On Friday at 7:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks, Cal women’s basketball will take on the Washington State Cougars up in Pullman. Cal comes in at 8-11 overall and 0-8 in the Pac-12 while Washington State comes in at 9-11 overall and 2-6 in the Pac-12.

Last time out: On Sunday, Cal lost to Colorado by a final score of 62-50.

RECAP: Cal still seeking first Pac-12 win after loss to Colorado

On Washington State: The Cougars are led by redshirt senior forward Borislava Hristova (18.4 points & 5.6 rebounds) and senior guard Chanelle Molina (15.1 points & 6.2 rebounds). Both players are playing fantastic, giving the Cougars a one-two punch that other teams have to respect. As the only two Cougars players scoring in double figures, there’s a ton of pressure on them to deliver the goods night in, night out.

As a team, the Cougars average 67.0 points per game on 44.3% shooting from the field, 35.9% shooting from 3-point range, and 73.7% shooting from the foul line. They average a -0.8 rebounding margin, 14.6 assists, 6.2 steals, 3.7 blocks, and 15.7 turnovers per game. Their opponents average 66.8 points per game on 40.3% shooting from the field, 32.1% shooting from 3-point range, and 66.8% shooting from the foul line.

The Cougars’ two wins in Pac-12 play come at Cal and at Washington, so they found success against this Cal team earlier in the year. That should give them confidence going into this game. Especially since they’re at home.

Keys to the game: If Cal wants to win this game, the first thing they have to do is contain Hristova and Molina. When the faced in Berkeley, Hristova went off for 26 points while Molina had 28 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 8 assists. If Hristova and Molina have a similar outing, I don’t see Cal winning this game.

Secondly, Cal needs to shoot well from the perimeter while also defending the perimeter. In their first meeting, Washington State shot 7-14 from beyond the arc while Cal shot 2-12. Cal has to find more success from beyond the arc in this game while also not allowing Washington State to get whatever they want. The battle from beyond the arc should have a huge impact on this game.

Lastly, Cal needs to attack the rim. One good thing Cal did against Washington State last time was attack the rim and get to the foul line. Cal shot 17-27 (63.0%) from the line in their first meeting. While not a great percentage, the raw attempts is fantastic. Washington State shot 11-12 (91.7%), a better percentage, but didn’t get the same number of attempts. If Cal can have a similar advantage in terms of attempts and make more of them, that should bode well for them.