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6 stories filed under lead on Wazzu. The newest of them: “Cougs pour on 28 in one quarter, then fade in second-half loss at Oregon”, “Gonzaga Invitational Starts with a Win for Clara Schön”, and “No drama, no letup: Cougs handle business in exhibition win”. Twenty-eight points in one quarter. Clara Schön walked into Spokane and walked out with a win to start the Gonzaga Invitational. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every lead story on Wazzu, newest first.
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Cougs pour on 28 in one quarter, then fade in second-half loss at Oregon
Twenty-eight points in one quarter. That is not a typo. The Cougs poured on 28 in the second quarter against Oregon, shooting 60% from the field while holding the Ducks to 17.6%. They walked into the locker room up 36-22. It felt like one of those nights in Eugene where you steal one on the road. Then the second half happened. WSU managed just 21 points after the break. Oregon flipped the script with a 24-11 third quarter, grabbed the lead early in the fourth, and never gave it back. The final was 64-57. That one stings. Eleonora Villa did her part. She was the only Coug in double figures with 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting. The rest of the team went cold. WSU finished 4-of-25 from three. You cannot win many games shooting 16% from deep. This is the kind of loss that makes you wonder about the halftime adjustment. The Cougs had the Ducks on their heels. Then the adjustments came from the other side. Oregon shot 6-of-10 on threes in the second half. That is a killer. The Cougs are 0-2 and heading to a schedule that does not get easier. If you need a break from the box score, check out our piece on Korey Schroeder breaking down Gonzaga week ahead of the Cougar volleyball clash. Different court, same fight. Go Cougs.
Gonzaga Invitational Starts with a Win for Clara Schön
Clara Schön walked into Spokane and walked out with a win to start the Gonzaga Invitational. That's the kind of opening weekend that gets a team's attention. Schön has been putting in the work, and it showed on the court. She took the first match, set the tone, and gave the Cougs something to build on as the tournament moves forward. This is the same roster that Kamie Ethridge has been talking up as ready to run. If you missed that piece, "Kamie Ethridge steps to the mic with a roster ready to run" is worth your time. She's not wrong. Schön's performance in Spokane backs it up. The team has depth, and the early results are starting to prove it. The Gonzaga Invite is a good early test. Playing in Spokane means facing a program that knows its own gym. Schön didn't seem to mind. She went in, handled business, and came out with a win. That's the kind of start that makes you pay attention to what comes next. Go Cougs.
No drama, no letup: Cougs handle business in exhibition win
The Cougs walked into Beasley Coliseum on Saturday, handled the exhibition opponent, and walked out with a win. No drama, no letup. That's the kind of night you want to see from this squad. It wasn't a game that will end up on a highlight reel, but it didn't need to be. The effort was there. The focus was there. Against a team that came to play, Washington State did exactly what it was supposed to do: take care of business and keep building. We've been watching this team figure itself out all season. The defense has had its moments. The offense has had its questions. Nights like this one don't answer everything, but they do show a team that's putting in the work. That matters. If you missed the trip to Fort Collins, go back and read "Wazzu's effort was there in Fort Collins, even if the win wasn't." It puts this performance in the right context. The Cougs didn't get the result they wanted that night, but they didn't fold. They came home, got back in the gym, and showed up ready. That's the stuff you want to see. That's how you build a team that can handle a Pac-12 road trip north or a showdown with a tough opponent. One game at a time. No shortcuts. Go Cougs.
Helm guides Cougs through opening day of Hawaii tournament
Helm walked into Hawaii's tournament opener and got exactly what you'd expect from a first day on a strange course: a mix of good swings, a few head-scratchers, and enough to keep the Cougs in the game. If you've ever lined up a putt with the wind coming off the Pacific, you know. It's not the Palouse. The team settled in, though, and Helm's steady hand through the rotation kept things from drifting. No heroics. No panic. Just the kind of golf that gives you something to build on for the rest of the week. If you missed it, we also had the Cougs at the Saint Mary's Invitational recently, different island, different feel, same stubborn approach to getting the ball in the hole. Worth a read if you want to see how this squad handles a road trip. For now, the Hawaii tournament is still wide open. The Cougs are in the mix. That's all you can ask on day one. Go Cougs.
Golf Cougs One Swing Back at Saint Mary's Invitational
The Washington State golf team is back on the course this week at the Saint Mary's Invitational, and they've got a little momentum to work with. After a tough stretch, the Cougs are one swing back. That's the kind of phrase that means something when you've been grinding through a fall schedule that doesn't let up. They're not looking for moral victories out there in California. They're looking to stack a solid round and keep climbing. This group has shown flashes. The question is whether they can string them together when it matters. The field at Saint Mary's won't hand out anything easy, but that's the point. You go to these tournaments to find out what you're made of, and Pullman has always been a place that builds players who can handle a little adversity. If you missed our earlier coverage on the Cougs heading to the Tyson Invitational, that story gives you a sense of how this team prepares for the road. Same grit, different course. For now, the focus is on Monterey. One swing at a time. Go Cougs.
Cougs split singles matches as Nakagawa and Harper pace day two
Day two in the desert was a split decision, and that's okay. The Cougs took the singles court and came away with a pair of wins, with Nakagawa and Harper doing the heaviest lifting. You love to see it when the upperclassmen steady the ship after a long weekend of tennis. It wasn't a clean sweep, and it didn't need to be. This part of the fall is about testing the legs and finding out who's got the gas tank for the long rallies. Nakagawa looked sharp, Harper looked composed, and the rest of the squad got the kind of reps you can't buy in practice. Splitting matches on day two isn't a headline, but it's a solid foundation. If you've been following along, you already know these Cougs don't shy away from a challenge. They opened the season by testing the legs against the nation's best in Wisconsin, and they carried that same grit into the Northwest Regionals. This weekend is just another chapter in the same story: get out there, swing big, and learn something. The wins are nice. The progress is better. And with a few more matches left in the tournament, there's still time to stack a couple more Ws before heading back to Pullman. Go Cougs.