Washington State MBB Fall Short at San Diego in Fourth Straight Loss

Ace Glass scored 29 points in what ended up a four-point loss for the Cougars

Jan 15, 2026; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars guard Ace Glass Lll (21) controls the ball against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first half at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

The Washington State Cougars dropped their Wednesday night battle with the San Diego Toreros by a final score of 96-92. The loss was the fourth in a row for Washington State team that has struggled all year to find success away from home.

Despite the result, freshman guard Ace Glass put forth a strong individual effort with a game-leading 29 points, in addition to seven rebounds, with four assists, and two steals. ND Okafor also made strong contributions with 21 points and six boards. Off of the bench, Rihards Vavers scored 16 with seven rebounds, and assist and a block.

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The majority of the Toreros' scoring came from the bench in the first half, a total of 24 points. The Cougars also committed seven turnovers and struggled to get offensive boards, which put them in a sizable hole after the first ten minutes. At the 2:52 mark of the first half, San Diego had built an 18-point lead, but the Cougars managed to rally and cut the deficit to ten. USD led 42-32 at the halftime break.

In the second half, the Toreros kept the Cougars at an arm's length until the final five minutes. The Cougars rallied to ultimately outscore their opponents in the second half 60-54, and even got it within two points with seven seconds remaining. WSU fouled Gavin Ripp, hoping he would miss at-least one free throw to give WSU a chance to tie it, but Ripp made both of free throws to put things just barely out of reach for David Riley's squad.

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The loss moves Washington State to 8-13 overall and 3-5 in West Coast Conference play this season. The Cougs have now lost seven of their last eight true road games.

Washington State have concluded their dip into California for the month of January, but will return to SoCal on February 25 for their final two games of the regular season. They'll play at Loyola Marymount on that Wednesday evening and then play their regular season finale at Pepperdine in Malibu on Saturday, February 28.

The Cougars will play their first matchup with Pepperdine this season on Saturday, January 24 in Pullman at Beasley Coliseum. Tipoff in that contest is scheduled or 3 p.m. PT on ESPN+.

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