2/3/2018 |
WSU Women's Basketball from WSU Sports Info
WASHINGTON
ST. (10-13, 3-8) at ARIZONA ST. (16-7, 7-4)
1 p.m. PT | Sunday | Feb. 4, 2018
Tempe, Ariz. | Wells Fargo Arena (14,198)
MATCHUP NOTES
The Cougs continue their road trip in Arizona with a game at Arizona State Sunday. Tempe has been a place of nightmares lately for the Cougs, not only in the loss column, but on the injury front. Last season, the Cougs fell 68-49 in Tempe. In addition to the road loss, the Cougs suffered a tough 61-58 loss in Pullman to the Sun Devils last season. The Sun Devils have won the last six meetings and are 44-18 all-time against the Cougs including a 23-6 record in Tempe. The last Coug win came at home on Jan. 3, 2014, 85-78, as the final win in a four-game winning streak for WSU over the Sun Devils. The last road win came in 2013.
LAST TIME OUT
On a night that saw Borislava Hristova put her name among the elite in WSU history with her 1,000th career point, it was a balanced all-around attack that netted the Cougars (10-13, 3-8 Pac-12) an impressive 78-60 win over Arizona (5-17, 1-10 Pac-12) Friday night in Tucson. For Hristova, the historic bucket would come on her second shot of the night as she scored the Cougs opening points of the night en route to her 19th double-digit scoring game of the year. After falling behind in the first quarter, the Cougs went on a rampage in the second, outscoring the Wildcats 27-10 in the period to take a nine point. The rout stemmed from behind the arc as the Cougs hit 5-of-8 from deep while finishing the game with nine total threes.. The 15 minutes in the locker room would not slow the Cougs as WSU scored the first 11 points of the third and pushed their lead to as much as 21 points early in the new half. The cushion would prove important as WSU absorbed a 14-point run by the Wildcats before Hristova put an end to Arizona's comeback hopes with a four-point spurt in the final seconds of the quarter to push the lead back to double-digits. Arizona would never get back within 10 as WSU turned up the defensive pressure while spreading the ball on offense. The Cougs would hold the Wildcats to just 10 points for the second time in the game as WSU ran down the clock while running away with the victory. Fittingly, six different Cougs would score in the final quarter as Louise Brown (13), Caila Hailey (13), Alexys Swedlund (11), and Chanelle Molina (10) all joined Hristova (17) in double-figure scoring.
ABOUT THE SUN DEVILS
The Sun Devils entered the week unranked for the first time on the year but enter the day riding a two-game winning streak with victories over Cal and most recently Washington Friday night. Sitting in a tie for fourth in the Pac-12, ASU is 16-7 overall and 7-4 in conference play. Overall, the Sun Devils have been stingy defensively leading the Pac-12 at 56.7 ppg given up. Offensively, ASU averages 69.9 ppg led by Kianna Ibis at 12.8 ppg. As a team, the Sun Devils have been efficient scoring at a 45.5% clip from the field as Ibis shoot a hair under 50% from the floor at 49.8%.
1 p.m. PT | Sunday | Feb. 4, 2018
Tempe, Ariz. | Wells Fargo Arena (14,198)
MATCHUP NOTES
The Cougs continue their road trip in Arizona with a game at Arizona State Sunday. Tempe has been a place of nightmares lately for the Cougs, not only in the loss column, but on the injury front. Last season, the Cougs fell 68-49 in Tempe. In addition to the road loss, the Cougs suffered a tough 61-58 loss in Pullman to the Sun Devils last season. The Sun Devils have won the last six meetings and are 44-18 all-time against the Cougs including a 23-6 record in Tempe. The last Coug win came at home on Jan. 3, 2014, 85-78, as the final win in a four-game winning streak for WSU over the Sun Devils. The last road win came in 2013.
LAST TIME OUT
On a night that saw Borislava Hristova put her name among the elite in WSU history with her 1,000th career point, it was a balanced all-around attack that netted the Cougars (10-13, 3-8 Pac-12) an impressive 78-60 win over Arizona (5-17, 1-10 Pac-12) Friday night in Tucson. For Hristova, the historic bucket would come on her second shot of the night as she scored the Cougs opening points of the night en route to her 19th double-digit scoring game of the year. After falling behind in the first quarter, the Cougs went on a rampage in the second, outscoring the Wildcats 27-10 in the period to take a nine point. The rout stemmed from behind the arc as the Cougs hit 5-of-8 from deep while finishing the game with nine total threes.. The 15 minutes in the locker room would not slow the Cougs as WSU scored the first 11 points of the third and pushed their lead to as much as 21 points early in the new half. The cushion would prove important as WSU absorbed a 14-point run by the Wildcats before Hristova put an end to Arizona's comeback hopes with a four-point spurt in the final seconds of the quarter to push the lead back to double-digits. Arizona would never get back within 10 as WSU turned up the defensive pressure while spreading the ball on offense. The Cougs would hold the Wildcats to just 10 points for the second time in the game as WSU ran down the clock while running away with the victory. Fittingly, six different Cougs would score in the final quarter as Louise Brown (13), Caila Hailey (13), Alexys Swedlund (11), and Chanelle Molina (10) all joined Hristova (17) in double-figure scoring.
ABOUT THE SUN DEVILS
The Sun Devils entered the week unranked for the first time on the year but enter the day riding a two-game winning streak with victories over Cal and most recently Washington Friday night. Sitting in a tie for fourth in the Pac-12, ASU is 16-7 overall and 7-4 in conference play. Overall, the Sun Devils have been stingy defensively leading the Pac-12 at 56.7 ppg given up. Offensively, ASU averages 69.9 ppg led by Kianna Ibis at 12.8 ppg. As a team, the Sun Devils have been efficient scoring at a 45.5% clip from the field as Ibis shoot a hair under 50% from the floor at 49.8%.
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Get all the info, photos, and videos a true Coug Fan could want by following the team on Facebook (facebook.com/wsuwomenshoops), Twitter (@WSUWomensHoops) and Instagram (WSUWomensHoops).
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Basketball
Area roundup: Borislava Hristova reaches 1,000 career points
in WSU women’s win over Arizona
UPDATED: Fri., Feb. 2, 2018, 9:52 p.m. Spokane
Spokesman-Review
Borislava Hristova scored 17 points and Louise Brown had her
fourth double-double of the season to help Washington State beat Arizona 78-60
in Tucson, Arizona, on Friday night.
Brown finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
Caila Hailey also had 13 points, Alexys Swedlund scored 11 and Chanelle Molina
added 10 with a career-high eight assists for Washington State (10-13, 3-8
Pac-12).
Hristova hit a 3-pointer to spark a 28-6 run that spanned
halftime and gave the Cougars a 55-34 lead with 4 minutes left in the third
quarter. WSU went scoreless for nearly four minutes as the Wildcats scored 14
straight points to pull within seven, but Hristova scored the final four points
of the quarter to make it 61-50 and the Cougars led by double figures the rest
of the way.
JaLea Bennett scored 24 points and Destiny Graham added 15
with 10 rebounds for Arizona (5-17, 1-10). The Wildcats have lost four in a row
and 10 of their last 11.
Hristova’s first basket of the game, a jumper with 8:18 left
in the first quarter, made her the 18th WSU player to top the 1,000-point
plateau. The sophomore needed just 60 games to reach that mark – the second
fewest in program history.
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'I just want out': WSU Prof. Wielgus opens up about relationship
with WSU
By Taylor Nadauld, Moscow Pullman Daily News staff writer 13
hrs ago (1)
Robert Wielgus's black motorcycle jacket, bike chain
necklace, skull-shaped ring and black cowboy hat stand out on a subdued Tuesday
morning in a Moscow coffee shop.
Wielgus made the town his home about three years ago after
moving from Pullman. It was around the same time he was beginning his research
on wolves. He has since been at the center of a whirlwind of conflict with his
employer, Washington State University.
"I much prefer Moscow than Pullman," Wielgus said.
"I'm a pariah in Pullman. I'm like plutonium. No one will go near
me."
Wielgus, a WSU professor and director of the university's
large carnivore conservation lab, is calm and to-the-point while speaking of
his broken relationship with WSU, which the professor filed a complaint against
last year, alleging the university had seriously damaged his academic career
through suppression, condemnation and reprisal after he made remarks critical
of a cattle rancher and the state's subsequent removal of a wolf pack.
According to WSU Vice President of Marketing and
Communication Phil Weiler, WSU's lawyers and Wielgus's lawyers have a mediation
meeting scheduled for this Tuesday. Wielgus, 60, is asking for early retirement
in a severance package. In a perfect world, he said he would also like a public
retraction of WSU's disavowal of his statements regarding the Profanity Peak
wolf pack. Most of all, he just wants out.
"I just want a severance package, and I want to be free
from their tyranny," Wielgus said of WSU.
Wielgus told the Daily News the stress of his ongoing battle
with WSU has affected his health. His reputation, he said, has been destroyed.
As his daughter considers attending WSU, Wielgus hopes she will consider the
University of Idaho instead.
"They don't care about any of that stuff," Wielgus
said of WSU. "They'll completely destroy a person's life and his family's
life."
Weiler would not respond to every claim made by Wielgus
about WSU, citing pending litigation, but said Wielgus was promoted to full professor
by the university in 2017, something Weiler called a "very big deal in the
academy."
"That is the goal of every faculty member to make full
professor," Weiler said.
The decision did not make Wielgus feel any more supported by
the university, though. He said the decision to promote comes from outside
votes, not WSU. He said his lab remains effectively shut down, as he has not
been able to obtain grant money since his fallout with the university.
Wielgus's relationship with WSU has not always been so
strained. He claims the late Elson S. Floyd, WSU president from 2007 to 2015,
backed him and his research even in the face of political attacks; and they
came.
Grizzly bears, lynxes, cougars; Wielgus has studied them
all. He was appointed program leader for wolf and livestock research and
extension by the Washington state Legislature in 2013. Throughout his entire
career, he said, no other animal has been as politicized as the wolf.
Gary Koehler, a retired research scientist for carnivore
investigations at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, supervised
several grad students who worked under Wielgus on various projects that
centered on cougars, black bears and lynxes.
He called the nature of criticism and consequences Wielgus
faced by WSU "totally inappropriate" and said WSU stepped out of line
with respect to criticizing Wielgus's findings and observations on wolves.
"Research is what it is, and the findings are what they
are," Koehler told the Daily News. "For administration to criticize a
scientist that is working for them is really out of place. It infringes on
academic freedom and the scientific process."
Wielgus's research has long been controversial, on both
sides of the political aisle. Some of his research on grizzly bears did not go
over well with the Democratic left, he said. His research on wolves did not go
well with the right. He especially faced criticism from Washington Rep. Joel
Kretz, R-Wauconda, whom Wielgus claims, in response to his research, threatened
to vote against the WSU Medical School as WSU was trying to push it through the
legislature.
Wielgus said his relationship with WSU, the situation with
his lab and the backing of his research made a 180-degree turn when current
President Kirk Schulz took over.
By 2016, Wielgus had submitted his now infamous claim that a
Washington cattle rancher purposefully lured his livestock directly on top of a
wolves' den site. WSU and the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural
Resources Sciences promptly disavowed Wielgus's claim and apologized to the
public in a press release issued Aug. 31, 2016.
The Daily News reported in May last year that Wielgus
appeared to have been cleared of an accusation by the university that he
misused state resources by using his WSU email for lobbying activities, though
there was apparently evidence found that his use of email may have been a
misuse of state resources in "regard to the content of the messaging and
repeated recommendations from management to use private resources related to
the activity in questions."
All of this, Wielgus said, has led at least half a dozen WSU
employees to be "terrified" of retaliation by the university. Wielgus
recalled being fearful himself in the heat of it all.
"Going to work gives me PTSD," Wielgus said.
"You know, what are they going to do next? What phony charges will they
bring up against me next time?"
Wielgus was one of more than 1,000 current and former WSU
faculty and students to sign a petition that was delivered to Schulz in
December, calling on WSU to significantly cut its adminstrators' salaries in
response to department-wide budget cuts. Wielgus said he has considered
starting a petition of his own for a vote of no confidence against Schulz. In
the meantime, he awaits his Tuesday mediation meeting with the university.
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Former Gonzaga Prep, Washington State standout Travis Long
hasn’t forgotten his time with the Philadelphia Eagles
UPDATED: Fri., Feb. 2, 2018, 8:24 p.m.
By Jim Allen Spokane S-R
When Travis Long talks about the Philadelphia Eagles, he
still uses the first-person plural.
As in, “We had some good people.”
One of them was Long, a Gonzaga Prep kid who went on to a
stellar career at Washington State before signing as an undrafted free agent
with the Eagles in the summer of 2013.
Long won’t be joining them Sunday. Those dreams and his NFL
career were ended by a series of unkind cuts inflicted by the Eagles and his
own body.
No hard feelings, but Long has a nagging sense of “what if?”
“I felt like I earned my spot in the NFL, but I didn’t get
to have the career I thought I would have,” Long said this week.
But even as he opens a new door to his future, Long hasn’t
closed the book on his old teammates, some of whom will be on the field Sunday
against the New England Patriots for Super Bowl 52.
“I met some good people there … I’ll be cheering for them,”
Long said.
Among them are defensive lineman Beau Allen and former
Shadle Park star Bryan Braman, who played with Long during the latter’s first
stint in Philly.
Although Long misses the locker-room camaraderie, he’s
thankful for his health.
“I don’t miss the way your body would feel, even when you’re
healthy,” Long said.
Recently returned to Spokane, Long is married to his high
school sweetheart, Sarah Manix. They’re ready to close on their first house,
and he’s one month into his first “real job,” at a local start-up.
And football? Long said, “That was a real job too – something
to put on your resumé.”
It’s impressive. Long was all-state at Gonzaga Prep and at
least an honorable mention four consecutive years as a defensive end at WSU. He
had 201 tackles and 20 sacks for the Cougars – enough to register interest from
several NFL teams.
Signed by Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent in the
summer of 2013, Long was cut a month later and added to the Eagles’ practice
squad as an outside linebacker.
That winter, Long signed a reserve contract with the Eagles,
was building relationships and bidding for playing time. Then he tore his ACL
in the final preseason game.
Almost a year later, Long’s ACL tore again, costing him a
second consecutive season and eventually his career after the Eagles released
him in the summer of 2016.
He stuck around Philly for another year as Manix earned her
master’s at Villanova.
Now he works for StayAlfred, a Spokane-based company, which
offers extended-stay or vacation-stay lodging around the country.
Long, 26, is putting his WSU business degree to use in the
operations department, “working behind the scenes to make sure all the units
are ready to go.”
Long hasn’t forgotten about football. Last fall, he came
full circle, helping coach defensive linemen at G-Prep.
He has no aspirations about coaching professionally, but
discovered that “it’s really fun to coach at the high school level. … I look at
it as giving back the knowledge I gained.”
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Former Mississippi State safety commit Tyrese Ross pledges
to Washington State
Fri., Feb. 2, 2018, 6:43 p.m.
By Theo Lawson of the S-R of Spokane/Inland Empire
PULLMAN – Tyrese Ross, a physical safety from Jacksonville,
Florida, who was once committed to Mississippi State, announced Friday he
intends to further his playing career at Washington State.
Ross is expected to sign with the Cougars next Wednesday on
National Signing Day. Twenty high school and junior college prospects inked
with WSU during the early signing period, but the Cougars still expect a few
more letters to trickle in on the 7th.
At 6-1, 187 pounds, Ross is expected to be the sixth
defensive back to join WSU in the class of 2018 and his commitment is timely.
Three-star cornerback Erick Hallett announced last week he was decommitting
from the Cougars.
Ross, a three-star prospect, was born and raised in
Jacksonville, but his final two high school seasons were spent at Atlanta’s
Westlake High – the same school that produced Cam Newton and Adam “Pacman”
Jones. He pledged to Mississippi State last July, but opted to decommit in
November when former Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen left for Florida.
Other Power Five offers for Ross included Cincinnati,
Indiana, Kansas, Michigan State, Nebraska, West Virginia and Virginia Tech.
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ARIZONA MEN’S BASKETBALL
A look at the Washington State Cougars
Get to know Arizona’s next opponent
By Scott Moran Jan
30, 2018, 6:17pm PST Arizona Desert Swarm
The Arizona Wildcats head to the plains of the Palouse on
Wednesday to face the Washington State Cougars. Arizona enters the game at 18-4
overall and 8-1 in the conference, while WSU currently sits at 9-11, 1-7
Pac-12.
The game will take place at 8 p.m. MST on Wednesday in
Pullman, Washington.
Here is an analysis of this year’s Wazzu team.
Marquee Games
84-79 win over the Saint Mary’s Gaels on a neutral court
(Fullerton, CA)
93-86 win over the San Diego State Aztecs on a neutral court
(Fullerton, CA)
68-65 loss to the Kansas State Wildcats at home
89-71 loss to the USC Trojans on the road
After starting the season 6-0 and winning the Wooden Legacy
Tournament, WSU is 3-11, with Cal being their only power conference win in that
span.
Washington State’s Offense
The Cougars aren’t a deadly offense by any stretch of the
imagination, but they’re capable of keeping themselves in game.
Washington State ranks 118th in offensive efficiency out of
351 teams, per KenPom. They average 74.4 points per game, though they haven’t
scored more than 74 points since January 13.
The Cougars best asset is their shooting. WSU is a team
built on the 3, as 47 percent of their points come from distance. That is the
third-highest percentage in the country. They shoot 38.6 percent from 3 (47th
in the country) and over half their shot attempts are 3s.
Unfortunately for Wazzu, their prowess at getting 3s is
often off set by their other flaws. The Cougs turn the ball over on roughly
one-fifth of their possessions, a number that’s simply too high, ranking 238th
in college basketball.
The worst issue for Washington State, however, is their
inability to get to the free throw line. Wazzu shoots an absolutely abysmal
.238 free throws per field goal attempt, the fifth-worst mark in college
basketball.
It should be noted some of that can be attributed to their
small-ball style of play.
Even their big men shoot from the perimeter, and more
perimeter shots means fewer opportunities to get fouled in the paint or in the
lane.
Still, not getting to the line means WSU is extremely
vulnerable when they have an off shooting night.
Washington State’s Defense
The Cougars’ defense is much like their offense: one
strength and multiple fatal flaws.
Washington State has the 212th most efficient defense in the
country via KenPom, which is a pretty poor ranking.
The one thing the Cougs do well is defend the 3. Just like
their offense, the Cougars defense is best on the perimeter. This is also means
they don’t foul very often, allowing .256 free throws per field goal attempt.
That’s the 28th best figure in the country.
However, the team also has some key weaknesses. At the cost
of their excellent defense from 3, they give up a lot of easy shots inside. The
Cougars’ very short lineup means their inside presence mostly doesn’t exist.
That’s a major mismatch in favor of Arizona who have 7-footers Deandre Ayton
and Dusan Ristic.
Wazzu’s biggest statistical flaw is their inability to force
turnovers, ranking 311th in takeaway percentage.
They also are not a great defensive rebounding team, ranking
just 186th in the country and dead last in the Pac-12 in rebounding margin.
Washington State Players to Watch
Robert Franks, junior, forward/center
Franks is one of the most improved players in the Pac-12,
placing seventh in the conference in scoring (17.6 ppg) after averaging 6.3
last year.
Perfect for WSU’s small-ball, 3-point oriented attack,
Franks shoots 43 percent from 3, and he takes roughly six of them per game —
almost half his shot attempts. Earlier this month, he hit 10s in a win vs. Cal.
Franks is not a tall player, especially for a center (6’7”,
240 pounds), but is athletic and tracks down 7.1 rebounds per contest and
nearly one block.
The Canadian will be undersized against Ayton and Ristic,
but he could be a tough cover for UA’s bigs who prefer to stay close to the
basket.
Malachi Flynn, sophomore, guard
Flynn is the best player in Washington State’s backcourt,
playing the Stephen Curry role in coach Ernie Kent’s fast small-ball gameplan
(though not nearly as good of a shooter, obviously).
The 6-foot-1 Flynn averages 14.7 points and 4.0 assists per
game in 32.9 minutes. He shoots about eight threes in each game, sinking 34.4
percent of them.
While nobody would mistake Flynn for a superstar shooter,
any separation he’s able to create has a high possibility of becoming three
points for the Cougs, be it on a shot or an assist.
In all, Flynn is probably one of the most underrated young
players in the Pac-12. The Tacoma native has started in all 51 games he’s
played there, and earned Pac-12 All-Freshmen Honorable Mention honors last
season.
And his numbers, aside from his 3-point percentage, have all
improved this season.
Drick Bernstine, senior, forward
If his name sounds familiar it’s because Arizona faced him
last season. But not at Washington State.
Bernstine is a grad transfer from North Dakota, which played
Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year. The 6-foot-8
forward had a monster 20-point, 15-rebound game against the Wildcats.
Bernstine is now WSU’s post presence, averaging 7.1 points,
7.7 rebounds, and even 3.0 assists per game.
He is a mobile, skilled big but, unlike the rest of the
Cougars, he does not shoot 3s.
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