Cougars Capsized by Waves, Lose 88-79 in Malibu

Washington State Cougars forward ND Okafor tries to back down his opponent during a game against the Pepperdine Waves. Credit: Washington State Athletics

Closing out what has been a frustrating and disappointing regular season, the Washington State Cougars couldn’t overcome a poor start and dropped their finale in an 88–79 loss to Pepperdine in Malibu.

Despite the final score appearing somewhat competitive, the game was far more lopsided than the final score suggests, as Washington State used a garbage time run to make the end tally seem closer than it really was. The Cougars trailed by as many as 20 points with 8:30 remaining in the second half and were still down 16, 74–58, with just five minutes to play before a late run narrowed the gap.

With the loss, Washington State falls to 12–19 overall and 7–11 in West Coast Conference play, finishing eighth in the conference standings. In a year full of bad losses, this latest setback may be arguably the team’s most disappointing of the season, coming against a Pepperdine squad that entered the matchup in last place in the WCC. Even more concerning is the Cougars’ continued inability to win away from home. Washington State finished the regular season with just one Division I road victory outside the state of Washington.

In defeat, the Cougars had four players score in double figures. Freshman Ace Glass led the way with 22 points, wrapping up his first college season with a solid outing. ND Okafor recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Rihards Vavers and Jerone Morton added 13 and 11 points, respectively.

However, Washington State’s shooting and offensive inefficiency in general proved costly. The Cougars shot just 39% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc, connecting on 10 of 33 three-point attempts.

Pepperdine capitalized at the free throw line, going 21 of 24 from the charity stripe by regularly drawing fouls on Wazzu. Stefan Cicic, whose role has expanded in recent weeks due to injuries, delivered a breakout performance. Entering the game averaging just 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest, he erupted for 23 points and 10 rebounds, including eight offensive boards. Aaron Clark added 20 points as well, highlighting a balanced attack.

Now, Washington State will turn its attention to the WCC Tournament, where the path forward will be challenging. To secure at least the No. 5 seed, the Cougars needed to go 2–0 this week in two winnable games on the road, but lost both and dropped down to the eighth spot. Their road struggles loom large, as advancing to the semifinals will likely require winning three games in three days.

To make an unexpected run in the upcoming tournament, Washington State will need to find ways to be more consistent and correct their struggles away from home if they want to build momentum before joining the rebuilt Pac-12.