Cougars end 20-game skid, beat EWU
Her career high was eight points and she had missed the only 3-pointer she launched, so when Washington State needed her the most, Heather Molzen turned everything upside down.
With Eastern Washington racing to a 13-0 lead at Reese Court Sunday afternoon, Molzen ended the drought with a 3-pointer and went on to pour in 21 points and rally the Cougars to a 70-59 win over the Eagles in a nonconference women’s basketball game.
“Mike (Daugherty, WSU assistant) said I had a green light,” the 6-foot-3 junior said. “I’ve been working on my shot and he said if they aren’t going to come out and guard me, make them pay.”
“What a great time to do it,” WSU head coach June Daugherty said after her first win as a Cougar, which also snapped WSU’s 20-game losing streak.
It appeared the Eagles (1-2) were going to send the Cougars (1-2) to another defeat when they opened the game by hitting five of their first six shots to build a 13-0 lead.
“We stopped scoring and we stopped defending,” EWU coach Wendy Schuller said. “The time when you can’t score is the time when your defense needs to be its best.”
Not only did Molzen’s surprising 3 – she had just one in high school – end the Eagle run, it started the Cougars on a 21-0 run of their own.
WSU, which missed its first seven shots, hit nine of its next 13, including the last six, a short shot from the lane by Molzen.
After the Eagles scored seven straight to pull within one, WSU closed the half with a 14-2 run to lead 35-22.
The Cougars quickly pushed the lead to 16 but the Eagles battled back to get within two twice midway through the second half before WSU surged again with eight straight points, six by Molzen.
“I think it was a combination of when the team plays well it’s easier for individuals to play well,” Molzen said. “It feels good. Our team worked really hard and all our hard work paid off.”
Well, a few did since the Cougars are severely short-handed because of injuries (starting post Ebonee Coates), academic issues (Nakeja Kelly and Sabrina Shired) and Brynn Bemis is still recovering from a long soccer season.
“It’s a great feeling to win, and on the road,” Daugherty said. “They show a lot of toughness. It’s a big win and pretty exciting doing it with only eight kids.”
Katie Appleton, who added 12 points, said, “We were down but we showed a lot of poise and kept fighting.”
Kelly Kezia scored 11 for the Cougars and Molzen had a game-high eight rebounds.
“She’s a kid who has obviously worked on her game and improved,” Schuller said. “We didn’t do what we needed to stop her. She did a great job finishing, she went 10 of 14, that’s what a post is supposed to do in the paint.”
The Eagles got 19 points and seven rebounds from Sydney Benson. Nicole Scott added 17 points and Katy Baker had 12. However, EWU, which went 10 deep, only got four points off the bench and the Cougars had 20.
Both teams are headed to islands for Thanksgiving weekend tournaments, the Cougars in the Bahamas and the Eagles to Hawaii.
Washington St. 70, E. Washington 59
Washington State (1-2)—Betteridge 1-5 1-2 3, Appleton 5-10 2-4 12, Calderwood 1-2 0-0 3, Kelly 4-8 2-4 11, Molzen 10-14 0-3 21, Price 2-4 0-0 6, Williams 3-8 0-0 6, Dickerson 2-6 3-4 8. Totals 28-57 8-17 70.
Eastern Washington (1-2)—Bratvold 1-6 5-8 7, Baker 5-11 2-5 12, Huntington 0-1 0-0 0, Benson 6-13 7-7 19, Scott 6-13 2-2 17, Rulon 0-0 0-0 0, Evans 2-9 0-0 4, Sparavalo 0-0 0-0 0, Piper 0-0 0-0 0, McGowan 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-53 16-22 59.
Halftime—Washington State 35, Eastern Washington 22. 3-point goals—Washington State 6-13 (Price 2-3, Molzen 1-1, Calderwood 1-2, Kelly 1-2, Dickerson 1-2, Williams 0-1, Betteridge 0-2), Eastern Washington 3-16 (Scott 3-6, Huntington 0-1, Bratvold 0-2, Baker 0-2, Evans 0-5). Fouled out—None. Rebounds—Washington State 39 (Molzen 8), Eastern Washington 33 (Benson 7). Assists—Washington State 17 (Betteridge, Appleton 4), Eastern Washington 8 (Baker 3). Total fouls—Washington State 20, Eastern Washington 18. A—817.