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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Presley scores 32; WSU snaps skid

From News Services

Washington State junior Tia Presley scored 32 points and the Cougars snapped a three-game losing streak with an 83-73 Pac-12 victory over Utah Friday night in Salt Lake City.

Presley tied a school record for free throws made with 16 and set a school record with 21 attempts.

It was Presley’s second 30-point game of the season. Her season-high of 37 came in a win over Fresno State on Nov. 22.

Lia Galdeira added 18 points and four steals and Sage Romberg pulled down 10 rebounds for WSU.

Michelle Plouffe led the Utes (10-14, 3-10) with 31 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

The Cougars entered the game with six losses in their past seven games, including a two-point loss to Utah on Jan. 19.

WSU improved to 13-12 overall and 7-6 in conference play. It’s the most overall wins and conference wins since the 1995-96 season.

The Cougars play Colorado in Boulder, Colo., on Sunday.

Whitworth 82, Linfield 60: K.C. McConnell had 16 points and five rebounds and Kayla Johnson added 15 points and eight boards as the Pirates (17-5, 11-2) surged ahead in the second half and dumped the Wildcats (7-14, 3-9) in a Northwest Conference game in Spokane.

The Pirates trailed by four at halftime, but outscored Linfield 54-28 in the second half to secure their sixth straight victory.

Whitworth made 22 of 25 free throws, including 19 of 21 in the second half, and held a 44-29 rebounding advantage.

Linfield’s Taylor Solomon scored 14 points and Katelyn Henson added 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The Pirates host eighth-ranked George Fox tonight at 6. Whitworth lost by three points at George Fox on Jan. 17.

Washington 87, Colorado 80: Kelsey Plum made 10 of 16 shots and finished with 25 points and eight rebounds as the Huskies (14-10, 7-6) defeated the Buffaloes (14-10, 4-9) in a Pac-12 game in Boulder, Colo.

Jazmine Davis added 24 points for Washington, which used efficient free-throw shooting to hold Colorado at bay.

The Huskies sank 24 of 31 free throws, including 18 of 23 in the second half.

Jamee Swan led Colorado with 25 points and seven rebounds. Ashley Wilson added 15 points and 10 rebounds and Arielle Roberson chipped in 14 points and nine boards.

Washington has five remaining regular-season games before the Pac-12 tournament. The Huskies play at Utah on Sunday.