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Fingall scores 20 to lead No. 5 Stanford past the Cougars

Posted January 04, 2020 6:00 am

By RICK EYMER

Stanford guard Kiana Williams (23) gestures to teammates while bringing the ball up against Washington State during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Stanford, Calif., Friday, Jan. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Nadia Fingall, out for nearly a year with a torn ACL, started feeling her shot coming around in the past three weeks. These days, the shots are falling.

Fingall had a season-high 20 points and six rebounds and No. 5 Stanford beat Washington State for the 66th consecutive time, 77-58 on Friday night.

'œComing back, it was hard to find my rhythm, but I continued to work on it,'ť Fingall said. 'œI had a couple of shots go in against Tennessee and things started feeling better as far as my body goes and it's gone from there.'ť

Kiana Williams added 12 points for the Cardinal (12-1, 1-0 Pac-12), who have won two straight since their only loss of the season, at Texas on Dec. 22. Haley Jones had 10 points and seven rebounds.

'œThat was a great game from Nadia,'ť Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. 'œShe is embracing her senior year, being a leader and getting healthy. She's playing her best basketball.'ť

Chanelle Molina scored a season-high 27 points for the Cougars (7-7, 0-2), who lost their third straight and fell to 0-66 all-time against the Cardinal.

Borislava Hristova scored 21 points, all in the first three quarters. She is eight points away from becoming Washington State's all-time leading scorer.

'œYou always need people who can create their own shot and we have two of those,'ť Cougars' coach Kamie Ethridge said. 'œStanford can switch so well on defense it makes it hard for anybody but those two. We're just not built right to take on a team like Stanford. It was an unbelievable effort though.'ť

Molina and Hristova were the only Washington State players to make field goals until Johanna Muzet hit a layup off a Stanford turnover with 3:05 left in the third quarter. Molina and Hristova were a combined 13 of 22 at the time, while the rest of the team was 0 for 14.

'œWe can play better defensively, but it won't be easy,'ť VanDerveer said.

Molina and Hristova made 19 of the team's 22 field goals. The Cougars shot 42.3% from the field, the best against Stanford this season.

Cardinal Alyssa Jerome added 10 points and was one of three players with three assists.

Stanford, which never trailed, established a double-digit lead at the end of the first quarter and maintained it the rest of the way.

Anna Wilson sank a pair of free throws in the final seven seconds to give Stanford a 41-23 lead at halftime.

INJURY REPORT

Lacie Hull, who stepped in for her sister Lexie, Stanford's leading scorer, in a big way last season, could have played if necessary. Senior DiJonai Carrington missed her eighth game but is making progress. Senior Mikaela Brewer and junior Maya Dodson have yet to play.

BIG PICTURE

Washington State: The smallest margin of victory in the series between the Cougars and Cardinal was the 2000 meeting at Stanford, a 78-73 decision. '¦ Coach Kamie Ethridge is a victory short of 100 career wins. She's currently at 99-71. '¦ Chanelle Molina and Hristova are 1-2 in the Pac-12 in minutes played.

Stanford: Senior Kiana Williams has 179 3-pointers, 12 shy of Jennifer Azzi for 10th all-time. '¦ Freshman Hannah Jump ranks second in the Pac-12 and 26th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (.462). '¦ Fingall set a career-high for 3-pointers with three in the first half. She's reached double figures in scoring a season-high three straight games.

UP NEXT

Washington State: Plays at California on Sunday.

Stanford: Hosts Washington on Sunday.

___

More AP women's basketball: https://apnews.com/Womenscollegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Washington State guard Cherilyn Molina (33) brings the ball up during the first half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Stanford in Stanford, Calif., Friday, Jan. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

Stanford guard Haley Jones drives to the basket against Washington State guard Johanna Muzet during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Stanford, Calif., Friday, Jan. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

Washington State forward Borislava Hristova (45) shoots against Stanford guard Lexie Hull during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Stanford, Calif., Friday, Jan. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

Stanford guard Hannah Jump, middle, is defended by Washington State guards Johanna Muzet, left, and Grace Sarver during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Stanford, Calif., Friday, Jan. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

Stanford forward Francesca Belibi, right, drives to the basket against Washington State forward Ula Motuga during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Stanford, Calif., Friday, Jan. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

Stanford forward Nadia Fingall (4) reacts after scoring and being fouled between Washington State's Bella Murekatete (55) and Borislava Hristova (45) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Stanford, Calif., Friday, Jan. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

Stanford guard Jenna Brown, right, is defended by Washington State guard Chanelle Molina during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Stanford, Calif., Friday, Jan. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Associated Press

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