Wildcats defeat Cougars in Arizona

Arizona’s McDonald, Thomas lead team to victory against WSU

Then-junior+guard+Johanna+Muzet+dribbles+against+Utah+on+Feb.+9%2C+2020+at+Beasley+Coliseum.

TONY NGUYEN | DAILY EVERGREEN FILE

Then-junior guard Johanna Muzet dribbles against Utah on Feb. 9, 2020 at Beasley Coliseum.

CARSON BROWN, Evergreen Reporter

WSU’s women’s basketball team lost
to the No. 12 Arizona Wildcats 72-57
Sunday afternoon in Tucson, Arizona.


The Wildcats (21-4, 10-4) led by 24
points with under four minutes left
to play. The Cougars (11-15, 4-10) decreased
the deficit to 15 with under a
minute left in the game. They never
managed to get themselves within single
digits in the second half.


WSU has now lost three games in a
row and move to 0-10 against ranked
opponents.


Arizona junior guard Aari McDonald
led the Wildcats with 21 points on
9 of 14 shooting while contributing six
rebounds and four assists as well.


Arizona junior forward Sam Thomas
had 18 points for the Wildcats and
connected on three shots from beyond
the arc. Thomas also had six assists,
four rebounds and four steals.


Redshirt senior forward Borislava
Hristova finished the game with 18
points on six of nine shooting. Redshirt
junior forward Jovana Subasic was the
only other Cougar in double-digits
with 11 points; she also led the team
with five rebounds.


WSU shot 22 of 51 from the field
and one of eight from three. The Cougars
took advantage of their trips to the
free-throw line as they shot 80 percent
from the charity stripe.


The Wildcats led 40-27 at the half.
Arizona shot 50 percent from beyond
the arc in the opening half while WSU
made zero of its three 3-point shot attempts.
McDonald shot five of nine in the
opening half including two 3-pointers
giving her 12 first-half points.


For the Cougars, Hristova had 12
points as well. She shot four of six from
the field and didn’t miss from the free
throw line, where she attempted four
free-throws.

The assist category was lopsided in
the first half as Arizona had 12 and WSU
had five. In the second half, WSU made
six assists to Arizona’s four assists.
The Cougars play again at 7 p.m. Friday
in Pullman. They host the No. 7 UCLA Bruins
and continue to look get their first win
against a ranked opponent. The game can
be viewed on the Pac-12 Networks.