SAN DIEGO, Calif. (February 5, 2026) – Washington State women's basketball outlasted San Diego 80-76 in a back-and-forth West Coast Conference battle at Jenny Craig Pavilion Thursday night.

The Cougars (5-20, 4-8 WCC) shot an efficient 27-of-60 from the floor and went 8-of-24 from beyond the arc, seeing four players score in double figures

WSU had an answer for every Toreros push and executed down the stretch to secure the road win. The Cougs led for more than 26 minutes, weathered 14 lead changes, and closed the game by knocking down timely shots and free throws in the final two minutes.

Malia Ruud led the way with 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while Charlotte Abraham and Mackenzie Chatfield each added 16.

Eleonora Villa finished with 15 points and five assists, and the Cougars totaled 19 assists on 27 made field goals.

Washington State came out sharp in the opening quarter, moving the ball crisply and knocking down five three-pointers in the first 10 minutes. Abraham drilled a pair of early triples, while Villa orchestrated the offense as the Cougars jumped out to an early 11-2 advantage.

Ruud sparked the bench with two threes late in the quarter, and Malvina Haziri capped the period with a jumper in the final seconds as WSU took a 25-19 lead after one.

San Diego responded in the second as they began to chip away, but the Cougars continued to find answers. Ruud stayed hot inside and out, scoring eight points in the quarter, and Haziri knocked down a transition three to steady the momentum.

Despite multiple ties late in the half, Washington State closed strong again, with Ruud converting a layup and free throw in the final seconds to give the Cougars a 43-40 edge at the break.

The third quarter turned into a heavyweight exchange, as neither team could create separation. Villa and Chatfield attacked the paint for WSU, while Abraham and Ruud delivered key buckets to keep the Cougars in front.

San Diego briefly grabbed the lead midway through the quarter, but Washington State answered with a 7-0 run highlighted by a Ruud three and a Villa free throw. The Cougars carried a slim 65-63 advantage into the fourth.

Washington State took control early in the final period. Abraham opened the quarter with a catch-and-shoot three, and the Cougars' defense forced San Diego into tough looks on consecutive possessions. Chatfield and Ruud cleaned the glass as WSU pushed the lead to five, and Villa continued to set the tone with poised ball handling and timely finishes.

San Diego made one final push, cutting the deficit to two in the final minute, but Washington State never blinked. The Cougars executed out of a late possession to get to the free-throw line and finished the night 18-of-21 at the stripe, sealing the four-point win.


Notes

• Eleonora Villa's 15 points puts her at 1,369 career points, 11th in program history and 116 from 10th (1,485).
• Villa remains at 136 career made threes, 10th all-time at WSU and five away from 9th (141).
• Villa made five field goals, totaling 539 for her career, 10th all-time at WSU, and four from 10th (543).
• Now at 3,209 career minutes played, Villa is 114 from top-10 all-time at WSU (3,323).
• Alex Covill tallied one block to move to 140 career blocks, sixth all-time in program history and seven from moving up to fifth (147).
• Covill has 235 career rebounds, 15 away from 250, and 438 career points, 62 from 500.
• Charlotte Abraham's 16 points puts her at 439 career points, 61 away from 500.
• Abraham's six rebounds put her at 159 for the season, 78 away from top-10 all-time at WSU in a single-season (237).
• Abraham also now has 246 career rebounds, four from 250.
• Malia Ruud matched a career high with 19 points.
• Tanja Valancic matched a career-high with five assists.
• Their eight total made threes ties for the second-most for the team in a game this season.

Up Next
The Cougars will head to Malibu to play Pepperdine on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 1 p.m. The game 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).