Washington State Rides Strong First Half Past Pacific, 82-76

Friday, March 6

Las Vegas, Nev.

12:00 PM

Washington State University

9-24,6-12WCC

University of the Pacific

11-19,6-12WCC

Washington St.

Pacific

Photo by: West Coast Conference

Washington State Rides Strong First Half Past Pacific, 82-76

March 06, 2026 | Women's Basketball

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By: Washington State Athletic Communications

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (March 6, 2026) – Washington State women's basketball built a commanding first-half lead and then held off a late Pacific surge to earn an 82-76 victory Friday afternoon at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

The Cougars (9-24, 6-12 WCC) controlled the game from the outset, using sharp ball movement and efficient scoring inside to build separation early before weathering a second-half push by the Tigers.

Wazzu shot 29-of-55 from the field (52.7 percent) and recorded 16 assists, consistently finding quality looks while scoring 40 points in the paint in the victory.

WSU placed five players in double figures, led by Eleonora Villa's 22 points and seven assists.

Keandra Koorits added 15 points, Charlotte Abraham scored 13 on three three-pointers, and Mackenzie Chatfield finished with 12 points and five assists.

Malia Ruud anchored the glass with nine rebounds to go with nine points.

Pacific struck first with the game's opening basket, but Washington State quickly settled in. A layup from Villa ignited a 7-0 Cougar response, and Alex Covill converted an and-one inside to give WSU its first lead. Koorits then took over during the middle stretch of the quarter, scoring twice in the paint before finishing a transition layup to help the Cougars open a 17-6 advantage. Villa capped the period with a late jumper, sending Washington State into the second quarter ahead 19-8.

The Cougars continued to push the pace in the second. Chatfield opened the quarter with a jumper, and Villa followed with a layup during an 8-0 burst that stretched the lead to 25-8. Moments later, Villa knocked down a three from the wing and Koorits converted on a fast-break finish to push the margin past 15. Ruud's late layup kept the momentum with Washington State, which carried a 37-18 halftime lead after holding Pacific to just seven made field goals in the first half.

Pacific found its rhythm after the break, scoring 27 points in the third quarter behind aggressive drives from Pacific. The Tigers trimmed the deficit to the mid-teens, but Washington State answered repeatedly, including a three from Abraham and several key finishes from Villa to maintain control entering the fourth.

The Tigers continued to press in the final period, cutting the margin into single digits during the closing minutes, attacking the rim and earning trips to the free-throw line. Each time the Tigers threatened, however, the Cougars responded with Abraham knocking down another three and Chatfield converting at the stripe to steady the lead.

Despite Pacific's 31-point fourth quarter, Washington State maintained enough separation down the stretch to close out the 82-76 win.

Notes

Eleonora Villa's 22 points puts her at 1,471 career points, 11th in program history and 14 from t-ninth (1,485).
Villa also has 544 points this season, the most she has scored in a single-season, eighth-most all-time in program history and 26 from moving up to seventh (570).
Villa made two threes to move to 141 career made threes, tying for 9th-most in program history and two from eighth (143).
Villa's nine makes puts her at 580 made field goals for her career, seventh all-time at WSU, and 26 from sixth (606).
Villa's one rebound puts her at 249 career rebounds, one shy of the 250 mark.
Now at 3,467 career minutes played, Villa is seventh all-time at WSU, and 68 from sixth (3,535).
Alex Covill had one block to move to 149 career blocks, fifth all-time in program history and seven from moving up to fourth (156).
Covill's five points moved her to 202 on the season, reaching 200 for the second-consecutive season.
Charlotte Abraham's 13 points puts her at 509 career points, surpassing the 500 milestone.
Abraham's four rebounds put her at 203 for the season, 34 away from top-10 all-time at WSU in a single-season (237).
The team's .527 field goal percentage was the second highest in a game for WSU this season, and its .467 three-point percentage was third-highest.
WSU's 82 points scored was the third-highest total in a game for the Cougs this season.
Malia Ruud's nine rebounds on the day was a career-high mark.
Eleonora Villa matched a new career-high mark with her seven assists.
Mackenzie Chatfield also matched a career-high with six made free throws.

Up Next
The Cougars advance to the third round of the WCC Tournament to play 5-seed Portland on Saturday, March 7 at 12 p.m. noon.

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