Thomas Christensen

Box Score

Washington St. WSU 5-20,4-8 WCC

San Diego SD 8-17,2-10 WCC

Washington St. WSU

5-20,4-8 WCC

Final

Feb. 05, 2026

San Diego SD

8-17,2-10 WCC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Washington St. WSU	25	18	22	15	80
San Diego SD	19	21	23	13	76

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | February 05, 2026 | Breven Honda | Freelance Writer

Career Night From Owens Not Enough in High-Octane Loss to WSU

Freshman guard records first-career double-double as Toreros drop 80-76 decision to Cougars at the JCP

SAN DIEGO — With 9.6 seconds left, San Diego women's basketball head coach Blanche Alverson called timeout off a sideline out of ball inbounds trailing by two against Washington State Thursday evening at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Kylie Ray, who aggravated a lower leg injury in the opening quarter a week ago at Oregon State and missed the following game at Portland, returned to the floor Thursday and caught the inbounds pass.

However, her dribble bounced on the sideline leading to a turnover and ultimately paved the way to an 80-76 home loss against the Cougars.

"I hope they see that that's who we can be, and that's what we need to be in the future," Alverson said of the high-scoring affair Thursday evening. "We need to be a team that plays and gets more possessions and gets 60-plus shot attempts. That's what we're building towards.

"When you have more possessions in the game, you got to get more stops. And I think that's where we've got to really bear down."

As Ray scored 21 points, it was Olivia Owens who led the Toreros offense, with game-highs of 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.

"We're very fortunate that we have a couple guards that can create their own shot, so we can have movement and spreading it around a little bit," Alverson said as Owens scored 14 of her 31 points in the third quarter. "It does keep people on her toes. Having Kylie as well, being able to kind of mix up their shots definitely helps us offensively. I thought we had an advantage on that, getting downhill."

As the Cougars went on a mini 6-0 run in the third quarter, Owens put a stop to that by making a four-point play followed by completing a three-point play, cutting the deficit from seven down to two, 61-59.

Owens added that her mentality to score came from staying focused from her preparations leading up until tipoff.

"It's just being calm in those moments, trusting in the work and the process that you have, that you put in every single day up to that," she said . "So, shooting your same shot and trying to give your team a chance. The only thing you can ask for is to execute. "

The Toreros, who outscored the Cougars 16-5 in fastbreak opportunities, had chances late. When USD (8-17, 2-10 WCC) made a shot to cut the deficit down from four to two, Washington State (5-20, 4-8 WCC) followed to get its two-possession lead back.

As San Diego led in fastbreak points to push the tempo offensively, led by Owens and Ray, the Toreros outscored the Cougars in 17-5 in second chance points, highlighted by outrebounded Washington State 37-32.

That is where Owens stepped up with her dozen rebounds and being able to push the ball up in transition.

"I thought we did a great job of pushing tonight and taking advantage there," Alverson said. "Anytime they can get rebounds and push, you know, I think it sets us up for success, and they're both big strongholds, who can rebound at a high level.

"Usually when I'm looking at the stats, this is a winning game for us. It's unfortunate. Last couple of games, we won the rebounding battle. And that's usually an indicator."

Despite an 11-2 run by the Cougars to start the game, USD punched back with a 14-3 run, capped off by Owens' first of four made 3-pointers to take a 16-14 lead with 2:25 left in the first quarter.

The Cougars had four scorers in double figures, including Malia Ruud recording 19 points off the bench.

Up next, the Toreros play the middle game of their three-game home series Saturday against Seattle University. Tipoff between San Diego and the Redhawks is slated for 2 p.m. at the Jenny Craig Pavilion as the Toreros partner with the Kay Yow Cancer Fund for their Play4Kay game as well as celebrate their alumni. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN+ with Braden Surprenant and Brian Rosario on the call.

NOTABLE

San Diego's 40 first half points and 76 points for a 40-minute game are the most this season against a Div. I opponent
Olivia Owens logged new career-highs with 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for her first collegiate double-double.
Her 31 points is a new season-best performance by a Torero in 2025-26 and also tied for the eighth-most in a single game in program history (Also Amy Kame, Feb. 19, 2014; Morgan Woodrow, Dec. 11, 2011; and Amber Sprague, Nov. 16, 2008)
Kylie Ray, who was injured at Oregon State and was out for the Portland game, returned and posted 21 points for her ninth 20-point performance this season
Eva Ruse recorded 11 rebounds, her fourth time posting double-digit boards this season and the third time in the last four games.
Lilly Amor, who scored six points on a couple of 3-pointers, played all 40 minutes. This is her third consecutive game and fifth time this season with at least 35 minutes of action.