After giving up what was at one time a 16-point lead, junior guard Lia Galdeira had two chances to tie up the game with less than thirty seconds left. Galdeira came up short both times, but even more troubling was the injury to senior center Shalie Dheensaw during the final seconds. The senior fell and twisted her ankle while fighting for a rebound, injuring herself and ending a tough game for the Cougars.

Dheensaw seemed to be in intense pain as she lay on the floor for several minutes with coaches and trainers by her side. Galdeira could be seen fighting back tears for her teammate as the final seconds ticked away, summing up a very emotional and hard-fought game for the Cougs.

Washington State (10-6, 1-4 Pac-12) traveled to Corvallis, Oregon Friday night to take on the No. 9 Oregon State Beavers (15-1, 5-0). The Cougars played fast and aggressive in the first half and forced 13 turnovers while only yielding three, giving them a nine-point lead at halftime. But after being outscored 43-31 in the second half, the Cougars lost to OSU 73-70.

Going into the second half, Head Coach June Daugherty said she wanted to see the team play with even more intensity. But the e team could not match their first half effort and the Beavers were able to settle down and find open shots. OSU junior center Ruth Hamblin and guard Jamie Weisner were efficient with their shots and combined to score 56 points. The WSU guard combo of senior Tia Presley and Galdeira scored 17 and 21 points, respectively, to lead the team.

After forcing turnovers and finding open shots in the first half, the Cougars were unable to produce the same results in the second half. Hamblin and the Beavers were able to hammer it down low while the Cougars could not find an answer for the physicality. The open shots that appeared in the first half were not so open late in the game. The second half featured long stretches of missed shots, scoring only 8 points during one 10-minute stretch.

After falling behind by three with just over two minutes to go, the Cougs turned up the intensity and regained some of the aggressiveness from earlier in the game. The team forced more turnovers and had open looks, but Galdeira was unable to drain shots, going 0-3 in the last 30 seconds.

The health of Dheensaw, a leader on the team and a strong presence in the post, will be imperative for the future. The Cougars showed fight and the ability to win games against tough opponents, but will need Dheensaw going forward.

The Cougars will face the Oregon Ducks in Eugene Sunday at 1 p.m. The game can be viewed on the Pac-12 Networks.

Reporting by Steffen Stroup