Washington State Cougars On SI

Washington State Suffer Worst Loss of Season, Fall 109-79 To Santa Clara

Joe Londergan

Feb 8, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars guard Nate Calmese (8) reacts after a play against the Pepperdine Waves in the second half at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Washington State Cougars won 87-86. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images
Feb 8, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars guard Nate Calmese (8) reacts after a play against the Pepperdine Waves in the second half at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Washington State Cougars won 87-86. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images / James Snook-Imagn Images
In this story:

Saturday yielded another difficult night in what's been an extremely difficult season for Washington State men's basketball. The Santa Clara Broncos left Pullman with a 109-79 win over the Cougars, the largest margin of defeat for WSU so far this season.

It also marked the first time since 2018 that WSU allowed an opponent to score 100+ and the most points scored by a WSU opponent in Pullman since 2002.

Santa Clara set a West Coast Conference record and a program record with 23 makes from beyond the three-point line. They were especially effective in the first half, shooting 15-of-19 in the first 20 minutes.

"That that was one of the best offensive first halves I've ever seen in my life, from Santa Clara," Cougs head coach David Riley said postgame. "Most people couldn't do that with no defense, and you know I think when you look at it, that's a heck of a barrage from three and and we got unlucky with eight or nine of them, but we got to control our 'controllables' a little bit better."

The Cougs' record drops to 16-13 on the season. WSU will have two games remaining before the West Coast Conference tournament in Las Vegas. They will play their final home game of the regular season this Thursday, February 27. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 PM PT on ESPN+.

"There's a lot of love in that locker room," Riley noted. "There's a lot of guys that care for each other and there's a good team in there too. I got to make a couple tweaks, and figure some things out, and and we got to finish the season right."

More Reading Material From Washington State Cougars On SI

Published
Joe Londergan
JOE LONDERGAN

Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.

Home/Men's Basketball