Washington State Snap Losing Streak With Dramatic 87-86 Win Over Pepperdine

After five consecutive losses, the Washington State Cougars finally got back into the win column on Saturday night with a one-point win over the Pepperdine Waves. The Cougs were victorious by a final score of 87-86 in Pullman.

The Cougars only led for a total of one minute and 37 seconds in the game, with Pepperdine holding the lead for 36 minutes and 45 seconds.

Five different Cougs scored in double figures, with Nate Calmese leading the group with 16 points. The group effort was enough to overcome a 30-point performance from Pepperdine, senior guard Stefan Todorovic, who sank four three-pointers. Ultimately, it all came down to the final two minutes where Isaiah Watts hit on two huge three-point baskets, the first of which came with WSU down eight points at the two-minute mark.

Watts hit another three pointer to tie the game at 85-85 with 27 seconds remaining.With a free throw, Pepperdine then took a one-point lead, followed by the Coug defense forcing a jump ball with 14 seconds left. LeJuan Watts then received the inbound pass from Calmese and muscled his way into the paint for the go-head basket, giving the Cougs a one-point lead with 11 seconds remaining and their first lead of the second half. After a Pepperdine timeout with seven seconds left, the Waves drew up a play to get Todorovic one more shot from deep, which Ethan Price blocked to seal the Cougs' victory.

LeJuan Watts! The Cougs have their first lead of the second half with seven seconds to play.#GoCougs | 📺ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/2ErVV4CGqF
— Washington State Men's Basketball (@WSUCougarsMBB) February 9, 2025

Ethan Price swats the final shot and WSU ekes out an 87-86 win over Pepperdine. Five scored in double figures for the Cougs, who closed the game on a 9-1 run. LeJuan Watts, who totaled 14 points, converted the game-winner. pic.twitter.com/ZbMggoIF61
— Greg Woods (@GregWWoods) February 9, 2025

"We had a lot of people doubting us, a lot of people counting us out," Isaiah Watts told the ESPN+ crew postgame. "The work that we put in this week, the work that we put in last week, it carried over. [The win] means so much to us. We're about to go celebrate and then get right back to it."

Washington State improve to 16-10 on the season with a 6-7 record in West Coast Conference play. They will have a week to prepare for their next game, which will be a rematch with Saint Mary's in Moraga on February 15 at 7 PM PT//10 PM ET.

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