MALIBU, Calif. (February 7, 2026) – Washington State women's basketball showed fight on the road Saturday afternoon, battling for 40 minutes before falling 78-62 to Pepperdine at Firestone Fieldhouse.

After a competitive opening quarter, the Cougars (5-21, 4-9 WCC) weathered a strong Waves push in the second period and then answered with their best offensive stretch coming out of halftime, trimming a 20-point deficit to as few as 13 midway through the third. WSU carried that momentum into the fourth, where a deep bench and defensive pressure helped keep the game competitive down the stretch.

Charlotte Abraham led Washington State with 15 points on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting, knocking down all three of her attempts from beyond the arc.

Malia Ruud added 12 points and five rebounds off the bench, while Mackenzie Chatfield stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, eight assists and four steals.

Alex Covill chipped in eight points and two blocks inside, and the Cougars finished with 27 bench points on the afternoon.

Pepperdine jumped out early behind interior scoring, but WSU answered with energy on both ends in the first quarter. Abraham sparked the Cougars with a corner three at the 6:18 mark, and Covill followed with a jumper in the paint to give Washington State an early lead. The Waves closed the period on a free-throw run to take a slim advantage, but the Cougars' defensive pressure—highlighted by steals from Abraham and Chatfield—kept the pace manageable.

The second quarter proved decisive as Pepperdine capitalized on turnovers and second-chance opportunities to extend its lead. Even so, Washington State continued to attack inside, with Ruud converting a tip-in and Chatfield slicing to the rim for an and-one during a brief surge late in the half.

Out of the break, the Cougars delivered their most complete stretch of the game. Abraham drilled a transition three, Covill scored twice off feeds from Chatfield, and Ruud knocked down a triple from the wing to cut the margin to 53-40 with just over three minutes remaining in the third. WSU forced multiple turnovers during the run and briefly shifted momentum before Pepperdine steadied itself at the free-throw line.

Washington State continued to compete in the fourth, leaning on its depth as Ruud, Lauren Glazier and Marta Alsina combined for key baskets. The Cougars won the final quarter 19-17, forcing six turnovers and holding Pepperdine to 6-of-12 shooting, but the earlier deficit proved too much to overcome.

Notes

• Eleonora Villa remains 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 remains at 539 made field goals for her career, 10th all-time at WSU, and four from 10th (543).
• Now at 3,240 career minutes played, Villa is 83 from top-10 all-time at WSU (3,323).
• Alex Covill tallied two blocks to move to 142 career blocks, sixth all-time in program history and five 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 15 points puts her at 454 career points, 46 away from 500.
• Abraham's three rebounds put her at 162 for the season, 75 away from top-10 all-time at WSU in a single-season (237).
• Abraham also now has 249 career rebounds, one 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.
• The team's 12 steals was a season-high mark.

Up Next
The Cougars return home for a one-game week when they play host to Portland on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. in Beasley Coliseum. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Trevor Williams and Stephanie Freeman 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).