Cougs get blown out by the Zags in Spokane

Freshman+forward+Kayla+Washington+looks+for+her+lane+against+Boise+State+on+Dec.+2.%C2%A0

Freshman forward Kayla Washington looks for her lane against Boise State on Dec. 2. 

From staff reports

The absence of two leading scorers put an already challenging game to another level for the WSU women’s basketball team Thursday night.

WSU (5-4) dropped their fourth loss of the season against Gonzaga University (5-2). The physical game put the Cougars defensive abilities to the test and put several players onto the floor in the process.

Junior forward Louise Brown did not suit up for the game against the Bulldogs due to an injury. The Cougars later lost their leading scorer, sophomore forward Borislava Hristova. Hristova suffered an injury just eight minutes into the first quarter.

Without the Cougar’s two leading scorers, freshman guard Chanelle Molina had her opportunity to step up to the plate, leading the team in points, putting nine on the board for the Cougars in the first half of play. Molina had 11 points for the Cougars, followed by sophomore center Maria Kostourkova who put up 10.

Senior forward Ivana Kmetovska and redshirt sophomore forward Nike McClure each had five rebounds for the Cougars alongside Kostourkova.

Freshman guard Cameron Fernandez made her collegiate debut, as well as scoring her first collegiate points with a layup assisted by Kostourkova.

The Bulldogs started off hot in the first quarter, shooting 83.3 percent opposed to the Cougars 50 percent. The first quarter saw the most points from Gonzaga, who put up 34 to set the pace of the game.

Kostourkova kicked off scoring for WSU, putting two layups in the net in the first several minutes of play. Gonzaga’s hard response pulled them out ahead and closed out the first quarter with a 14-point lead over the Cougars.

The gap widened in the second quarter, with WSU trailing by 18 at the half. The Zags began to lay heavy pressure on the WSU defense, but slowed down in scoring through the second and third quarters.

WSU ended the game strong in the fourth quarter with 17 points opposed to Gonzaga’s 14, but it was not enough to take over the lead and the Cougars fell 61-79 in Spokane.

WSU will travel across the country this weekend to take on the University of Saint Louis in Missouri on Sunday.

Reporting by Payton Dineen