The two conference road wins weren’t enough for the Cougar women’s basketball team; they had to continue making headlines.

Following wins against Utah and Colorado throughout the weekend, Tia Presley was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week.

The junior guard from Spokane posted two 32-point games and shot a combined 23 for 28 from the free-throw line in WSU’s first road sweep of the season.

Head Coach June Daugherty said the key to Presley’s season has been her health first and foremost, considering she was sidelined during her first two collegiate seasons due to injuries.

 Daugherty credited Presley for working hard to come back earlier than the expected timetable for an ACL injury. Her rehab took place while simultaneously managing to improve her game, specifically her 3-point shooting, in such a short amount of practice time.

 “Tia has gone from the point guard to the off-guard and although she’s looking for scoring opportunities, she’s also distributing and setting her teammates up,” said Daugherty. “She’s improved her game all around and is just a great team player.”

 Presley’s story as a local kid and underdog of sorts is something Daugherty said makes it all the more special for the Cougar community. 

“Tia is a fierce competitor and is out to prove everybody wrong because she was not recruited hard to play in the Pac-12 with people thinking she was too small,” Daugherty said. She added, “The list of doubters goes on and on and I think that feeds into her going out and having fun proving them wrong.” 

One of the narratives of the season thus far is five out of the Cougars’ eight Pac-12 wins have been decided by seven points or less, including Sunday’s 80-77 win over Colorado. 

Injuries and a vigorous Pac-12 schedule have more or less made a rough go of things for the Cougars in 2014, but Daugherty said the adversity has only made her team stronger. 

“There were so many plays against Colorado and in other games down the stretch where the game could have gone either way,” she said. 

“I think it speaks well to how mentally tough and resilient this team has become. They’re a loose group who keeps calm and believes they can win, and it shows our maturation.”

 If there is one certainty for the Cougars right now, it’s that winning is winning, especially on the road with postseason hopes still on the line.

Prior to the season, Daugherty believed in her team to at least make a postseason appearance because of the way the squad performed against quality competition in their international tour over the summer, she said. 

“We played loose, had a lot of fun, had different leading scorers, and paid better attention on defense against championship caliber players and teams,” she said. 

“I think it started there for us and there was a different type of swagger and confidence about our team going into our preseason practices that really served us well in the confidence category.”

The fact the team has put up the most wins the program has seen in almost a decade has created a buzz surrounding the team. Daugherty said it’s important for the team to remain focused on what they can control and improving their teammates as well as themselves.

“Listening to the team on the bus coming back into Pullman, they’re extremely focused on Oregon State and Oregon,” said Daugherty. “It’s a great sign of leadership and the maturation process of these kids that they’re not looking too far ahead at all.”