BOISE, Idaho – The Washington State women's basketball team secured a victory over Boise State (3-3), Thursday night, at Taco Bell Arena, defeating the Broncos 57-52. Sophomore Pinelopi Pavlopoulou scored a career-high 12 points, along with 18 points from freshman Borislava Hristova to lead the Cougars (6-1) offensively. On the defensive end, sophomore Bianca Blanaru grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds to go with 10 rebounds from senior Mariah Cooks.

The evening's game was a defensive battle with 42 turnovers between the two teams. WSU redshirt-freshman Nike McClure recorded a career-high four blocked shots to lead the Cougars, who had 11 blocks on the evening and 10 steals. Boise State was held to 20-of-71 (.282) shooting on the evening, while WSU shot 22-of-57 (.386) from the floor.

In the first quarter, the Cougars forced BSU into seven turnovers. Washington State capitalized on the mistakes, scoring seven points off turnovers as Hristova scored eight first-quarter points. WSU built a 10-point lead in the opening 10 minutes, taking an 18-10 lead into the break.

The Cougars held Boise State scoreless for the first five minutes of the second quarter, building a 14-point lead. The Broncos responded with a run of their own, cutting the deficit to five points with nine-unanswered points. Pavlopoulou carried WSU in the period, scoring six points, as the Cougars entered halftime leading 26-19.

Returning from the locker room, WSU used tenacious defense to prevent open shot attempts from Boise State. The Cougars built a 16-point lead with 4:41 to play in the third quarter and maintained the lead into the final quarter, entering the final period leading, 46-31. Washington State held the Broncos to 4-of-20 shooting and just 12 points in the period.

Boise State looked to erase its double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter. With the Cougars leading by 12 points with 4:43 left in the game, the Broncos rattled off seven-straight points to cut WSU's lead to five with 76 seconds to play. The Cougars shot 5-of-6 from the freethrow line in the final minute of the game to secure the win.

Washington State concludes its nine-day road trip with a game at San Diego this Sunday, Dec. 6. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT.