:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/23793713/20130326_jla_ad5_423.0.jpg)
This has been a very interesting year so far. My plans at the start of the year were to watch more high school prep basketball; I haven't seen a single high school game all year. Why? Part of the reason is in this very column. In order to write a column like this you need to pay attention to college games, watch college games and before you know it, college basketball grabs your attention and keeps it.
Today I'll be watching Stanford-Texas but here's what I would have watched yesterday if I had a magic television set.
Marist beats Bowling Green 74-60 at home. Marist had started the season 0-3, and Bowling Green had started the season at 4-0. Both teams went big from three point land (BGSU 11-30, Marist 10-22). A pair of great games from Red Foxes sophomore guard Madeline Blais (24 points, 7 rebounds) and senior forward Emma O'Connor (17 points, 6 rebounds) broke Marist into the win column. The deal-sealer was undoubtedly Marist's 18-for-23 point performance at the free throw line.
Oklahoma State beats Southern California 82-51 at home. A battle of undefeateds ends with the Cowgirls going to a 5-0 start this season. Oklahoma State shot 52 percent from the floor and had the game in control from the tip-off, controlling all of the four factors (shooting, turnovers, rebounding, free throws). The Cowgirls had a pair of double-doubles, the most impressive being sophomore guard Brittney Martin's 22 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.
Washington State beat Fresno State 92-79. The Cougars aren't doing too bad this year, starting the season 3-3. The Bulldogs shot 62.1 percent from the floor during the first half and led 47-35 at halftime but in the second half the Cougars caught up, tying the game at 60-60 with 10:08 left and never falling behind for the rest of the game. Junior Washington State guard Tia Presley had 37 points - a career high and the second highest player point total in Washington State history, the record held by Jenni Ruff in 1996 with 41 points.