Motum was hot from the onset, scoring 11 of the Cougars’ (12-10, 4-6) first 16 points. WSU led 30-24 at halftime.

Southern California (6-17, 1-9) put together a 14-4 run midway through the second half, cutting the Cougars’ lead to 49-45 with 6:42 remaining, but WSU went 4 of 5 at the free throw line during a minute-long span to go up 56-45 with 3:38 left.

Motum accounted for WSU’s final two points when he grabbed a defensive rebound and was immediately fouled, proceeding to hit both foul shots. Motum was the only Cougar player to finish in double figures.

USC had three players notch double figures with Greg Allen leading with 17 points. Garrett Jackson added 15 and Byron Wesley finished with 12.

Davonte Lacy of Washington State (11-8, 3-4) hit a 3-pointer, was fouled and missed the ensuing free throw to give the Cougars a 77-74 lead with 18.3 seconds remaining.

With six seconds left, Justin Cobbs of California (16-5, 6-2) hit the front end of a pair of free throws, but missed the second. Jorge Gutierrez grabbed the rebound and flung a shot that hit the front of the rim to seal the Cougars’ victory.

WSU had four players finish in double figures, including Brock Motum with 15 points.

Cal had five players in double figures. Gutierrez led the Golden bears with 19 points.

SEATTLE (AP) – Faisal Aden scored 17 points off the bench and Washington State continued to recover from its early-season slump with a 67-56 win over Pepperdine on Thursday night.

DaVonte Lacy added 15 for the Cougars (8-4), who have won six straight games – albeit not against the strongest competition – as they head into Pac-12 Conference play next Thursday against Oregon in Spokane, Wash.

Washington State improved to 7-0 playing its annual game at Seattle’s KeyArena. It is part of a long stretch of more than a month where the Cougars will technically play three home games but none on campus in Pullman.

Corbin Moore led Pepperdine (6-5) with 14 points.

9. You might win an Xbox 360

8. Beer Garden’s at KeyArena

7.You’re tired of spending time with family in Seattle

6.WSU has healthy squad for first time this year

5.Pepperdine 6-4 with wins at Arizona State and Hawaii

4.Christmas money has been spent at Macy’s

3.WSU has never lost in CHC play

2.A certain football coach may be in attendance

1. Because you’re a Coug!

ABOUT THE COUGAR HARDWOOD CLASSIC:
• This year marks the seventh annual Cougar Hardwood Classic held at Seattle’s KeyArena…it’s held in with Idol Sports & Entertainment.
• Six of the seven CHCs have occurred in December, last year was the only exception when it was held Nov. 23.
• The Cougars are 6-0 all-time in the Cougar Hardwood Classic having defeated Utah (2005), San Diego State (2006), The Citadel (2007), Montana State (2008), LSU (2009) and Portland (2010).
• Last season the defeated Portland, 84-68, in the Cougar Hardwood Classic at Seattle’s KeyArena.
• Klay Thompson led the team with 35 points, while Faisal Aden chipped in 21 points.
• Thompson scored a Cougar Hardwood Classic record 35 points (previous was his 26 points in 2009).

WSU AGAINST PEPPERDINE:
• The series between the Cougars and Waves is tied at 2-2.
• The two teams haven’t met since Dec. 13, 1989, as WSU came up with an 82-77 victory.
• The series is tied at 1-1 at Pepperdine and 1-1 at WSU, with Pepperdine’s road victory coming at Spokane Arena.

COUGARS AGAINST THE WCC:
• Washington State is 125-60 against current members of the West Coast Conference all-time and 2-1 this season.
• The Cougars have played Gonzaga in 145 of the 182 games against those WCC members.
• WSU’s first two road games this season were at West Coast Conference schools…a loss at Gonzaga (Dec. 14) and a win at Portland (Nov. 20).
• This season WSU will play against four members of the West Coast Conference in at least four games…at Gonzaga (Nov. 14), at Portland (Nov. 20), at home against Santa Clara (Dec. 11) and against Pepperdine in Seattle (Dec. 22).

ABOUT THE COUGARS:
• Washington State is 7-4 on the season, 2-1 on the road, 5-0 at home and 0-3 in neutral-site games…currently riding a four-game winning streak.
• Although he missed three games with a concussion, senior Faisal Aden leads the team in scoring with 15.1 points per game.
• Junior Brock Motum is second on the team and eighth in the Pac-12 with 14.5 points an outing…he’s leading the team and is 11th in the Pac-12 with 6.5 rebounds a game.
• Motum scored double figures in the first 10 games and has in 10 of WSU’s 11 games this season.
• Motum also ranks eighth in the league with a .561 (60-for-107) field goal percentage.
• Junior Reggie Moore leads the league with 5.5 assists per game…he’s adding 9.4 points per game.
• Redshirt senior Charlie Enquist has been hot for the Cougars lately, averaging 12.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in the last four games…he has two double-doubles (the first two of his career) and reached double figures (20) for the first time in his career against Eastern Washington (Dec. 3).
• Enquist is shooting .838 (31-for-37) from the field this season.
• He has made his last 11 field goals…he also has made 10 straight free throws.
• Redshirt senior Abe Lodwick played his first game this season Dec. 18 after missing the first 10 with a foot injury.
• Redshirt junior Mike Ladd missed WSU’s games against UC Riverside, Grambling State, Eastern Washington, Idaho and Santa Clara with a sprained thumb.
• Faisal Aden missed the Cougars’ games against Eastern Washington, Idaho and Santa Clara with a concussion.

WASHINGTON STATE GETS 1,500TH WIN:
• With the win at Idaho Dec. 7, Washington State notched its 1,500th win in its 109 years of existence.
• The Cougars are now 1,502-1,371 all-time for a .523 win percentage.

LAST OUTING:
• The Cougars defeated Western Oregon, 66-42, Dec. 18 at Beasley Coliseum.
• Marcus Capers scored a season high nine points…he led the team in scoring for the first time in his career.
• Charlie Enquist now has two games this season where he has shot 1.000 from the field.
• DaVonté Lacy snapped his 12 made free throws streak.
• WSU’s nine three-pointers tie a season high.
• The Cougars shot above .500 from the field for the fifth time this season.
• WSU has won four of its last five games by more than 20 points.
• The Cougars allowed only 12 made field goals by Western Oregon, which is a season low.
• Washington State did not have a double digit scorer for the first time since March 29th, 2011 when the Cougars lost to Wichita State 75-44.
• Western Oregon shot a WSU opponent season low .174 from the field in the second half.
• Abe Lodwick made his first appearance this season.
• Mike Ladd (Last game: New Mexico) and Faisal Aden (Grambling State) made their first appearances since coming back from injuries.

MOTUM NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
• Brock Motum was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 5-12.
• Motum led the Cougars to two victories that week, a 66-64 win at Idaho Wednesday (Dec. 7) and a 93-55 win over Santa Clara Sunday (Dec. 11).
• This is the first honor for Motum, who becomes the first Cougar not named Klay Thompson to earn conference player of the week since Taylor Rochestie picked up the honor, Feb. 23, 2009.
• Motum is the first forward to pick up the accolades since Daven Harmeling, Feb. 4, 2007.
• It marks Washington State’s 24th all-time Player of the Week.

PERFECT AT FRIEL IN NOVEMBER:
• With its win over Grambling State Nov. 30, WSU improved to 42-0 all-time in the month of November at Friel Court.
• The Cougars have won 42-straight November games in Pullman and are 44-1 (the loss came before the Cougars moved into Beasley Coliseum).
• WSU’s only loss in Pullman in November came against Colorado State, Nov., 30, 1962, by a score of 77-47.

Ken Bone IN HIS THIRD SEASON:
• WSU head coach Ken Bone holds a 45-32 record in his third season in 2011-12, and already has more wins than eight previous Cougar men’s basketball coaches, six of which coached at least two seasons.
• Last season Bone led WSU to an NIT postseason appearance, making him the third-fastest Cougar coach to reach a postseason tournament.
• He also has more wins than two of the last three head coaches, nine more than Dick Bennett (2003-06, 36-49) and 14 more than four-year head coach Paul Graham (2000-03, 31-79).

CAPERS ON PACE FOR GAMES PLAYED RECORD:
• Senior Marcus Capers has played 109 games in his WSU career, while the school record is 127 games played set by George Hamilton in 1945 and 47-49.
• Given Capers plays in all the team’s games this season, he will play in his 127th game March 1 at UCLA and his record-setting 128th game in WSU’s regular season finale, March 3 at USC.

COUGARS PICKED TIED FOR 10TH IN PRESEASON PAC-12 POLL:
• Washington State was picked to tie with Colorado for 10th place (119 points) in the inaugural Pac-12 preseason media poll released by the league at the conference’s media day in Los Angeles, Friday, Oct. 28.
• The poll had UCLA finishing first with 14 of the 38 first-place votes and 421 points.
• California was chosen second with 13 first-place votes and 405 points, followed closely by Arizona with 11 first-place votes and 404 overall points. Washington (fourth, 355), Oregon (fifth, 282), Stanford (sixth, 255), USC (seventh, 194), Oregon State (eighth, 188), Arizona State (ninth, 148), Colorado (t-10th, 119 points) and Utah (12th, 74) rounded out the poll.

BASKETBALL GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY:
• The Cougars spent the majority of the summer and fall of 2011 giving back to the community, participating in various community service activities.
• In June the team held three camps, including a day camp for kids ages 8-14.
• In July members of the Cougar basketball team participated in Palouse Habitat for Humanity and Pullman Learning Center’s sports week and in August the team made appearances at the Lentil Festival’s street fair and parade.
• The entire team spent time before the Cougars’ Sept. 10 football game, signing autographs as part of `family day.’
• Members of the team visited the senior center Sept. 16., the team held a free Kids’ Clinic Oct. 1, members of the team helped with the YMCA’s Keys to Success event and several Cougars have visited Jefferson Elementary, helping out in a second-grade classroom.

COUGARS RETURN THREE STARTERS; FIVE OF TOP SEVEN SCORERS:
• WSU welcomes back three starters and seven letterwinners from the Cougars’ 2010-11 team.
• Marcus Capers, Abe Lodwick, and Reggie Moore appeared in the starting lineup during the majority of last season, en route to a 22-13 finish and a semifinal appearance in the NIT.
• Senior Faisal Aden, who started nine games as a junior, is the team’s returning scorer after averaging 12.7 points per game in his first year with the squad.
• Moore was fourth on the team with 9.1 points per game, including 10.1 in conference play.

WASHINGTON STATE ATHLETICS’ REBRANDING:
• Updates to the basketball practice facility were completed this summer as part of WSU Athletics’ branding master plan.
• The gym, located in the P.E. Building between Bohler Gym and Smith Gym, is now easily recognizable with the WSU logo painted on one set of doors and Cougars on the other.
• Paint, including the WSU fight song, and photos were also added, along with changes to reflect the newly formed Pac-12.

BEASLEY COLISEUM GETS NEW SCOREBOARD:
• The addition of the center-hung scoreboard in Beasley Coliseum, home of WSU men’s and women’s basketball teams, has been completed and is ready for use in the 2011-12 season.
• Washington State completed the project in conjunction with Daktronics, Inc. of Brookings, S.D.
• The new center-hung display features four LED video displays, each measuring 11 feet high by 15 feet wide.
• With 10 millimeter line spacing, these displays will incorporate clarity and contrast of video images with the capability to present live and recorded video.
• The displays are also capable of showing custom animations, vivid graphics, up-to-the minute statistics, player highlights and in-game advertising from sponsors.

New, unwrapped toys will be collected outside the arena from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., and all donations will go to local families in need.

The additional tickets are available through Ticketmaster or at the KeyArena box office, and recently became available after WSU and Pepperdine released their sponsor allotment that includes premium courtside seats for Saturday’s game. Tickets for the Cougar Hardwood Classic pregame VIP party are also still available.

The exclusive VIP event includes a special credential for early entry to KeyArena and a private party featuring appetizers and drinks, a meet and greet with WSU head coach Ken Bone, and an appearance by Butch T. Cougar. All fans attending the party will also receive a Cougar Hardwood Classic mini-basketball with white paneling for autographs and the opportunity to take a picture with the limited edition Nike MAG “Back for the Future” shoes that will be on display during the game.

This will be the fifth time WSU and Pepperdine have played each other, and the first since 1986 with the all-time series tied, 2-2. The Cougars (7-4) enter Thursday’s contest on a five game winning streak and have won all six previous games in the annual KeyArena series.

Pepperdine (6-4) is led by first-year head coach Marty Wilson and senior forward Taylor Darby, who leads the Waves in scoring (12.0 PPG), is second on the team in rebounding (6.7 RPG), and has played in each of the team’s 96 games the past three years.

Originally dubbed “the greatest shoe never made,” Nike recently produced 1,500 pairs of the legendary shoes and auctioned them on eBay with all net proceeds going directly to The Michael J. Fox Foundation to benefit Parkinson’s disease research. The 10-day auction, which ran from Sept. 8 to Sept. 18, received more than 38,000 bids and raised over $5.6 million. All winning bid donations were matched by Google co-founder Sergey Brin, bringing the total amount raised for Parkinson’s disease research to $11.3 million.

Sneaker aficionados and “Back to the Future” fans attending Saturday’s game can have their picture taken with the haughty high-tops, free of charge, on the 100 level concourse at KeyArena from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Tickets for the Cougar Hardwood Classic are available through Ticketmaster or at the KeyArena box office and WSU students can pick up a complimentary ticket by presenting their student ID at the arena box office on the night of the game.

The original Nike MAG shoes were worn by Fox’s character Marty McFly in the year 2015 in “Back to the Future II” and captivated audiences by lighting up, self-lacing and forming to the contours of McFly’s feet. The 2011 edition was designed to be a precise replica of the original, including the contours of the upper, glowing LED panel, and electroluminescent Nike label in the strap. The futuristic footwear illuminate by pinching the outer ear of each shoe, and glow for an average of five hours per charge.

This will be the fifth meeting all-time between WSU and Pepperdine, and the first since 1986 with series tied, 2-2.

Leach, who was named the WSU head football coach on Nov. 30, will be in Seattle for the Cougars’ annual game at KeyArena.  In 10 seasons as head coach at Texas Tech (2000-09), Leach’s program earned 10 bowl bids and recorded a school-record 84 victories.

The new coach has ties to both schools playing in Thursday’s basketball game.  The obvious being the new head coach at WSU.  However Coach Leach is also a Pepperdine graduate.  In 1986, Leach earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Pepperdine University School of Law.

In 2008, Texas Tech set a program record with 11 regular-season wins, and was ranked as high as second in the nation. That year Leach received three national coach of the year awards: the Woody Hayes Award, the Howie Long/FieldTurf Coach of the Year, and George Munger Award, while quarterback Graham Harrell and wide receiver Michael Crabtree finished fourth and fifth, respectively in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Prior to Texas Tech Leach spent one season as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma (1999), as the Sooners set six Big 12 Conference and 17 school records. He spent two seasons in a similar capacity at Kentucky (1997-98), the only two seasons in school history in which it passed for more than 4,000 yards while setting six NCAA and 41 Southeastern Conference records.

This will be the fifth time WSU and Pepperdine have played each other, and the first since 1986 with the all-time series tied, 2-2. The Cougars (7-4) enter Thursday’s contest on a five game winning streak and have won all six previous games in the annual KeyArena series. Pepperdine (6-4) is led by first-year head coach Marty Wilson and senior forward Taylor Darby, who leads the Waves in scoring (12.0 PPG), is second in rebounding (6.7 RPG), and has played in each of the team’s 96 games the past three years.

Tickets for the Cougar Hardwood Classic are available through Ticketmaster or at the KeyArena box office. WSU students can pick up a complimentary ticket by presenting their student ID at the east entrance student pick up the night of the game.

The sponsorship features several in-game promotions, including shirt and hat giveaways, as well as Xbox 360 video games and an Xbox 360 + Kinect game console. Copies of the critically acclaimed video game “Gears of War 3” will be given away for every three-point basket made by Washington State.

Tickets for the Cougar Hardwood Classic are available through Ticketmaster or at the KeyArena box office and WSU students can pick up a complimentary ticket by presenting their student ID at the arena box office on the night of the game.

This will be the fifth meeting all-time between WSU and Pepperdine, and the first since 1986 with series tied, 2-2. The Cougars (7-4) enter Thursday’s contest on a five game winning streak after stumbling in the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif., and are undefeated six previous games at KeyArena. Pepperdine (6-4) is led by first-year head coach Marty Wilson and senior forward Taylor Darby, who leads the Waves in scoring (12.0 PPG), is second in rebounding (6.7 RPG), and has played in each of the team’s 96 games the past three years..

Kinect for Xbox 360 enables video game enthusiasts of all ages to use their bodies instead of traditional hand-held video game controllers to play their favorite Xbox 360 games by utilizing revolutionary technology, including body and voice recognition software, that captures body movements and mirrors the user’s motions during gameplay, making the user is the controller. With Kinect the Xbox 360 has the best controller ever made – the user.