WSU Set For Second Chance

Phase II of the Washington State women’s basketball team’s four-game homestand begins Thursday.

Cougars coach Harold Rhodes is hoping it’s not Haze II.

“We met yesterday (Monday) for 2 hours and they’re in good spirits,” Rhodes said of his team. “They’re not feeling down and out and totally dejected.”

The Cougars’ uninspired play last Thursday cost them the chance to beat Southern California. Two days later they couldn’t hold a 17-point, second-half lead against UCLA. The losses dropped WSU to 9-9 overall and 3-6 in the Pac-10 as the team begins playing conference teams for the second time this season.

First up at Friel Court is Arizona State (8-10, 4-5), Thursday at 7 p.m, followed by No. 8 Arizona (14-4, 7-2), Saturday at 1 p.m.

The Cougars’ finest game of the season came in Tucson, Ariz., when Tricia Lamb hit a last-second, 30-foot bank shot that gave them an upset win over then-No. 10 Arizona. During that game, UA star Adia Barnes was in early foul trouble and was held to 10 points, well below her league-leading 22.3 points-per-game average (10th in the nation).

The euphoria lasted just two nights, until the Cougs lost to the less-talented Sun Devils.

“We were dominated in that game. They gave us a good whipping,” Rhodes said. “Now it’s a chance for us to redeem ourselves.”

Checking in on the Sasquatch

The roster has shrunk, but the Community Colleges of Spokane’s goals remains large:

Win the NWAACC Eastern Division and host both rounds of the division tournament.

Win the NWAACC championship.

CCS 10th-year coach Bruce Johnson said he thinks this team has a good chance. The Sasquatch won the Eastern region twice in the ‘90s, but never have won the NWAACC crown.

With just five regular-season games remaining, CCS is tied for first in the division at 6-1 (18-5 overall).

The starting five of sophomores Shelley Massingale, Kelli Pilkington, Alana Carlander, Lisa Bocook and freshman Lisa Bradley is solid. Massingale leads the team with a 17.2 points-per-game average. Albertson (Idaho) College, Central Washington and Whitworth have shown interest in the 6-foot forward from Kennewick.

But the depth stops there. The reserve squad is lean and lacks experience, scoring only six to eight points a game.

Six of the team’s original 16 are gone. Former starting point guard Stephanie Shelton and two others blew out their knees. All-Big Nine player Rita Douglas of Richland left school because of high blood pressure. Two players, including Dawn Salfer of West Valley’s Class AA championship team, quit the squad.

CCS can add one more goal to its list. Yakima Valley has been selected to host the NWAACC tournament, March 5-7. But the Indians (9-12, 0-6) won’t be advancing. That means the site could be moved to a competing school. Spokane sounds pretty good to Johnson.

Searching for answers - and victories

What’s wrong with Gonzaga University (9-11, 1-7 West Coast Conference), losers of seven straight? “They don’t understand that they’re not always going to get the steal,” explained Gonzaga coach Kellee Barney. “Our pressure is designed to control the tempo. Take them out of the offense and fatigue them. But we get too antsy.

“We need a win badly, ” she added.

How about an upset? GU - coming off a 40-point loss to Santa Clara (17-4, 8-0), plays host to that same firstplace team Thursday. USF (7-13, 3-5) is here Saturday.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Area leaders Scoring Player, school FG-FGA FT-FTA 3pt Avg. Shelley Massingale, CCS 138-307 91-125 11 17.2 Alli Nieman, UI 111-242 92-127 5 16.0 Andrea Sherer, Whit. 102-207 43-92 0 14.5 Tammy Goyne, NIC 99-210 47-70 30 14.5 Yvonne Kunze, WSU 102-187 42-69 0 13.7 Alana Carlander, CCS 108-272 48-78 45 13.4 Kelli Johnson, UI 100-244 35-41 44 13.3 Alke Dietel, WSU 91-194 22-34 21 12.5 Tracy Ford, EWU 82-229 30-37 28 12.3 Kelli Pilkington, CCS 115-260 48-80 3 12.2 Susan Woolf, UI 72-218 61-88 36 11.5 Becky Huddle, NIC 61-159 73-93 8 11.3 Lydia Ledgerwood, GU 79-195 61-81 7 11.3 Sandy Gere, GU 74-189 36-49 26 11.1 Erin Dowhy, NIC 80-164 24-50 0 10.2

Rebounding Pilkington, CCS, 9.0 (208); Juli Carlson, EWU, 8.2 (140); Sherer, Whit., 8.0 (136); Kunze, WSU, 7.1 (128); Nieman, UI, 6.7 (134).

Assists Shelton, CCS, 4.8 (48); Goyne, NIC, 4.7 (90); Lisa Bocook, CCS, 4.4 (66); Woolf, UI, 4.0 (85); Kathyrn Gussett, UI, 4.0 (83).

Steals Goyne, NIC, 4.2 (79); Bocook, CCS, 3.4 (51); Gere, GU, 2.1 (40); Gussett; UI, 2.1 (44); Sherer, Whit., 1.7 (28); Johnson, UI, 1.7 (44) Schedule Today: CCS at Columbia Basin CC, 6 p.m. Thursday: Eastern at Idaho State, 6 p.m.; Arizona State at WSU, 7 p.m.; Santa Clara at Gonzaga, 7 p.m. Friday: Whitworth at Linfield, 6 p.m.; Wenatchee Valley CC at SCC, 6 p.m.; NIC at Dixie College, 6 p.m.; Idaho at North Texas, 9 p.m.; Saturday: Arizona at WSU, 1 p.m.; NIC at Snow College, 5:30 p.m.; Whitworth at Pacific, 6 p.m.; USF at Gonzaga, 7 p.m.; Eastern at Sac State, 7 p.m. Sunday: Idaho at New Mexico State, 1 p.m.