deficit and winning the second half, but ultimately fell 78-64 to league-leading Oregon State in WCC play.

The Cougars (3-15, 2-3 WCC) weathered a fast start by the Beavers before settling in offensively and putting together their best stretch coming out of halftime. WSU outscored Oregon State 41-36 over the final two quarters and consistently found success moving the ball and attacking the paint.

Eleonora Villa led Washington State with 16 points and five assists, while Charlotte Abraham added 10 points and four assists. The Cougars finished with 16 assists on 28 made baskets and out-rebounded Oregon State 37-35, highlighting the collective effort.

Oregon State opened the game with early momentum, scoring on six of its first 10 possessions to build a 24-12 lead after one quarter. Washington State answered with interior touches from Alex Covill and Malia Ruud to briefly close the gap, but Oregon State's shot-making pushed the margin to 42-23 at the break.

Washington State flipped the tone immediately in the third quarter. Eleonora Villa knocked down a three on the Cougars' first possession, followed by a Charlotte Abraham triple moments later as WSU pulled within 42-29. Villa continued to orchestrate the offense, mixing drives and kick-outs while Abraham hit two more threes during the quarter.

Covill added defensive energy with multiple blocks as the Cougars cut into the deficit despite Oregon State answering with timely baskets.

Trailing 66-45 entering the fourth, Washington State continued to compete. Villa scored or assisted on four straight Cougar baskets early in the quarter, while Tanja Valancic and Keandra Koorits finished through contact in the paint to keep pressure on the Beavers. WSU won the final period 19-12 and held Oregon State to 35.7 percent shooting over the last 10 minutes.


Notes

• Eleonora Villa's 16 points puts her at 1,240 career points, 15th in program history and 48 from 14th.
• Villa made two threes, putting her at 124 career made threes, nine away from joining the WSU all-time top-10 list.
• Villa made seven field goals, totaling 490 career made field goals, 10 from 500.
• Now at 2,949 career minutes played, Villa is 51 away from 3,000 and 374 from top-10 all-time at WSU (3,323).
• Alex Covill's two rejections put her at 127 career blocks, seventh all-time in program history and eight from moving up to sixth.
• Covill's four boards puts her at 214 career rebounds, 36 away from 250.
• Covill's six points moves her to 373 career points, 127 from 500.
• Charlotte Abraham's 10 points puts her at 360 career points, 140 away from 500.
• Abraham's five rebounds put her at 120 for the season, 117 away from top-10 all-time at WSU in a single-season (237).
• Abraham also now has 207 career rebounds, 43 from 250.
• Mackenzie Chatfield matched a career-high with eight rebounds.

Up Next
The Cougars look ahead to hosting Santa Clara on Saturday, Jan. 10 at noon. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Trevor Williams and Mary Murphy on the call.

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).