Big nights for Molina and Hristova not enough for Cougs to snap all-time streak against Stanford

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Seniors Chanelle Molina and Borislava Hristova scored a combined 48 points for the Washington State University women’s basketball team, but that wouldn’t be enough to overcome No. 4/5-ranked Stanford, as the Cougs fall to the Cardinal in Maples Pavilion, 77-58, in Pac-12 Conference play.

Molina put on an offensive show against the No. 4/5-ranked team in the nation, as she tallied a season-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the floor. It was the second 20-plus-point performance against a top-five team this season for the the Kailua Kona, Hawaii native, as she also scored 25 points against then second-ranked Baylor. Molina nailed a season-best five 3-point field goals to move her into fourth place on WSU’s all-time 3-point field goals made list with 149. Her efforts helped the Cougs shoot 43.8% (7-of-16) from behind the arc against the Cardinal.

Meanwhile, Hristova continued her approach to Washington State’s all-time scoring record with 21 points. The redshirt senior from Varna, Bulgaria will head into Sunday’s matchup at California needing only eight points to break Jeanne Eggart’s (1977-82) record of 1,967 points. The 21-point performance for Hristova marks the 44th time in her career that she has scored 20-or-more points in a game.

The loss drops the Cougs to 7-7 overall on the season and 0-2 in Pac-12 play, while Stanford improves to 12-1 on the year and 1-0 in the Pac-12.

The Cardinal used their depth and size to get the edge on Washington State throughout the night, as they held the lead the entire game. Stanford outscored the Cougars, 27-4, in bench points, while maintaining a 14-point advantage in points in the paint. The mismatch in the post allowed the Cardinal to outrebound the Cougs, 38-29, as Stanford outscored WSU, 15-7, in second chance points.

Washington State will have a quick turnaround this weekend, as they travel across the San Francisco Bay to take on California on Sunday, Jan. 5. Tip-off from Haas Pavilion is set for 12 p.m. and will air live on both Pac-12 Network Bay Area and Pac-12 Network Washington.

Washington State Athletics