Alexys Swedlund with one of her career-best seven three-pointers against Wichita State
Jim Crawford
85
Winner Washington State WSU
59
Wichita State WSU
Winner
Washington State WSU
85
Final
59
Wichita State WSU
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Washington State WSU 19 21 24 21 85
Wichita State WSU 16 15 14 14 59

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Athletic Communications

Swedlund's Career Night Overwhelms Wichita State

The Cougars came up with an 85-59 win over the Shockers to close out nonconference play.

In Case You Missed It ...
LAS VEGAS - Led by its big four, Washington State (5-6) overwhelmed the Shockers of Wichita State (6-6), 85-59, to close out play at the Duel in the Desert Thursday afternoon. Led by the career day of Alexys Swedlund, the Cougars' four upperclassmen scored a combined 79 of WSU's 85 points in the contest, burying the Shockers behind an avalanche of three-pointers. From the outset, the Cougars knew they were in for a big day offensively as the shots were falling in droves for Swedlund and junior Chanelle Molina as the duo combined for 38 points in the opening half. Molina would finish her night with 19 points as she got the ball rolling for the Cougs with back-to-back threes in the opening minutes of the contest. From there, Swedlund took over as the sharpshooter buried five three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes of play while helping to stymie the Shockers offense. WSU held Wichita State without a field goal for nearly seven minutes in the second quarter, only ceding points from the free throw line that allowed the Shockers to stay within nine points at the break. A four-point spurt right out of the locker room by redshirt-junior Borislava Hristova got the star forward going in the second half as she turned a rough outing into another spectacular showing in the box score by scoring 21 of her 27 in the second half. After letting the Shockers hang close, the Cougs would create separation with a 7-0 run thanks to Swedlund who dropped in five quick points and a dime pass to Hristova for the other two points as WSU went up 59-42 late in the third and never looked back. Swedlund would score 10 of her career-best 27 in the third including hitting her final two from distance to post a career-best seven from deep. In the fourth, Hristova put the game away with a 13-point period as the Cougars ended the nonconference season with a win.

Coach Ethridge Quote of the Game
"I just thought we competed better. We managed the game for 40 minutes. I loved our post play and our physicality in the post. I thought Bobi and Maria in the first half really made an effort to be a bigger presence for us which is something we have tried to do and didn't do against Kansas. Clearly when you get Swede scoring like she did and Nelle playing like she did and Bobi coming along in the second half that's a good not just 1-2 punch but a 1-2-3 punch. Clearly having those three players on makes us hard to guard."

Moments of the Game Things You Need To Know
  • WSU finished the nonconference season at 5-6 and will head into Pac-12 play Dec. 30 at Washington.
  • Alexys Swedlund led the Cougars on the night with a career-best 27 points including hitting 7-of-12 from distance and 10-of-17 overall. Her seven three-pointers tied for the second-most in a single game while finishing one off of the WSU record. She also added four steals defensively.
  • Borislava Hristova finished tied with Swedlund with 27 points as she posted her sixth 20-point game of the year. She has scored in double-figures in all 11 games on the year, the third-longest streak for a Cougar junior and the second-longest streak in her career. In addition to her scoring, Hristova grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds to post her second double-double of the season.
  • Chanelle Molina earned All-Tournament honors (her second of the year) after finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
  • Maria Kostourkova chipped in six points and seven rebounds to round out the big four for the Cougs.
  • As a team, WSU went 14-of-27 (51.9%) from behind the arc, tying for the second most three-pointers in a single game, one shy of the record of 15.
  • The Shockers put two in double figures with Jaida Hampton posting 14 points and Sabrina Lozada-Cabbage chipping in 11.
  • WSU outshot the Shockers 50.8%-to-33.9% from the floor while grabbing 41 rebounds to Wichita State's 38.
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