ST. THOMAS, USVI – The Washington State University women's basketball team put up a valiant effort against No. 5/6 South Carolina on day two of the Paradise Jam, but couldn't overcome a slow start as the Gamecocks handed the Cougars a 68-53 defeat on Friday.
It was senior guard Chanelle Molina pacing the Cougs for the second-consecutive night, as she continues her strong play in the Paradise Jam by scoring a team-best 17 points and pulling down a team-high seven rebounds. Tonight's effort follows a 25-point performance the night before against No. 2/2 Baylor, as the Kailua Kona, Hawaii native has averaged 21 points in the first two games in the Virgin Islands.
Cherilyn Molina also continued her strong play off the bench in the Paradise Jam, as the youngest Molina sister posted a career-high in scoring for the second-consecutive night with nine points off the bench.
The loss drops WSU to 4-2 on the season, as they fall to a top-five team in the country for the second game in a row.
For the second consecutive night, WSU was able to find some offensive rhythm against one of the premier defensive teams in the country. The Cougs shot 40.4% from the field against the Gamecocks, which marks the highest field goal percentage USC has allowed this season. While tonight's 53 points scored by WSU were the second-most against the Gamecocks this season.
The Cougars had to overcome a cold start from the floor against a top-five opponent for the second-straight night, as they opened the night 4-of-16 from the floor, to allow the Gamecocks to take a 25-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Washington State's offense came to life in the second by scoring 23 points in the stanza and shooting a blistering 64.3% from the floor in the quarter. WSU closed out the frame on a 12-2 run, sparked by a pair of 3-point field goals from sophomore Ula Motuga, to pull within five points of South Carolina at the half at 37-32.
The Gamecocks opened the third on a 13-3 run to push its advantage back out to 15 points with 6:09 left to play in the frame. Washington State pulled to within 10 points at the end of the third, but that would be as close as they got to USC, as they captured the 15-point victory.
The Cougs close out their stay in the Virgin Islands tomorrow afternoon with a matchup against No. 17/23 Indiana. Tip-off against the Hoosiers is set for 2:45 p.m. PT and will be streamed for a fee on FloHoops.com.
COUG QUOTES
Coach Ethridge on Tonight's Performance: "(South Carolina) had athletic players with length and that put us in tough positions tonight. We struggled moving the ball against that type of length. I thought we figured it out (in the second quarter), Ula got loose on a couple of three's and we just couldn't find it in the second half."
Coach Ethridge on Playing Against Back-to-Back Top-5 Teams: "We're trying to keep our chin up, because we know we're playing against two top-five teams down here. Maybe Indiana will sneak up into the top-10 after this week, as good as they are playing. We have the expectation to compete with (top teams), but also understanding where we are with the growth of our program. The fact that we put some strong quarters together against that kind of competition gives us some encouragement if we can find some consistency and depth. We knew what we were signing up for before we got down here, and I think we're going to be incredibly seasoned when Pac-12 play comes, and I think (games against top-five teams) will help us in the long run.
COUG NOTES
- With tonight's 19-point performance, Chanelle Molina passes Linda Wulff (1981-85) for No. 18 on the WSU all-time scoring list with 1,027 career points. The senior is seven points away from passing Sage Romberg (2010-14) on the all-time list.
- With 15 points off the bench tonight for Washington State, the Cougars have now gotten double-digit scoring efforts collectively from the bench in six-consecutive games to open the 2019-20 season.
- Cherilyn Molina posted a career-high in points for the second consecutive night, as the sophomore tallied nine points off the bench for WSU.
- Senior Borislava Hristova had her six game double-digit scoring streak snapped by the Gamecocks, as she tallied nine points in the loss.
- With six 3-point field goals tonight, Washington State has now posted three-straight games with at least five made field goals from behind the arc.
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