Oregon State Women’s Basketball: Opponent Preview - Washington State

The 9th ranked Oregon State Beavers Women’s Basketball team heads to Pullman to take on the Washington State Cougars in game 21 of the season. Tip-off is slated for 12 PM PST on Sunday, January 27th. Watch it live on the PAC-12 Network or check out the team’s Twitter page for other ways to follow along live. Let’s take a closer look at the Cougars.

Washington State (7-12 overall, 2-6 conference)

Last season: 10-20 overall, 3-14 in PAC-12 (10th), no postseason

Since their last meeting on January 4th, the Washington State Cougars have gone 1-5 with their lone win coming against the Colorado Buffaloes in Pullman. They’re coming off a loss to the fifth ranked Oregon Ducks who they actually led at halftime, 34-30. The Ducks eventually pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring the Cougars 30-12.

As of right now, the Cougars sit at ninth in the PAC-12 standings and are on pace to finish ahead where they were last season with two very winnable games left on their schedule against Washington and Colorado (the two teams that have beaten already).

In their last matchup against the Beavers, the Cougars were able to keep make Oregon State fans in Gill Coliseum nervous with a back and forth final quarter of basketball that included multiple lead changes and ties. With 3:21 left, a jumper by Chanelle Molina put the Cougars up by four, but they were unable to put the Beavers away.

Who to watch

#45 - Borislava Hristova, Junior Forward

Hristova continues to light up scoreboards, sitting at 21.7 points per game. The nation’s 12th leading scorer just dropped 29 on Friday night to give the fifth ranked Ducks a scare. The Bulgarian native looks to continue her hot streak against the Beavers.

#11 - Chanelle Molina, Junior Guard

Ironwoman Molina ranks sixth in the nation at 38.1 minutes played per game and has played six complete games, not including a 48 minute contribution in a double overtime win against Nebraska. She is on a nice streak right now, scoring in double figures in 10 straight games. Beaver fans may remember hearing her name a lot in these teams’ last contest against one another with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.

#20 - Maria Kostourkova, Senior Center

The senior from Portugal has continued to be a rebounding force this season, ranking sixth in the conference this season with 8.9 per contest. In the Cougars close loss to Utah, Kostourkova hauled in 12 rebounds to go along with nine points and five blocks. She was largely ineffective against the Beavers in round one, but I wouldn’t rule her out on Sunday because of it.

Prediction

Washington State gave Oregon a scare on Friday night, but weren’t able to keep up with the Ducks when the pulled away with nearly 63% shooting in the second half. Oregon State is coming off a game where they shot 55.4% for the game and holding Washington to 21.7%. If the Beavers can keep the momentum going, they should roll right through Pullman.