Cougar women trounce UW to sweep the season series

Good morning Coug fans. Friday was an eventful day for Cougar athletics. Let’s cover all the bases and we’ll start with the best news of all:

Cougar women spank the Huskies

Suddenly, the game of basketball is providing good news for the Cougs. A week after the men’s team swept the Arizona schools, the women completed a season sweep of the Washington Huskies with a dominating 94-61 win in Pullman. The Cougs went into Seattle back on Dec. 30 and left with a close 79-76 win. Get the brooms out!

The Cougs were an equal opportunity team last night, with six players scoring double figures. Chanelle Molina and Borislava Hristova each had 18 points to lead the Cougs. Molina added 10 assists.

WSU shot 60.7 percent for the game and held the Huskies to just 37.1 percent. The Cougs held a 19-13 lead after one and the rout began in the second quarter.

The Cougs turned 19 UW turnovers into 26 points.

Kamie Ethridge is just 9-16 overall in her first season with a retooled roster. But getting two wins over the Huskies is a solid accomplishment, even if UW is last in the Pac-12 at 1-12 in conference play and 8-17 overall. It was just three years ago when UW was in the Final Four.

Robert Valencia is coming back for another year

More good news: The NCAA granted Robert Valencia another season. Valencia missed the 2017 season due to an injury after joining the Cougs from the junior college ranks. He was a backup last season until the Alamo Bowl when he started in place of an injured Josh Watson.

The o-line is positioned well heading into spring football. It loses a soon-to-be first round NFL draft pick in Andre Dillard, but it’s a squad that was absolutely amazing last season and gets Valencia back and four starters.

And don’t forget: Noah Osur-Myers returns after missing all of last season.

Baseball drops its season opener

Things were not good in Moraga, Calif. yesterday for the Cougar baseball team. The Cougs managed just two hits and gave up four runs in the bottom of the first as they ended the day with an 8-1 loss to Saint Mary’s. The Cougs used four pitchers and gave up 14 hits, and their only run came unearned in the ninth inning.

Let’s hope things improve from here. The Cougs are back on the diamond today for a doubleheader beginning at 10 a.m.

Links

Women’s Basketball

This is a beautiful box score.

Men’s Basketball

Cougars Host Huskies Looking for Season Split - Washington State University Athletics
Tip is scheduled for 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16 at Beasley Coliseum.

WSU hoops: Ernie Kent delivers stern caution ahead of UW clash
"You want to just stomp on them and push them to the ground."

Source: UCLA 'going hard after Tony Bennett and he has not said no yet' | Zagsblog
It's probably not going to happen, but how'd you like to play against a Bennett defense in the Pac-12 each season?

Baseball

Cougars Drop Season-Opener at Saint Mary’s - Washington State University Athletics
The series continues with a doubleheader Saturday at 10 a.m.

Football

What does it mean to be balanced on offense? - Football Study Hall
Mike Leach loves to poke fun at the need for run/pass balance, but is balance the ultimate goal of an offense?

Offensive lineman Robert Valencia granted one more year of eligibility at Washington State | The Spokesman-Review
Robert Valencia made the first start of his career in what was supposed to be his last game at Washington State, but now the offensive lineman will have another year of eligibility to play with the Cougars.

Misc.

The future of targeting: Could tweaks make penalties more consistent, fair? – The Athletic
With targeting here to stay, changes to the replay process and multiple tiers of the penalty are potential changes being debated.

The Pac-12’s optics get even worse following report on conference’s TV network | The Seattle Times
The Pac-12's image has taken a beating over the past several months and just endured another uppercut Wednesday.