In Case You Missed It
ESTERO, Fla. – An ice cold start to their stay in Florida doomed Washington State (1-4) as the Cougs could never recover against No. 17/16 South Florida (5-0) as the Bulls pulled away for a tournament opening 82-45 victory on day one of the Gulf Coast Showcase. For the Cougs, nothing went right in the opening 20 minutes of play as no matter what WSU tried, the lid remained on the basket. While the Cougs struggled to find their offense, the Bulls shook off a rocky start of their own midway through the first quarter to pull away and build a 19-point lead before a
Borislava Hristova three put the Cougs on the board for the first time early in the second quarter. By halftime, the Cougs found themselves down 27 and with the impossible task of trying to chase down an opponent who was just beginning to really heat up from the floor.
Stat of the Game
While the Cougs found some offense in the second half hitting 42.9% of their shots, the Bulls hit a blistering 57.7% of their shots in the game's final 20 minutes of action.
Things You Need To Know
- The tournament opener for the Cougs and the Bulls marked the first-ever matchup between the two programs.
- The Cougs scoreless first quarter marked the first time WSU was held without a point in a period since the women's game switched to quarters in 2015-16. The previous low was four last done against Washington in the 2016-17 season.
- WSU's eight point half was its lowest 20-minute output since joining the Pac-10 in 1986-87. The previous low was 11 against Stanford in 2007.
- Borislava Hristova saw her four-game double-digit scoring streak, and her two-game 20-point scoring streak come to an end as she netted eight points, all in the first half, in 22 minutes of action.
- Louise Brown led the Cougs in scoring with nine points, seven of which came in the third quarter.
- Jovana Subasic, playing in just her second career game, scored her first career points in the fourth quarter of play. She would finish with four points, one block, and a team-best six rebounds in just six minutes of action.
- The Bulls put three in double-figures in the game led by Kitija Laska's game-best 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Maria Jespersen finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds to record the double-double in 30 minutes of action.
- WSU will take on East Tennessee State Saturday, Nov. 25 at 10:30 am (PT) on the consolation side of the bracket. ETSU fell to No. 6 Notre Dame in the night cap of day one of the Gulf Coast Showcase.
- head to Estero, Fla. for the Gulf Cost Showcase for Nov. 24-26, beginning with a matchup against South Florida
