Cougar women victorious, Cougar men face Cal

The WSU basketball teams both opened conference play this weekend, to mixed results. The men, as previously noted, looked decent for about a half against Stanford, but ultimately fell victim to poor shooting (among other things). They are set to take on the Cal Bears on Sunday in Haas Pavilion at 3 p.m. Cal started the season on one of its most successful runs in decades, but closed out non-conference play with a stunning loss to Cal-State Bakersfield. They did rebound to beat Washington on Friday night, and will be a very tough test for the Cougars.

In what will likely be a theme throughout the rest of the season, the women's results were better than that of the men. They also opened conference play on the road, but came away with a double-digit victory. It was a game of runs in Tucson, with the Cougs using a 14-0 streak to take a 20 point lead in the second half. However, Arizona went on a 14-0 run of its own to close the lead to six, but got no closer and the Cougs closed it out.

Tia Presley led the team with 26 points, while Lia Galdeira added 25. The Cougars are now 6-1 all time when that duo scores 20+ points apiece. Shalie Dheensaw exerted herself in the middle as well, collecting eight points, 11 rebounds and a career-high five blocks. The Cougars are 10-2 for the first time since I was in grade school. If that isn't a referendum on how long it's been since they were they this good, I don't know what is. They conclude their Arizona road trip with a game in Tempe Monday night at seven o'clock, when they face 22nd-ranked Arizona State. The game will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks.

Basketball

Cougars Use Late Run To Post Road Win Over Arizona - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State, winners of six straight, blocked a season-high eight shots and shot nearly 48 percent from the floor including nine 3-pointers.

Washington State women open Pac-12 play by beating Arizona - Spokesman.com - Jan. 3, 2015
Tia Presley and Lia Galdeira combined for 51 points and Washington State opened Pac-12 play on Saturday with its sixth-straight win, 81-70 over Arizona.

WSU Takes on Cal Sunday at 3 p.m. - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State University men’s basketball (6-7, 0-1) looks to bounce back after its conference opening loss as it faces California (11-3, 1-0), Sunday, Jan. 4 at 3 p.m. at Haas Pavilion.

Cal basketball: Wallace, Bird among keys to Bears’ season - SFGate
Since there wasn't a game preview that I could find, here is a preview of Cal's conference season.

Beer

The 10 Stories That Defined Craft Beer in 2014 : Brewbound.com
Industry-wide craft production volumes, as defined by the Brewers Association, will approach and perhaps even crest 20 million barrels this year. In fact, through Nov. 30, volume sales of craft were up more than 17 percent in IRI’s multi-outlet and convenience store (MULC) universe (which comprises grocery, drug, Wal-Mart, Club, Dollar, Mass-Merchandiser and Military stores).

Non-Sports
Friends call Ross Ulbricht sensitive and soulful. Prosecutors contend that he ran a global, illicit online bazaar.