TEMPE, Ariz. – The Washington State women's basketball team fell to No. 9/10 Arizona State, 61-39, Friday, at Wells Fargo Arena. The Cougars (12-14, 3-12 Pac-12) struggled to find an offensive rhythm against the Sun Devils (23-4, 14-1) and were led in scoring by freshman Alexys Swedlund with nine points.

“We're not playing well offensively and some of that has to with ASU's defense and the intensity they bring on that side of the basketball,” WSU Head Coach June Daugherty said. “I think you can take a lot of lessons from playing a top-ranked team in the country – that's the message to the team right now. As young as we are, to learn from games like this. It's a great opportunity for you no matter who the opponent is.”

The Cougars kept pace with the Sun Devils in the opening period and entered the second quarter trailing, 20-15. However, Arizona State's strong defensive presence proved fateful for the remainder of the game, as WSU was held to .296 (16-of-54) shooting in the game. Washington State benefited from evenly distributed scoring, with 11 Cougars finding the bottom of the net.

WSU forced 20 turnovers by the top-ranked Sun Devils, but failed to capitalize on ASU's mistakes. The Cougars scored just eight points off the turnovers, compared to 23 points by the Devils on 21 WSU turnovers.

“We've got to get back into a rhythm offensively,” Daugherty said. “Our execution has to improve. Right now we are still making silly mistakes that we shouldn't be making. We have to play with confidence and knock down shots.”

Senior Mariah Cooks led the Cougars with six rebounds in the game and four assists. Fellow senior Dawnyelle Awa grabbed four of WSU's 14 steals. The Cougars shot just five free throws, converting three of them.

Washington State will look to snap its losing streak in the final road game of the regular season, Sunday, in Tucson, Ariz. The Cougars will face Arizona with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m. MT/noon PT.