Winning in Seattle; WSU women’s basketball win’s first tournament game

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In a case of déjà vu, the Washington State women’s basketball team eclipsed the century mark again against the Oregon Ducks.

In the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament, the Cougars (16-15, 10-9) defeated Oregon (15-16, 6-3) by a score of 107-100. This contest was an example of a true tournament game.

Oregon came within three points with 2:11 left in regulation, but WSU sophomore guard Lia Galdeira knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner to give WSU a comfortable lead until the end of the game.

The two teams combined to shoot 171 times, and 60 of those attempts came from behind the arc. WSU’s 88 field goal attempts broke the Pac-12 Tournament record.

“We had a lot of fun out there, coming out with the win makes the experience so much better,” junior guard Tia Presley said. “I know I’m pumped and the rest with my teammates are too.”

Washington State could not miss in the first half, hitting 6-of-11 from three-point land and shot nearly 50 percent from the field. The score was 59-56 at the half. The Cougars finished the game shooting 47 percent.

Leading the charge for Washington State were both Presley and Galdeira, who each scored 31 points. It is the first time in program history that two players recorded more than 30 points in the same game, according to wsucougars.com.

“It’s a team effort,” Galdeira said. “I give credit to my team, the coaching staff, and everybody that’s along for the ride with us.”

The entire team contributed to the triple-digit performance. Junior forward Shalie Dheensaw recorded another double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard Taylor Edmondson caught on fire in the second half scoring 10 of her 14 points.

Sophomore point guard Dawnyelle Awa stuck out in the contest and contributed eight assists, which tied for her personal best.

“You guys got to see a little bit of it tonight with some of the passes,” Head Coach June Daugherty said. “I don’t know how she threaded the passes through the way she did, but it was a lot of fun to watch.”

The Cougars now hold a Pac-12 Tournament record of 4-12, and those four wins have come from the last three years. With this win against the Ducks, the Cougars are now guaranteed a spot in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

Washington State moves on to face the No. 2 seed California Golden Bears on Friday. The Cougars are winless in two contests against the Bears this season, but the Cougars took the Golden Bears to overtime in the last match up.