The Washington State Cougars men’s basketball team shook off early-season struggles Wednesday night, powering past the Southern Utah Thunderbirds 98-74 at Beasley Coliseum.

With the 2-3 Cougars still missing key contributors, they leaned on a trio of standouts to orchestrate the turnaround. Redshirt junior center ND Okafor erupted for a career-high 27 points and eight rebounds on 12-of-14 shooting. Freshman guard Ace Glass scored 20 off the bench, and forward Eemeli Yalaho posted his first collegiate double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.

Southern Utah led briefly in the first half, but Washington State charged through the final minutes of the frame with a 15-5 run, took a 54-39 lead into the locker room, then opened the second half with a 25-9 spurt that all but sealed the outcome. The Cougars held a 48-32 edge in the paint and committed just seven turnovers, all season-lows as they finally began to realize the vision laid out by head coach David Riley. 

Following the win, Riley was quick to point to Glass’s emergence as a key factor. “Early on in the fall, he took that really seriously on how to play aggressive while also being under control,” Riley said. “I have full confidence in him offensively. The kid can score, he can shoot. He’s got the green light.” 

The result offers real momentum for the Cougars, who have faced mounting questions after a 1-3 start. Riley emphasized postgame the value of the complete effort: rebounding, ball security and attacking the basket, all areas the team had flagged at the outset of the season. While Southern Utah remains well off the radar of top programs, Riley treated the win as a meaningful step forward nonetheless.

Washington State now turns its attention to a tougher slate, including participation in the Southwest Maui Invitational starting next week, where the Cougars will open against Chaminade Silverswords Monday and potentially draw a matchup with either Texas Longhorns or Arizona State Sun Devils in the next round.