PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State University women's basketball team got a double-double from redshirt junior Jovana Subasic to propel the Cougars to a 2-0 start with a 67-50 win over Brigham Young University at Beasley Court on Saturday afternoon.
Subasic registered a career-high 15 points and 11 rebounds in a reserve role to help WSU get off to its first 2-0 start since the 2016-17 season. The Sabac, Serbia native hit six of her nine field goal attempts against BYU, which included a pair of 3-pointers. The 6-4 forward's 11 rebounds helped the Cougars to 53-37 edge on the glass on Saturday, while Subasic presence downlow allowed Washington State to score 32 points in the paint against a BYU team that collected a victory in last season's NCAA Tournament.
Seniors Borislava Hristova and Chanelle Molina rounded out a trio of double-digit scorers for the Cougs, as Hristova posted her second-straight 23-point performance to open 2019-20, while Molina nearly matched Subasic's double-double with 13 points and eight caroms of her own.
Saturday's battle of the Cougars featured a defensive matchup throughout the contest. Washington State's defensive prowess was on full display, as they limited the Cougars of BYU to 26.2% from the floor.
Washington State held a 10-8 advantage after 10 minutes of play, before using an 11-0 run to jump out to a 23-12 lead midway through the second quarter. BYU scored six of the frame's final eight points to give WSU a 31-23 halftime lead.
BYU rolled off the first six points of the third quarter to pull within 31-29, forcing head coach Kamie Ethridge to call a timeout at the 7:04 mark of the frame. Out of the break, the Cougars responded with a Molina 3-pointer to push the lead back out to five points.
Brigham Young once again cut the Washington State lead to a single-possession at 36-33 midway through the third quarter, but as they did all afternoon, the Cougars responded. This time it was an 8-0 run that pushed the WSU lead back out to 11 at 44-33, thanks to a pair of behind-the-arc buckets from Subasic and Hrisotva, followed by a Molina jumper.
A personal 5-0 run by Subasic early in the fourth, gave the Serbian native her first career double-double, after her jumper put the Cougs up by 13 points. Washington State went 7-of-8 from the free throw line down the stretch to secure the 17-point victory.
Coug Quotes
Head Coach Kamie Ethridge on Today's Victory: "I'm really excited for this team and for our start. In these early non-conference games, you have no idea how a team is going to respond, or what the other team is going to do. I just loved how our team went out and guarded them and made every basket hard for them. I loved the way we rebounded, and I thought we managed a not-so-smooth offensive game as well as we could, and we found a way to put enough points on the board to win the game.
Coach Ethridge on the Team's Rebounding Performance: "We've talked to our team about the physicality of rebounding and how it gets you extra possessions. It keeps possession away from the other team and we gave up a lot of those possessions and it lead to points last year. This team has more size and depth than last season, so people are pretty motivated to rebound this year. We want (rebounding) as a part of our DNA. We want to show a bit more physicality and grittiness to extend possessions for us or end them of the other team."
Coach Ethridge on Jovana Subasic's Double-Double Off the Bench: "Being able to bring her in and stretch the defense is huge for us. I really think she is probably better (as a reserve), and I love bringing in offense from the bench. I really do like the thought of playing her off the bench and bring an offensive punch. Jovana is a smart player with a high IQ that watches everything, and I think we are going to get more consistent play from her."
Coug Notes
- With the victory, Washington State is off to its first 2-0 start since the 2016-17 season. The Cougs opened that season with three-straight victories en route to a berth into the Postseason WNIT, where WSU advanced all the way to the Final Four of the tournament.
- Redshirt junior Jovana Subasic set new career-highs in points (15), rebounds (11), field goals made (6), field goals attempted (9) and minutes played (29). Today's double-double marks the first of her Washington State career.
- Senior Borislava Hristova's 23-point performance gives the Bulgarian native her first back-to-back 20-plus-point scoring performance at Beasley since December of last season. #BobiBuckets collected 20 points against San Francisco on Nov. 29 and followed that up with a 30-point effort against Boise State on Dec. 1.
- Today's 23-point effort for Borislava Hristova marks the 38th game in her career with 20-or-more points.
- With today's 13 points and eight rebounds, senior Chanelle Molina has now opened the 2019-20 season with back-to-back game of at least 10-plus points and five-plus rebounds.
- Freshman Grace Sarver scored the first points of her Washington State career with a 3-point field goal in the second quarter.
- It was another team effort in the scoring for the Cougs on Saturday, as eight of the 10 players who played for Washington State scored.
Washington State will now take a 10-day break from games, as they next play on Nov. 20 at Boise State. Tip-off against the Broncos is set for 4 p.m. PT. For more information, photos, videos and a behind-the-scenes look on the Washington State women's basketball team, follow the Cougars on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
