Takeaways: Washington State Loses To Rival Washington 81-69
Continuing a tough start, the Washington State Cougars fell to the Washington Huskies 81–69 on Friday, dropping the Cougars to 1–3 on the season. WSU kept the game close for much of the first half before Washington closed on a 13–4 run, sending the Cougars into the locker room trailing 44–30 and facing a deficit they could not overcome.
The Huskies pushed their second-half lead to as many as 22 points before Washington State cut it to eight with around four minutes remaining, but Washington ultimately pulled away.
After the game, coach David Riley said, “We did some really good things in the second half, but we can’t shoot ourselves in the foot.”
Here are three takeaways from Wazzu’s latest defeat to Washington:
Ice-Cold From Deep
Unable to hit enough shots to stay close, Washington State again struggled from beyond the arc on Friday night. Under Riley, shooting has consistently been a program strength - his teams have never ranked worse than 55th nationally in three-point percentage. This season, however, the Cougars have yet to find their rhythm. WSU is shooting just 29.2 percent from deep, and against the Huskies they finished 9-for-31, also good for 29 percent.
The Cougars have only played four games and possess several proven shooters, giving Riley reason for optimism the ball will start to fall through the net with greater regularity, but the early trend is clear: when Washington State isn’t hitting from three, winning becomes an uphill battle.
“I think tonight was an anomaly because we took really good shots,” Riley said. “I’m living with all those shots. We’ll get those things figured out from the three-point line.”
Defensive Issues Fuel Huskies’ Runs
While shooting struggles continue to hurt the Cougars, defensive breakdowns proved just as costly. Washington’s Zoom Diallo and Wesley Yates were outstanding, scoring 20 and 26 points respectively. More concerning was how easily both players were able to get wherever they wanted on the court, with WSU offering little resistance in being able to keep them out of the paint all night long.
“There were too many times we’d get two stops and then blow a coverage, or get two stops in a row and have a silly foul,” Riley lamented.
Defense has been a major concern for Washington State early this season. Despite offseason comments and roster construction aimed at improving last year’s weaknesses, the results have trended in the opposite direction. According to Bart Torvik’s rankings—excluding preseason projections—WSU’s defense currently ranks 299th nationally. Last year, the Cougars finished 183rd. That number must improve if WSU hopes to turn the season around.
Notable Performances
Eemeli Yalaho: Yalaho had his best game as a Cougar, scoring a career-high 15 points and knocking down three three-pointers. The 3–4 combo forward appears to be settling in as the staff continues to use him in multiple roles offensively.
Ace Glass: Coming off the bench, Glass contributed 12 points and helped spark the late run that trimmed Washington’s lead to single digits. The former Texas A&M commit has shown he can score in bunches and was also key in the comeback effort against Idaho.
Emmanuel Ugbo: Ugbo posted 11 points and seven rebounds, marking his fourth straight game in double figures. His strength and finishing ability inside have been impressive, and his jumper has progressed faster than expected. His defensive metrics are encouraging as well, as Ugbo currently ranks second on the team in defensive box plus-minus, providing a rare bright spot on that side of the court for the Cougs.
The Cougars showed plenty of fight once again against the Huskies and made the game interesting late, showing the resolve Riley wants to see from his team, but defensive miscues and cold shooting ultimately doomed them. Given Riley’s track record of regularly producing high level three-point shooting teams, there’s reason to believe the offense will come around. The defense, however, remains a major concern as WSU looks to build momentum heading into the Maui Invitational. The Cougars will now need to regroup as they host Southern Utah on Wednesday before making the trip to Hawaii with several difficult games on tap.
