PULLMAN, Wash. – Senior Chanelle Molina took over in the fourth quarter for the Washington State women's basketball team, as the senior scored 11 of her game-high 21 points in the final 10 minutes of play, to help the Cougars collect a 71-61 come-from-behind victory over CSUN in Beasley Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.
With the win, Washington State improves to 4-0 for just the fifth time in program history, joining the 1978-79, 1986-87, 1998-99 and 2015-16 squads in accomplishing the feat. The win also avenges a Cougar loss to the Matadors last season in Northridge, California.
Molina's efforts in the fourth paced the Cougars to their first come-from-behind win of the season. Washington State entered the fourth quarter trailing CSUN, 52-51, but the senior point guard scored nine of her team's first 13-points in the comeback effort. The Kailua Kona, Hawaii native capped off the run with her third 3-point field goal of the afternoon with 2:24 left to play to push the WSU advantage out to 64-59.
The point guard flirted with a triple-double against the Matadors, as Molina also pulled down a team-best nine rebounds, while passing out season-high seven assists.
Fellow senior Borislava Hristova matched Molina's point total with a 21-point effort of her own. The forward from Bulgaria nearly posted her second-straight double-double, as she also pulled down eight caroms in the win.
Washington State was able to overcome a slow start to open the game, as a 13-0 run towards the end of the first quarter propelled the Cougars to a 20-12 lead after 10 minutes of play. The run was sparked by a quartet of 3-pointers from Hrisotova, Subasic and Molina, with the later nailing back-to-back trifectas to cap off the run.
The Matadors responded by scoring six of the first eight points of the second quarter to retake a 23-22 lead. The Cougar defense stepped up over the next 2:30 by holding CSUN scoreless to enable WSU to take a 35-29 lead at the 1:25 mark of the frame. The Matadors closed out the frame with four-straight points to give the Cougs a 35-33 lead at the break.
Sophomore Shir Levy hits a pair of 3-pointers in the third frame, including a game-tying 3-pointer to head into the media break at 43-all at the 3:55 mark. CSUN would take a one-point lead going into the fourth at 52-51, but that is when Molina and the Cougs took control of the game and helped WSU get off to a 4-0 start to open the season.
COUG QUOTES
Coach Ethridge on the Win: "I'm really excited to get this game over with and that we found a way to win. I thought we struggled a bit against that zone because it's a bit untraditional and very aggressive. We're still trying to figure out how to play our two young (post players) and today was an example of how in some games they're not up to speed. It was a game where we had to find what lineup played best. It was a great game by CSUN and I'm happy that we were able to find a way to win."
Ethridge on Chanelle Molina's Performance: "We moved her all over the floor in this game. We know what she can do as a point guard and we trust her to make a lot of the right decisions. We wanted to put her in the middle of the zone to create and that's what she did. She has such a great feel for the game, and she knows how to make big plays and we needed those plays today."
Ethridge on Washington State's 4-0 Start: "I'm happy for this team. We're at a different level in practice compared to last year. We're seeing real signs of growth and we're proving it by winning some early games. I think that's a reflection that we're better than we were a year ago. It feels like we're going in the right direction."
COUG NOTES
- Tonight's win improved the Cougars to 4-0 on the year. That marks the fifth-best start to open a season in program history. The 1978-79 opened that year by winning a program-record 10 games to open the season, while the 1986-87, 1998-99 and 2015-16 squads each began their campaigns at 5-0.
- Senior Chanelle Molina set new season highs in points (21), rebounds (9) and assists (7) in today's victory. Molina has now recorded double-digits in four-straight games to open 2019-20.
- Redshirt senior Borislava Hristova extended her 20-point scoring streak to four games on Sunday with a 21-point effort against CSUN.
- Both Hristova and Molina played the full 40 minutes in the victory over CSUN. That marks the first time this season that neither player stepped off the court in a game for Washington State.
- Washington State outrebounded CSUN 27-13 in the second half to erase a 25-11 deficit at the half in the category.
UP NEXT
The Cougars will now head to the Virgin Islands to take part in the 2019 Paradise Jam Tournament in Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands. Washington State play three-straight games in three days, with play beginning on Thursday, Nov. 28, against No. 2 Baylor. Tip-off is set for 2:45 p.m. PT on Thursday.
