April Cook didn’t care that she hadn’t made a shot all day.

The freshman guard drained a 3-pointer to give WSU’s women’s basketball team a 51-50 lead over Idaho with 33 seconds remaining. Idaho turned the ball over on the ensuing possession and fouled Cook, who secured the rebound. She nailed the clinching free throws with 1.1 seconds left, lifting the Cougars to a 53-50 victory at Cowan Spectrum in Moscow.

“On the shot, I just got my feet out underneath and squared up and just let it go,” Cook said after the game. After coming into the game as WSU’s leading scorer, she finished the day 1-for-12 from the field with all five of her points coming in the final seconds.

As a team, the Cougars struggled all day long on the offensive end, shooting just 25.7 percent and scoring their lowest point total of the season.

“Nobody had their A-game today,” WSU Head Coach June Daugherty said. “That’s kind of interesting to only shoot 26 percent as a team and come away on the road with the ‘W.’” WSU had to come back in the game as they trailed by as many as eight points late in the first half. The Vandals led 27-22 at halftime and out-rebounded WSU 25-12 in the first half. The teams traded leads in the second half, but WSU’s defense held just enough to complete the comeback.

“The thing I like is that we can go in the locker room at halftime and be down five and be able to make adjustments,” Daugherty said.

Freshman guard Jazmine Perkins led the Cougars with 14 points followed by senior Katie Appleton’s 10, but defense was the key factor in the game. WSU forced 27 Idaho turnovers and allowed just 39 shots to be attempted compared to WSU’s 70.

“Idaho came out hungry at first, but we just had to come in the second half and play our game and get our energy back up,” Cook said.

For the second consecutive game, the Cougars have won a game after trailing at halftime. With just three more games remaining until Pac-10 play begins, Daugherty said consistency and execution will be key focuses for the team. For now though, she’ll enjoy the win.

“Sometimes you win ugly, but you win. And when you win on the road it makes it all the better,” she said.

The Cougars head to Honolulu to play two games against Hawaii on Dec. 19 and 22. From there, the team will return home to play Kansas State in its final game before Pac-10 play.