Washington State Smashes Pepperdine 95-79, Moves to 4-5 In WCC Play
Picking up a much-needed win, the Washington State Cougars put together one of their most complete performances of the season on Saturday afternoon, rolling past Pepperdine 95–79 to improve to 9–13 overall and 4–5 in West Coast Conference play. The win snapped a four-game losing streak and gave the Cougars a much-needed boost of momentum as they head into a pivotal week at home.
From the opening tip, Washington State looked far more comfortable and confident than it had in recent outings. The Cougars played with pace on the offensive end, moved the ball unselfishly, and consistently found good looks both inside and beyond the arc. That balance was reflected on the scoreboard, as six different Cougars finished the afternoon in double figures.
Pepperdine struggled to slow Washington State’s perimeter attack, and the Cougars took full advantage. The Cougars jumped out to an early 29-9 lead and Pepperdine was able to close the gap to 58-53 the Waves never led in the game.
Who Impressed
Balanced scoring was the story of the day for Washington State, beginning with Simon Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt led all scorers with 19 points and was especially deadly from long range, connecting on five of 10 attempts from three-point territory. His shooting helped open the floor and forced Pepperdine to extend its defense, creating opportunities for others to attack.
Freshman Ace Glass continued what has been an impressive debut season, finishing with 18 points on an efficient 7-of-13 shooting from the field. His play has been one of the bright spots for Washington State this season, and Saturday was another example of it.
Rihards Vavers added 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting, providing a consistent scoring punch and spacing the floor. ND Okafor matched him with 15 points of his own, doing much of his damage inside and helping Washington State control the paint offensively. Emmanuel Ugbo chipped in 11 points along with eight rebounds, while Eemeli Yalaho rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points.
Up Next
The Cougars will look to build on this performance as they stay home for two important conference matchups this week. On Wednesday, Washington State will host Seattle in a rematch of an earlier conference loss. Seattle has struggled recently, dropping five of its last seven games, but the Redhawks will still present a challenge on the defensive end.
Washington State will then host Portland on Saturday. The Cougars defeated the Pilots back in December and will aim to replicate that success on their home floor. With conference standings tightening, both games represent valuable opportunities for Washington State to continue climbing and solidify its footing in WCC play heading towards the conference tournament.
After breaking their losing streak in convincing fashion, the Cougars will try to carry that momentum forward and turn one good performance into a stretch of consistent basketball.
