The Cougar women are set to take on Loyola Marymount University on Thursday as both teams look to close out the final stages of the conference schedule and the season on a high note.
WSU suffered a heartbreaking loss just two weeks ago against LMU in what was one of the more unexpected results of the season for the Cougs. The Lions entered the game losing eight of their first nine WCC games, but gave the Cougs a run for their money. WSU kept it close throughout, but a 37-point career-high breakout from the Lions’ leading scorer, fifth-year guard Naudia Evans, sealed the Cougs’ fate on the Lions’ home floor.
Evans would go onto win WCC player of the week after the first matchup and is the fourth-leading scorer in the WCC. Evans also leads the conference in assists per game at 6.1.
“We forced them into guarded, contested, hard twos and they made them,” Ethridge said. “We made a few mistakes and and gave things that we didn’t want to we had length on [Evans] and she shot over our length.”
The clear and obvious key to the matchup for WSU will be slowing down Evans. Despite being 5-foot-6, the Grand Canyon transfer is an excellent all-around threat and is dangerous from anywhere on the floor. Evans is experienced, having played three seasons at Grand Canyon, including two as a full-time starter. The Lions rely heavily on the grad student, who averages 36.8 minutes per game, the highest in the WCC. She has not played less than 35 minutes in a game since Dec. 15 against Wichita State.
LMU has two other scorers above double-digits who also caused problems for WSU down the stretch in the first game. Guard Brandi Williams and forward Maya Hernandez average 13 and 12 points, respectively. Williams is a strong three-point shooter, averaging 36.5% on 6.5 attempts per game. She also sits just behind her teammate, Evans, for average minutes in the WCC at 36.0.
The Lions rely heavily on their starting lineup and three leading scorers though, as they have the lowest scoring bench unit in the WCC at just 9.8 bench points per game. That total is bottom five in Division I. In contrast, WSU averages 21.2 bench points, just outside the top 100 in the country.
WSU head coach Kamie Ethridge often touts her bench depth and said not many opponents have the type of bench strength that the Cougs do.
The Lions do not stand out in any one category and have struggled with rebounding the ball this year, averaging just 32. The Lions’ backcourt also consists of a pair of 5-foot-6 guards and does not carry a lot of size on the roster.
LMU is also No. 235 in the NET rankings and is ninth in the WCC standings. The Lions have struggled in conference play and played a weak non-conference schedule that included several lower-ranked schools including San Jose State, Cal State Fullerton, South Dakota and Witchita State. On the otherhand, the Cougs are much more battle-tested having played a top-25 hardest schedule according to opponent RPI.
If the Cougs can limit Evans’ perimeter threat, be aggressive on the boards and stay composed down the stretch, the win should come this time for WSU.
Ethridge plans to take advantage of her team’s defensive versatility to avoid a season sweep. Ethridge said forward Dayana Mendes did the best job limiting Evans in the first matchup and is a good lengthy option to put on Evans, especially as she has become more comfortable over the season.
While LMU should not be underestimated after the first loss, the Cougs were in the midst of a stretch in which they would play five games in nine days in late January. This time, coming off a strong performance against Gonzaga on Saturday and playing just one game in the past week, WSU should feel much better for its second LMU matchup, especially with a return home to Pullman for Pink Night.
Guard Astera Tuhina said the team will have a spark returning to their home floor and looking for revenge.
The Cougs will look to prove they are the cat at the top of the food chain when they take on the Lions at 6 p.m. in Beasley Coliseum.
