Cougar women lose to ASU

Washington State women's basketball team dropped to 10-3 on the season with a 78-64 loss to No. 18 Arizona State in Tempe. The Cougars had a six-game winning streak heading into the game, but got off to a slow start and never recovered.

Arizona State couldn't miss early in the game, surging out to a 17-4 lead and the Sun Devils never looked back. ASU eventually built an 18-point lead and went into the break leading 43-29. WSU never lead in the game and while the Cougars played the Sun Devils even in the second half, it was far from enough to come away with the Arizona sweep.

Lia Galdeira and Tia Presley led the Cougars as usual, finishing with 19 and 15 points respectively. Katie Hempen led the Sun Devils with 21 points, but did so while being one of the few ASU players to not mit at least 50 percent of her shots. ASU's other starters combined to make 20-of-31 attempts for 51 points.

With the loss, WSU drops to 1-1 in Pac-12 play. The Cougars will return home next to host California on Friday and Stanford on Sunday. Stanford and Cal aren't playing at quite the level of recent seasons, but it will still be a challenging homestand for the Cougars. Stanford is No. 15 in latest AP poll while the Bears -- like the Cougars -- are among the teams receiving votes.

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Women's basketball:

ASU women’s basketball starts fast, cruises past Washington State | ASU News | The State Press | Arizona State University
With the way the ASU women’s basketball team is starting games of late, they aren’t giving opponents a chance to come back in the game.

Washington State women fall to red-hot Arizona State 78-64 | Cougar Basketball | The Seattle Times
Katie Hempen hit four three-pointers and all seven of her free throws for a career-high 21 points, leading No. 18 Arizona State to its ninth consecutive victory as the Sun Devils beat Washington State 78-64 Monday.

Washington State Falls To No. 18 Arizona State in Tempe - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State had three players score in double figures but dropped a 78-64 road contest to No. 18 Arizona State at Wells Fargo Arena Monday.

Football:

Cougar Calls with Bill Moos Returns - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
After a hiatus for the holidays, Cougar Calls with Bill Moos, the weekly radio call-in show featuring Director of Athletics Bill Moos and Bud Nameck, returned Monday.