In Case You Missed It
PULLMAN, Wash. – From the opening tip to the final buzzer the Washington State women's basketball team put together a complete offensive effort en route to a dominant 106-41 win over Warner Pacific in exhibition play Monday night at Beasley Coliseum. The Cougars ran out to a 37-8 lead in the first and lead 63-15 at half thanks to a blistering start from the floor that saw WSU hit 63% of its first half shots. Early the Cougs saw the familiar face of junior start Borislava Hristova providing the offense as the 2019 Cheryl Miller Watch List nominee scored 12 of WSU's first 19 points and had 14 points after one. At the end of the first and into the second quarter the newest face of the Cougars and the youngest Molina, Cherilyn Molina, took over the game from behind the arc as the diminutive point guard drilled her first four from downtown and finished the opening half with 12 points. In the second half, the Cougs slowed some as the Knights' zone defense forced WSU to search for openings to get off their shots. Despite the shots not falling as easily as they did early, the Cougars still outscored the Knights by 14 in the third quarter and by three in the fourth as WSU eclipsed the century mark with just over two minutes to play in the game on a pair of free throws by freshman Shir Levy. A problem for the Cougars over the past few seasons, free throws proved to be a big contributor in the win thanks to a 24-of-27 effort from the line for WSU. In addition, the Cougars forced the Knights into 26 turnovers, turning those mistakes into 42 points.
 
Quotes of the night
Head Coach Kamie Ethridge - "We're not going to back down to anyone. We are going to try to keep growing and get better as a team and I think we just need time together and some games under our belt to continue to grow."
(On Cherilyn) - "She's little but she's scrappy and competitive. She's really talented as a passer...I think the thing that impresses me most about her is she shoots the ball better in games than she might in practice. There's something about players like that, that are kind of gamers and when the lights come on they are not too bright for her."

Things You Need To Know

• The Cougs put five players in double-figures on the night en route to their 106 points.
• Borislava Hristova led all scorers with 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting. She added six rebounds, four assists, and three steals to her stat line.
• As a team, WSU shot 50.7% (35-of-69) from the floor while hitting 12-of-23 (52.2%) from deep. They held the Knights to 21.6% (11-of-51) shooting including a 3-for-26 effort in the first half.
• Cherilyn Molina debuted at home with 15 points and seven rebounds while leading the team in assists (6) and steals (4). 
• Maria Kostourkova added 17 points and 16 rebounds while Chanelle Molina posted 15 points and five assists and Alexys Swedlund chipped in 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting including three from deep.
• WSU assisted on 22 of 35 made field goals.
• Warner Pacific's leading scorer was Payton Whitmore with eight points.
• WSU held a rebounding edge of +22 (55-to-23) including picking up 20 offensive rebounds.
• WSU begins the regular season Tuesday, Nov. 6 against Utah State at Beasley Coliseum. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m.