In Case You Missed It ...
PULLMAN, Wash. – Falling behind by as much as 21 points in the second quarter, Washington State (6-9, 1-3) mounted another massive rally in the second half against Utah (14-1, 3-1) only to come up just short of completing the comeback as the Utes escaped Pullman, 72-68, Friday night in Beasley Coliseum. Storming back over the final 20 minutes of action, the Cougars took their first and only lead of the night midway through the fourth quarter, 66-65, only to see their hot streak go cold over the final 4:27 of the contest. The final nail for the Cougs came with just :16 seconds to play and down three when a game-saving three-pointer by
Chanelle Molina rimmed out and a loose ball foul on the rebound earned Utah what amounted to be a game-icing free throw. For WSU, the rally really started in the final minutes of the first half when Molina put together a one-woman comeback as the junior guard outscored the Utes' 10-5 to close the quarter and make it just a 14-point game at the break. With a three at the buzzer, Molina finished the second quarter with 15 points to keep WSU in the game. The Cougs would start the second half on a 15-6 run to close within five thanks to the hot shooting of
Alexys Swedlund who would hit all three of her three-pointers in the third while
Maria Kostourkova provided the muscle in the paint with five points, five rebounds, and three blocks in the frame. In the fourth, the Cougars used an 11-6 run to tie the game at 64-64 midway through the final period as
Borislava Hristova found a little room to work, scoring seven of her 13 in the quarter..
Prior to WSU's rally, Utah was able to build its huge lead in the first 15 minutes of the game thanks to a seemingly perfect showing from the floor. Up 12 after one, the Utes hit their next 10 shots to put the Cougars in what appeared to be an insurmountable hole at the time. The Utes took advantage of WSU in the post behind the play of Megan Huff and Dre'Una Edwards who scored 23 of Utah's 46 points in the half. The Utes would finish the half 20-of-29 from the floor with 13 assists.
Coach Ethridge Quote of the Game
"Credit to Utah. They came in and they played really fast and they got downhill and we didn't want any part of it...When you spot a team that much it's hard to crawl back in. Then turn around and I loved the fight in us. I thought we started to show a little life with three or four minutes to go in that second quarter. Got great production and great energy and aggressiveness and dealt with some physicality in the second half. Just everything that gave us a chance to get back in the game and a chance to win."
Moments of the Game
Things You Need To Know
- WSU dropped its third-straight heart-breaker to the Utes who improved to 17-6 all-time against the Cougars. The missed comeback was the second for the Cougars in their last three games, rallying back from 15 down at Oregon State a week prior only to fall just short.
- Three Cougars hit double-figures in the game with Chanelle Molina and Alexys Swedlund each scoring 17 points while Borislava Hristova chipped in 13. Hristova, the seventh leading scorer in the nation, posted her 15th-consecutive double-digit scoring effort.
- In addition to 17 points, Alexys Swedlund hit her 200th career three-pointer in the game.
- Maria Kostourkova just missed her third double-double of the year finishing with nine points and 12 rebounds. She also added four assists and tied a career high with five blocks to go along with two steals.
- The Utes' forwards led the way with 41 combined points as Megan Huff scored a game-high 21 points while Dre'Una Edwards added 20. As a team the Utes finished the game shooting 55.8% from the floor while the Cougars ended at 47.5%.
- While both teams posted 29 made field goals, the difference in the game came at the line as the Cougs hit 4-of-5 free throws while Utah went 11-of-18.
- WSU will take on Colorado Sunday, Jan. 13 at Beasley Coliseum. The game is scheduled for 12 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.
