Washington State Blows Another Halftime Lead in Embarrassing 67-66 Loss to LMU
Continuing to excel at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, the Washington State Cougars suffered yet another brutal loss on Wednesday night, falling 67-66 to Loyola Marymount after blowing a 15-point halftime lead. It was a loss that felt all too familiar for a team that has struggled to put together a full 40-minute game this season.
Washington State looked to be in complete control early. The Cougars stormed into halftime with a commanding 39-24 advantage, getting whatever they wanted on offense for the most part and forcing LMU to take contested two-point jump shots away from the basket.
But as has been the case too frequently this season, the second half was a different game for all of the worst reasons as a double-digit lead evaporated and the Lions came roaring back to steal the win. Wednesday night adds to a growing list of games in which Washington State has surrendered sizable second-half leads, as the Cougars have now lost games while being up 12,17, and 15 points in the final 20 minutes this year.
Free Agent Primer: Will Rashid Shaheed Return to Run it Back With Seahawks in ‘26?
With a new league year slated to kick off on March 11, the Seahawks have nine unrestricted free agents scheduled to test the market along with seven restricted free agents and two exclusive rights free agents. Compared to prior seasons, general manager John Schneider has more financial flexibility at his disposal with OverTheCap.com listing the franchise as sixth in available effective cap space ($62 million), but with several big name stars in line for extensions such as All-Pro receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the team won’t be able to keep everyone after running the table to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Over the next several weeks, using statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and TruMedia, I will break down each and every one of the Seahawks' unrestricted free agents by revisiting their 2025 seasons, assessing why they should or should not be re-signed, breaking down an ideal contract, and making an early prediction on whether or not the player will return in 2026.
After sending Lumen Field into a frenzy with multiple kick and punt returns for touchdowns following his midseason arrival via trade, will the Seahawks be able to bring back speedy receiver and special teams ace Rashid Shaheed? Or will his market prove to be too expensive with numerous other suitors in pursuit?
‘Not Out of the Question’ Mariners Top Prospect Colt Emerson Earns Opening Day Spot
The Seattle Mariners first round pick from 2023, Colt Emerson, is making waves in big league camp in 2026. Heading into this season, he ranks No. 9 overall per MLB Pipeline and one of the best shortstop prospects.
Spring training is still early, so things remain fluid. Recent coverage describes his path as "well within reach," drawing direct parallels to how Julio Rodríguez forced his way onto the roster in 2022. So far in spring action, he is 4-for-11 (.364) with a triple and three RBI. He certainly is making a good impression thus far in camp.
Only four Mariners hitters have produced a faster exit velocity this spring than Emerson’s 111.6 MPH. Is he set to make the Opening Day roster?
2026 NFL Combine: 6 Potential Seahawks Targets Who Impressed on Day 1 of Workouts
Ushering in the next stage of the NFL offseason for the Seattle Seahawks and all 32 teams, the annual NFL Scouting Combine kicked off in earnest on Thursday with linebackers and EDGE defenders participating in on-field athletic testing and drill work.
Which players who could be on Seattle’s radar heading into the 2026 NFL Draft improved their stock the most? Here are six prospects who starred on Day 1 at Lucas Oil Stadium:
Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
An inside linebacker who finishes with votes in Heisman Trophy balloting shouldn’t be viewed as an overlooked talent or a sleeper going into the NFL draft process. But even after racking up over 250 combined tackles, five interceptions, and 10 forced fumbles in his final two seasons dominating in Lubbock and earning All-American honors, Rodriguez entered the combine with questions about his production being able to translate to the next level due to athleticism concerns.
Allie Turner Nails Nine Threes, Wills Gonzaga WBB to Win Over Saint Mary's
For most of this season for Gonzaga women’s basketball (22-8, 14-3), redshirt freshman Lauren Whittaker has stolen the show. Averaging 19 points and 10.2 rebounds on 55.6% shooting, she has tied the WCC record with 12 Freshman of the Week awards and has a chance to break the record next week. But in the majority of the Bulldogs’ last home game against Saint Mary’s (15-15, 6-11) Thursday night, the Gaels did about as good a job as any team has at limiting the first-year forward offensively.
So who better to step up in Whittaker’s place than sophomore Allie Turner, who connected on nine three-pointers to tie Michelle Elliot for the most made by a Bulldog in a game. After a stellar freshman season of her own, Turner has taken more of a secondary role this year in deference to Whittaker. But she delivered a career-high 29 points to power her squad to a 75-67 win over Saint Mary’s on Senior Night, as the Zags keep pace at the top of the conference standings.
Kraken Struggle to Shake Bad Habits in 5-1 Loss to Blues
It wasn’t pretty, but it was exactly what the Seattle Kraken wanted.
After allowing three tip-in goals in a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars the night before, the Kraken expressed a desire, a necessity, to throw more pucks on net to create scoring chances for themselves.
“We just need to get pucks towards the net, and get a greasy one,” defenseman Ryker Evans told reporters in Dallas after Wednesday’s game. “We were just trying to make a fancy play or just pass it, and we just need to get it to the net.”
So after Seattle allowed two goals in the first 95 seconds of the second period against the St. Louis Blues to go down 3-1 on Thursday, it appeared Evans followed through when the Kraken needed someone to cut the deficit.
Recapping Reign's Offseason So Far: Productive Coachella Trip Wraps Up
The Seattle Reign are about as short-handed as a team can be right now. With players like forward Maddie Dahlien, keeper Claudia Dickey, defender Jordyn Bugg, forward Jordyn Huitema and others away on international duty, the Reign had assistant coaches playing keeper at times in Thursday's practice at Starfire Sports in Tukwila.
With the current international break looming, Seattle used the last two weeks to travel to California for the Coachella Valley Invitational for the second straight season. The team played two closed-door scrimmages against San Diego and Utah and one televised friendly against Angel City, a 1-0 win.
Analysis: What Exactly Makes Strong Rob Refsnyder Season Quite Likely for Mariners?
When he went up against a right-handed pitcher between 2022 and 2025, Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder hit .235 with an on-base percentage of .315 and a slugging percentage of .355. Few people in baseball talk about those numbers, because that’s not why the Mariners paid him $6.25 million in December or why the rest of the league is waiting with baited breath to see what the 35-year-old has in store at T-Mobile Park.
Refsnyder’s slash line against lefties in those four years? .312/.407/.516. Against all pitchers, just four players have maintained a .924 OPS or better since 2022: Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and Yordan Alvarez. Obviously, Refsnyder isn’t quite in their league (since he’s just doing this against left-handers), but that’s the whole point of a platoon. When it comes to splits versus lefties, Refsnyder’s last four years have been the seventh best among guys with 250 or more plate appearances spread among the past four years.
Diving deeper into the data, we can see even more evidence that Refsnyder sees the ball very well when he has the platoon advantage: he walks 12.8% of the time when a southpaw is on the mound, around the rate that Nick Kurtz drew free passes during the 2025 season. His .407 on-base percentage against left-handers is the third highest since 2022, only less than Judge and Paul Goldschmidt.
Will Heimbrodt’s Career Night Lifts Redhawks to 87-80 Road Win vs. Waves
WCC play has been up and down for Wiil Heimbrodt, but in the wake of guard Brayden Maldonado's injury, the playmaking forward has stepped up. On Wednesday night, the sophomore put together the best performance of his career at the perfect time to lead the Redhawks to an 87-80 win over the Pepperdine Waves.
Igniting a hot Seattle U offense, Heimbrodt finished with 24 points on 10-13 shooting from the field, matching a career-high, along with five assists, five blocks, four rebounds, and four steals. From the tip, he represented a matchup nightmare for the Waves. No one in the backcourt could match his physicality, and no one in the front court could keep up with his speed. Niine of his field goals came in the paint, and he got to the rim in a multitude of ways.
Gonzaga Cruises in Senior Night Win Over Portland, Clinches No. 1 Seed in WCC
There was no semblance of an upset this time around. In Gonzaga’s final game of the season at the McCarthey Athletic Center, the Bulldogs (28-2, 16-1) annihilated Portland (12-18, 5-12) on Senior Night 89-48, clinching the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and at least a share of the regular season title in the program’s final year as a member of the WCC.
It capped off their first undefeated season at home since 2021-22, and with the Zags cutting down the net on their home court afterwards, the postgame emotions were certainly different compared to when they suffered their lone conference loss to the Pilots three weeks ago. It was a true beatdown on both ends, as GU notched its largest margin of defeat of West Coast play, and its most lopsided victory since Dec. 7, when it beat North Florida by 51.
Fueling Portland in its previous matchup against Gonzaga was freshman Joel Foxwell, who drilled several contested and back-breaking shots on the way to a 27-point performance. His game tonight started similarly, as he knocked down two stepback three-pointers over Mario Saint-Supéry before drawing a foul on a third attempt from distance. But his scoring magic did not continue, with the Bulldogs locking in defensively on Foxwell – who finished with just 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting – and the rest of the Pilots’ offense to hold them to several scoreless stretches.
Jedd Fisch Will Replace Departed Offensive Coordinator Jimmie Dougherty with… Jedd Fisch
During an appearance on the On3 Andy & Ari podcast on Wednesday, Washington Huskies head football coach Jedd Fisch offered some clarity about the offensive coordinator position.
The new OC will essentially be Jedd Fisch.
Kraken Stumble Out of Olympic Break With 4-1 Loss to Stars
Coming off the extended Olympic break, the Seattle Kraken managed to put together the kind of start they wanted against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.
Playing physical from the jump, Seattle did not allow a shot on goal from Dallas between 5:21 and 12:40 in the first period, and put together a productive power-play opportunity in that span, albeit without scoring.
However, the Stars picked up the pressure in the final minutes of the first, scoring just 1:19 before the intermission before taking a 2-0 lead 1:43 into the second. Before the second period was half over, the Kraken trailed 4-0 en route to a 4-1 loss.
Free Agent Primer: Will Seahawks Lock Up Riq Woolen Long-Term in Secondary?
With a new league year slated to kick off on March 11, the Seahawks have nine unrestricted free agents scheduled to test the market along with seven restricted free agents and two exclusive rights free agents. Compared to prior seasons, general manager John Schneider has more financial flexibility at his disposal with OverTheCap.com listing the franchise as sixth in available effective cap space ($62 million), but with several big name stars in line for extensions such as All-Pro receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the team won’t be able to keep everyone after running the table to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Over the next several weeks, using statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and TruMedia, I will break down each and every one of the Seahawks' unrestricted free agents by revisiting their 2025 seasons, assessing why they should or should not be re-signed, breaking down an ideal contract, and making an early prediction on whether or not the player will return in 2026.
Though his production in the defensive backfield proved to be a bit too feast or famine at times over the past four seasons, Riq Woolen has easily been one of Seattle’s best late round success stories. Will the next chapter remain with the Seahawks? Or will he head to greener pastures in free agency?
The Montlake Report: Could Huskies’ Road Win at Rutgers Start Late Season Run in Big Ten?
While the NCAA tournament remains unlikely, if near impossible at this point, the Huskies did themselves a major favor by winning at Rutgers on Tuesday, jumping into a bye slot for the Big Ten tournament.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Aaron Coe breaks down how Washington held off a late Rutgers rally to pick up a much-needed road win, why building positive momentum for next season should be the top priority for Danny Sprinkle given all the injuries that have derailed the team in 2025-26, and takes a look at Jedd Fisch's 2027 recruiting class on the gridiron, examining which incoming prospects have a chance to be game changers for UW in the future.
Seahawks Need Not Think Twice Making Jaxon Smith-Njigba ‘Highest Paid’ Receiver
Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba established himself as one of, if not the best wideout in the entire NFL in 2026. The Ohio State product led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards (a Seahawks franchise record and the eighth-highest single-season totals in league history). He averaged 15.1 yards per reception and had consistent big-play production (ten 100+ yard games). This earned him AP Offensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Pro honors, and a Pro Bowl nod, one of the most decorated seasons by any Seahawks player ever.
At just 24 years old, Smith-Njigba is a former first-round pick (No. 20 overall in 2023) who has rapidly ascended to superstar status. Soon, he will be paid like one.
True to the Blue: Early Signs Positive for Mariners Slugger Julio Rodriguez in Spring Training?
Already a multi-time All-Star, Julio Rodriguez has been a face of the franchise for the Mariners since his arrival as a top prospect. But he's still yet to put together a complete season.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Callaghan Bluechel breaks down early indicators from spring training that could be positive signs for Rodriguez overcoming his prior early season struggles, examines the swings of prospects Michael Arroyo and Jonny Farmelo from four spring training games thus far, and checks out several other prospects and veteran newcomers from the first week of Cactus League action.
Huskies Avoid Big Ten Cellar with Hannes Steinbach’s Big Game at Rutgers
It’s “celebrate the little wins” season for the Washington men’s basketball team.
Behind Hannes Steinbach’s 17th double-double, the Huskies put themselves in a strong position to earn a Big Ten Tournament bye heading into the final three games of a disappointing, injury-riddled season with a 79-72 win at Rutgers.
Kraken Re-Sign Ben Meyers, Ryan Winterton to Extensions
Ben Meyers and Ryan Winterton are sticking around. Coming out of the Olympic break, the Seattle Kraken announced contract extensions for both forwards, each of whom has impressed in bottom-six roles in their first full-time stints with the club this season, in a press release on Tuesday.
Meyers, 27, agreed to a two-year, $2 million contract ($1 million AAV), lasting through the 2027-28 season. After starting the season in the AHL with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Meyers was called up to Seattle for a nine-game stint from Oct. 21-Nov. 13, tallying three assists before being sent back down to Coachella Valley. Following the reassignment, Meyers authored an eight-game point streak (seven goals and four assists) before returning to Seattle on Dec. 10, where he’s played since.
In 31 NHL games this season, Meyers has five goals and 11 points. Since his last recall in December, the Delano, Minn. native has carved out a key role on Seattle’s fourth line, displaying good chemistry and production with Winterton, Tye Kartye and Jacob Melanson.
John Schneider, Seahawks Back to Business Fresh Off Super Bowl Title at NFL Combine
Capturing the ultimate prize in professional sports in Santa Clara, John Schneider and the Seattle Seahawks made the most of their opportunity to bask in the limelight as Super Bowl champions earlier this month, including celebrating with nearly a million fans in downtown in a parade for the ages as they stood atop the NFL world.
But eventually, the confetti disappears and the suds stop flowing. After climbing back to the mountaintop for the second time in franchise history, it’s time for Schneider, coach Mike Macdonald, and the Seahawks to get back to work with sights on defending their title, and that process officially starts with the annual NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis this week.
From the outside, the combine draws the most attention for the measurements and athletic testing that takes place in Lucas Oil Stadium as more than 300 NFL hopefuls descend upon the Circle City, and the league milks that process with live televised workouts starting on Thursday. But for Schneider, Macdonald, and the rest of Seattle’s brass that flies in for the festivities, while they will be monitoring the testing process closely and value athleticism as much as anyone, it’s far from the most important business to tend to.
Four More Mariners Hitting Prospects Looking to Prove Themselves in Peoria
Spring training has started in earnest for the Seattle Mariners, with a few games under their belts and just under a week left in February. Prospects and stars alike have started to get in their reps under the bluest Arizona skies, but with the World Baseball Classic starting up on March 4, some of the hitters further down in the system will get quite a bit of playing time. Now, they’ll mostly be working against prospects and four-A guys from other squads, but their time in Peoria will still give an idea of where they are in their development.
This article is the finale of a series of four discussing some of the Mariners’ notable prospect non-roster invites (NRIs) to Spring Training. The other three can be found here, here, and here.
SS Felnin Celesten, 20 years old, High-A.
When the M’s released their list of NRIs, Celesten didn’t make an appearance, but some play on Sunday during a 14-8 win over the Cincinnati Reds - he went 1-2 with a double - evidently means he got the invite after all.
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