Washington State Basketball Fends Off Seattle U in Pullman, 70-58

Washington State shot the ball well to fend off an in-state foe on Wednesday night.

Oct 25, 2025; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars head coach David Riley talks with an official during a game against the New Mexico Lobos in the second half at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

David Riley's Washington State Cougars got revenge on the Seattle University RedHawks on Wednesday. After falling to the RedHawks in Seattle on December 30, the Cougars hosted the second matchup of the year and emerged victorious by a final score of 70-58. Defensively, it was a particularly effective performance as WSU allowed their smallest point total this season.

Rihards Vavers gave one of his best performances of the season with 24 points, making eight of his ten attempts from the floor. Ace Glass and ND Okafor also contributed 14 and 13 points, respectively. As a team, WSU shot 55.6 percent from the field.

Okafor and Eemeli Yalaho were the team's primary rebounders, combining for 17 of the team's 39 rebounds.

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In the first half, Vavers found success early and often. Vavers made six of eight from the floor, including four three-pointers to finish the half with 16 points, as well as three rebounds, a blocked shot, and a steal. Washington State likely would have built up a bigger lead against the RedHawks if not for the 12 turnovers they committed. However, WSU held the rebounding advantage with 20 compared to Seattle's 13. The Cougars held a 36-30 lead at the half.

In the second half, Glass took over as WSU's primary scorer, nailing all four of his free throw shots and four of his five field goal attempts. An 11-0 run that, ironically, started at the 11:11 mark, helped extend the Cougar lead to 13 points with just over six minutes to play. That proved to be enough of a cushion in the remaining minutes to seal WSU's win as they added another win to their resume with postseason play looming.

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With a 7-4 record at home this season, the Cougars continue to show they play their best basketball inside of Beasley Coliseum.

The Cougars improve to 10-13 overall with the victory and 5-5 in the West Coast Conference. WSU are on a two-game winning streak as they remain home to host the Portland Pilots on Saturday, January 31. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. PT on ESPN+ as WSU look for their third consecutive victory, which would tie their longest winning streak of the campaign. They'll make a trip to Corvallis next week for a midweek matchup at Oregon State.

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