STANFORD, Calif. – The Washington State women's basketball team (12-9, 3-7 Pac-12) was unable to complete an upset of Stanford University (17-5, 7-3 Pac-12) Sunday at Maples Pavilion, falling to the No. 16 Cardinal, 52-69. The Cougars were led by senior Mariah Cooks with 15 points and seven rebounds.

With four minutes left in the game, WSU trailed Stanford by six points. The nationally-ranked Cardinal rattled off 11 unanswered points and walk away with the victory. Lili Thompson scored a career-high 30 points to lead Stanford. A pair of Cardinal players reached double figures in rebounding, as Stanford outrebounded WSU, 46-26.

“I'm disappointed with the fact that we came out early and looked good early,” WSU Head Coach June Daugherty said. “I thought we were in the flow offensively, which was a good start for us. Even at halftime, we thought we were pretty solid. But this is a game of runs and when runs come I need some people in that locker room to step up and say, 'Enough is enough,' and get the stop. We didn't do that.”

The Cougars started the game strong, leading 18-11 through the opening 10 minutes. Washington State held Stanford to one field goal in the first quarter and .111 (1-of-9) shooting from the floor. WSU benefited from evenly-distributed scoring at the start, as seven of 10 players tallied points.

In the second quarter, the Cardinal found its rhythm, shooting 6-of-12 (.500), but the Cougars maintained their lead behind a pair of 3-pointers from Cooks, including a corner shot at the buzzer to give WSU a 27-25 lead at the break.

Stanford came out stronger in the third quarter, outscoring the Cougars 20-12 to take a 45-39 lead. The Cardinal benefited from 11 second-half offensive rebounds, while WSU was limited to single shots on its possessions. The Cougars kept within striking distant for the majority of the fourth quarter, until Stanford closed the game with its 11-0 run.

Washington State won the turnover battle, forcing 15 Cardinal turnovers, including seven steals. The Cougars' bench outscored Stanford 34-11, and blocked five shots. WSU's leading blockers, freshman Nike McClure and sophomore Bianca Blanaru, each blocked two shots, bringing their season totals to 19 apiece.

The Cougars return to Pullman to welcome the Oregon schools next weekend. WSU will host the University of Oregon, Friday, Feb. 5, at Beasley Coliseum, at 8 p.m. Oregon State will travel to Pullman for a Sunday showdown at 11 a.m.