STANFORD, Calif. – The Washington State University women's basketball team opens 2020 this Friday, Jan. 3, seeking its first Pac-12 Conference win of the season with a trip to No. 4/5 Stanford. Tip-off from Maples Pavilion is set for 7 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Network Bay Area.
WASHINGTON STATE (7-6, 0-1)
at No. 4/5 Stanford (11-1, 0-0) | Friday, Jan. 3 | 7 p.m. | Maples Pavilion
Live Stats | WSUCougars.com
Watch | Pac-12 Network Bay Area
Listen | WSU IMG Radio Network (Steve Grubbs)
Game Notes | WSUCougars.com (PDF)
THE STARTING FIVE
-> Friday's matchup at Stanford kicks off a three-game road trip for Washington State. After the game against the Cardinal, WSU heads to Berkley, California for a matchup against the Golden Bears on Jan. 5, then ends the trip with a Jan. 11 meeting against Washington in Seattle.
-> The Cougars enter Friday's matchup not only looking for their first Pac-12 win of the season, but also their first-ever victory against Stanford. Washington State is 0-65 all-time against the Cardinal, in a series that dates back to 1983.
-> Washington State has been hitting shots with high efficiency in 2019-20. The Cougs rank 58th in NCAA Division I in field goal percentage (44.1%), 64th in 3-point percentage (34.3%) and 74th in free throw percentage (72.8%).
-> Redshirt senior Borislava Hristova enters Friday's contest against the Cardinal needing just 29 points to break Jeanne Eggart's (1977-82) program record of 1,967 points. The forward is averaging 18.5 points per game this season. Her season high on the year came in a 27-point performance against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 4.
-> Friday's game will mark the first contest for the Cougs in a new decade. Washington State closed out 2010-2019 with a 125-194 overall record and made three WNIT postseason tournaments. WSU made the Final Four of the 2017 WNIT, where they picked up three road wins before falling at Georgia Tech in the semifinals.
LAST TIME OUT
The Cougars dropped a 65-56 decision against rival Washington last Sunday, Dec. 29, to open Pac-12 Conference play. Washington State was outscored 14-2 at the free throw line, as the Cougs only made six shot attempts from the charity stripe.
Senior Chanelle Molina led the way for Washington State with 15 points, while redshirt junior Jovana Subasic contributed 12 points off the bench. Sophomore Ula Motuga (11 points) and redshirt senior Borislava Hristova (10 points) rounded out a quartet of double-digit scorers for the Cougs.
#BOBIBUCKETS LEADING THE WAY
Redshirt senior Borislava Hristova is putting a cap to a remarkable career as a Cougar this season. The forward currently ranks first in the Pac-12 in total points (240), field goals made (100) and field goals attempted (219). She ranks inside the top-10 nationally in field goals made (4th) and field goals attempted (6th).
#BobiBuckets is currently riding a seven-game double-digit scoring streaks, which has helped her to an 18.5 points per game average this season. Her scoring average is the third-highest in the Pac-12, and Is the 38th-highest nationally.
TAKING ON THE BEST
Friday's contest against No. 4/5 Stanford will mark the fifth time this season the Cougars will face a top-25 opponent. Washington State is currently 0-4 against teams in the top 25, which includes losses to No. 2 Baylor (89-66), No. 5 South Carolina (68-53), No. 17/22 Indiana (78-44) and No. 17/18 Gonzaga (76-53).
WSU still has games against No. 2 Oregon (March 1), No. 3 Oregon State (Feb. 28), No. 10 UCLA (Jan. 26 & Feb. 21) and No. 18 Arizona (Jan. 17 & Feb. 16) this season.
HIGH MILEAGE PERFORMANCES
Seniors Chanelle Molina and Borislava Hristova rank first and second in the Pac-12 in minutes played so far this season. Molina leads the conference with 453:27 minutes played, while Hristova's 443:12 is second-highest. Molina's 34.9 minutes played per game is also the high-mark in the Pac-12 this season, while Hristova's 34.1 minutes played per game ranks right behind her teammate.
FINDING HER STROKE
Sophomore Ula Motuga has improved her offensive game of late, as the Logan, Australia native has averaged 8.0 points per game over her last four contests. Motuga is coming off back-to-back season-high 11-point performances against Miami and Washington.
FIRE POWER OFF THE BENCH
Redshirt junior Jovana Subasic has got her 2019-20 season started on an offensive tear, as the Sabac, Serbia native is averaging a team-best 10.1 points per game off the bench. The forward comes into Friday's game on a six-game double-digit scoring streak, which includes a career-high 19-point performance against UC Irvine on Dec. 15.
CLOSING IN ON 100 WINS FOR COACH E
Head coach Kamie Ethridge needs just one win to collect her 100th career victory as an NCAA Division I head coach.
SCOUTING THE CARDINAL
Stanford opens up Pac-12 play against the Cougars this Friday. The Cardinal enter at 11-1 overall and are ranked No. 4 in the USA Today WBCA Coaches Poll, while they check-in at No. 5 in the Associated Press Poll. Stanford was recently the No. 1-ranked team in NCAA Division I, before they suffered a 69-65 defeat at Texas on Dec. 22.
The Cardinal feature a high-octane offense that averages 79.2 points per game, while shooting 46% from the field. Lexie Hull paces a trio of double-digit scorers at 14.4 points per game. The Spokane, Washington native also leads Stanford on the glass with a 6.0 rebounds per game clip.
Defensively, Stanford has limited teams to 58.2 points per game, as opponents are shooting just 32.1% from the field against them. The Cardinals are forcing 14.1 points per game and 8.2 steals per contest.
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