Washington State University faced off against the University of Portland with a strong start in the first quarter but fell short in the last quarter by seven points ending the game 68-61 on Feb. 12 at Beasley Coliseum.
WSU Guard Charlotte Abraham dribbling past University of Portland Guard Rhyan Mogel, Feb. 12, 2026.
Starting off in the first couple seconds of the game, Alex Covill won the tipoff to Mackenzie Chatfield. The Cougs dominated on both offense and defense holding the Pilots to zero for the majority of the first quarter. Charlotte Abraham scored first for the Cougs with a 3-pointer. Abraham led the game with 18 points, 8 rebounds and four steals. Through strong pressure on defense the Cougs held the Pilots to 2 points ending the first.
Abraham’s efforts did not go unnoticed.
“I’m really happy for her and I think she’s you know, her work ethic and her extra work. It pays off and I think that’s a great sign for players that put in the work that she does. Her efforts on the boards is huge” said head coach Kamie Ethridge.
In the second the Cougs continued to keep their momentum in the first part of the second but the Pilots started to close the score gap. Elonora Villa had an impressive showing, ending with 15 points and seven assists in the game. As the end of the second quarter approached the Cougs lost their grip on the lead against the Pilots.
Coming out of halftime into the third the Cougs brought the heat to tie the score with the Pilots at 33-33. They managed this off back-to-back 3-pointers from Abarham and Tanja Valancic. The Pilots respond by hitting multiple 3-pointers and bring out a full court press. In the end the Cougs fell short of 9 points ending the third.
WSU Forward Keandra Koorits pushing past University of Portland Forward Ella Zimmerman, Feb. 12, 2026.
Going into the final quarter the Cougs came out fighting to close the 9 point gap against the Pilots. Villa went straight to the paint scoring 2 points and Chatfield followed closely behind with a steal. The Cougs continued to fight and move the ball and communicate. In the end the Cougs ultimately came up short against the Pilots narrowing the point gap but coming up short by 7 points ending it 68-61.
“This entire week of practice, we just wanted to focus on moving the ball, having good ball movement,” Covill said. “And just getting it out of our hands and just being prepared for their pressure and especially their full court press.”
The Cougs will hit the road for their next two games against Gonzaga University on Feb. 19 in Spokane. Then will head to Corvallis to face off against Oregon State University Feb 21. They will finish off their conference season with two home games at Beasley Coliseum against Seattle University Feb. 26 and Saint Mary’s College of California Feb. 28.
