Washington State Survives Scare From Division II Chaminade at Maui Invitational

David Riley's Washington State Cougars narrowly avoided a massive upset on Monday night, rallying to defeat Division II program Chaminade University 90-85 in the opening round of the 2025 Maui Invitational. 67 of WSU's points came off of the bench in that performance

Now with two straight wins, the Cougars' overall record for the season sits at 3-3.

Down 20 points with six minutes remaining in the first half, the Cougars got a career night from junior forward and Latvian international Rihards Vavers to get back on track. Vavers finished with 25 points off of the bench, sinking seven three-point shots and making all four of his free-throw attempts. His point total and number of made three-points were both career highs.

At the end of the first half, the Cougs were down 52-41. WSU's 12-0 run in the second half helped them stretch their lead to 17 points at the 8:53 mark before Chaminade caught their breath again and cut it to a one-possession game inside of the final minute.

In the final 20 minutes, WSU nailed eight of their 13 shots from beyond the arc. Chaminade only hit two of their three-point shots during that time. That work from distance helped them overcome a night with 23 turnovers. Chaminade converted turnovers into 28 points on the day.

WSU's other saving grace in this contest was the rebounding effort of their group. The Cougars nearly doubled up the Silver Swords on the boards, picking up 45 rebounds compared to 24.

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True freshman guard Ace Glass also posted his best game of the season so far, scoring 26 points off of the bench. Finnish Boise State transfer Eemeli Yalaho was one rebound shy of a double-double, posting ten points and nine rebounds.

Not helping the situation for WSU were Tomas Thrastarson and Adria Rodriguez, picking up four fouls apiece. While Rodriguez' fouls piled up, he was present in nearly every aspect of WSU's attack with six points, six rebounds, six assists, and three steals.

WSU fended off a strong performance from Chaminade senior guard Kent King, who did record a double-double with 20 points and ten rebounds.

The Cougars will advance in the Maui Invitational and face Arizona State Tuesday night at 5 p.m. PT on ESPN.

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