PULLMAN - The Washington State women's basketball team used seven 3-pointers in the second half to post a 68-59 nonconference victory over Cal State Northridge in Beasley Coliseum on Wednesday.
Junior guard Tia Presley led the Cougars (5-4) with 21 points, her fourth 20-point game of the season, and senior forward Sage Romberg recorded 12 points and eight rebounds.
Washington State outscored the Matadors 44-29 in the second half after shooting over 43 percent and limiting Cal State Northridge (2-6) to 34 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes. The Cougars tallied 22 second-chance points after posting 49-38 rebounding advantage including 21-13 on the offensive boards. Sophomore forward Mariah Cooks grabbed a season-high nine rebounds and junior center Shalie Dheensaw recorded eight boards.
Sophomore guard Lia Galdeira added nine points while fellow sophomore guard Dawnyelle Awa added eight points and a career-high seven assists. Presley also had three assists, two steals and two blocks. Cal State Northridge was led by guard Cinnamon Lister with 21 points.
Washington State opened the second half with 13 straight points as Awa hit a 3 before making a steal and going coast-to-coast for a layup. WSU continued to cause havoc on the defensive end and also convert on the offensive end as Romberg knocked a 3, Presley added a jumper and Galdeira brought the crowd to its feet with a long three from the right wing, giving the Cougars a 37-30 lead.
Down the stretch, Washington State turned to its veterans for a couple of baskets and that's what they got with Romberg hitting a long two from straight away and Presley finishing off a drive with a runner in the lane to push the lead back up to seven. Romberg sealed things up for WSU by hitting two free throws and Awa followed with a couple more, as the Cougars salted away the win.
Washington State will take 11 days off before heading east to face Dayton on Dec. 15.
Cal State Northridge (2-6)
Thielges 2-4 0-0 4, Mahlknecht 3-6 0-0 6, Sharpe 2-4 0-0 4, Guay 6-17 1-2 15, Lister 8-19 3-3 21, Alexander 0-1 0-0 0, White 0-0 0-0 0, Cole 3-9 0-0 7, Friess 1-5 0-0 2, Fong 0 0-0 0. Totals 25-65 4-5 59.
Washington State (5-4)
Romberg 4-6 2-2 12, Dheensaw 1-7 2-2 4, Galdeira 3-14 1-2 9, Presley 8-17 3-4 21, Awa 2-5 3-4 8, Edmondson 1-5 0-0 3, Thomas 3-7 0-0 6, Cooks 1-4 3-5 5, Potter 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 23-67 14-19 68.
Halftime - CSU-N 30-24. 3-Point Goals - CSU-N 5-20 (Guay 2-5, Lister 2-7, Cole 1-6, Friess 0-2), WSU 8-23 (Romberg 2-4, Galdeira 2-5, Presley 2-4, Awa 1-3, Edmondson 1-3, Thomas 0-3, Cooks 0-1). Fouled Out - none. Rebounds - CSU-N 38 (Mahlknecht 8), WSU 49 (Cooks 9). Assists - CSU-N 12 (Sharpe 3), WSU 14 (Awa 7). Total Fouls - CSU-N 14, WSU 11. Technicals - none. A - 612.
