TUCSON, Ariz. – Redshirt senior Borislava Hristova tallied 18 points at No. 12-ranked Arizona on Sunday, Feb. 16, but the Washington State University women's basketball team ran into a hot-shooting Wildcat squad, as the Cougars were dealt a 72-57 loss in Pac-12 Conference action.
Hristova's 18-point performance extends her double-digit scoring streak to 20 games, which moves her into a tie with Camille Thompson (1993-94) for the third-longest stretch of consecutive double-digit scoring games for a senior in WSU history. Washington State's all-time leading scorer shot an efficient 6-of-9 from the field against the No. 12-ranked team in the nation, and went a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line against the Wildcats.
Sunday's start for Hristova marked the 119th of her career, which now puts her in a tie with Carly Noyes (2010-13) for the most starts in Washington State women's history.
Redshirt junior Jovana Subasic picked up 11 points in her third start of the season. The Sabac, Serbia native has now registered a double-digit performance in each of her three career starts for the Cougs. Meanwhile, sophomore Cherilyn Molina provided a spark off the bench for WSU on Sunday, as the guard matched her career high in points with nine against the Wildcats, while she also dished out a career-best four assists for the third time this season.
Arizona came out of the gates hot on both ends of the floor on Sunday, as they forced WSU into five turnovers over the first four minutes of play, and hit seven of their first nine shot attempts, to take a double-digit lead over the Cougs at 11-1 early in the first.
The Wildcats used that momentum to build a 16-point lead over Washington State in the second quarter at 29-13, but the Cougars went on a 10-2 run midway through the frame to cut their deficit in half at 31-23 after a Chanelle Molina layup with 4:04 left to play in the second. From that point, Arizona would go on a 5-0 spurt to retake a double-digit lead at 36-23 with 3:12 remaining in the second stanza, and the Wildcats maintained a 13-point advantage heading into the halftime break. Arizona would hold onto its double-figure lead over the Cougars for the remainder of the contest and led by as many as 24 points in the third quarter.
WSU continued to fight throughout the afternoon, as they were able to play even with the No. 12-ranked team in the country over the final three frames, being outscored by just two points (46-44) after the first quarter. Washington State ended the game on a 9-0 run to take a 15-point loss back to Pullman.
The Wildcats hit 52.7% from the field against the Cougs, while they held Washington State to a 43.1% shooting percentage. WSU was effective inside the post on Sunday, as they held a 34-26 advantage in the lane, but Arizona was able to connect on 10 3-point field goals and shot 52.6% from behind the arc on the afternoon.
Washington States falls to 11-15 on the year, while they now hold a 4-10 record in Pac-12 games. For No. 12 Arizona, they improve to 21-4 overall and 10-4 in conference contests.
WSU returns to Beasley Coliseum next week for its final homestand of the 2019-20 season. The Cougars take on No. 7/8-ranked UCLA on Friday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. before challenging Southern Cal on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 12 p.m. for Senior Day.
COUG QUOTES
Head Coach Kamie Ethridge on Today's Result: "It was a game if we don't have a bad first quarter. Arizona made a lot of shots and you've got to pick your poison with them a little bit. We did a decent job on Aari McDonald at home, but their shooters felt comfortable and they made some shots. You got to hope they miss a few of those, but the turnovers early hurt us. We finished the game with 15 (turnovers), but had seven at the end of the first and that really led them to some easy baskets. There are a million good things to take out from this game. I liked the way we played and competed. We just never could get back into it due to such a bad start."
COUG NOTES
- Redshirt senior Borislava Hristova went a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line on Sunday against No. 12 Arizona to extend her consecutive free throws made streak to 15. She has made 43 of her last 46 attempts from the charity stripe.
- Jovana Subasic is now averaging 12.0 point in three starts this season for Washington State. The post player has recorded at least 11-points in each three of her career starts for the Cougs.
- With the loss, Washington State falls to 29-37 all-time against Arizona, while they move to 14-17 in games played in Tucson.
- Washington State recorded seven steals against Arizona on Sunday. The Cougars have now collected at least six steals in 10 of their 14 Pac-12 contests this season.
- With a team-best 18 points, redshirt senior Borislava Hristova has now led the Cougs in scoring in 15 of the 26 games played this season.
- Sophomore Cherilyn Molina tied her career-high in points and assists on Sunday against the No. 12-ranked Wildcats. The nine-point effort matches her career high in points set back on Nov. 29 against No. 1-ranked South Carolina, while she has now dished out a career-best four assists for the third time this season.
