Following an emotional weekend the Washington State Cougars’ women’s basketball team got back to practice Tuesday morning. Over the weekend WSU defeated No. 21 Colorado, but suffered its first conference loss to Utah on Sunday.

The team returned to the court in high spirits, and during this week’s practice the team will look to improve on some of the mistakes from the past couple of games, Head Coach June Daugherty said during a press conference.

“It was kind of a contrast if you will, it was great to get the win with Colorado being ranked, I thought we did a much better job on their front line, they’ve got a lot of size and athleticism,” Daugherty said. “Against Utah I felt that we fell short in that area, especially not keeping them off the boards and some easy shots late in the game.”

Colorado was the third ranked opponent the Cougars defeated this season. Daugherty said the Cougars enjoy being a ranked team, but they will need to be consistent to be able to keep up the success.

As far as what prompted the upgrade in the team’s performance, Daugherty said players such as sophomore guard Lia Galdeira, junior forward Shalie Dheensaw, and sophomore guard Taylor Edmondson, returned this year much improved. However, sophomore guard Dawnyelle Awa has been the unsung hero for this program so far, Daugherty said, citing her stability throughout the year.  

Even with a near perfect conference season, certain facets of the game remain a work in progress, Daugherty said. Among them is defense, which has improved throughout the season, as well as inconsistent rebounds, Daugherty said.

“Rebounding is still an issue, that one day yes, Colorado yes, Utah not so good,” Daugherty said. “We’re still inconsistent in that area.”

In conference play, the Cougars rank ninth in rebounding offense despite ranking third in rebounding defense.

On the offensive side Daugherty said she is confident in the team’s guard play. However, in the game against Utah, Galdeira was in street clothes. Daugherty attributed some of the hard charges Galdeira took in the Colorado game to her being “banged up.”

“She’s obviously seen our doctors,” Daugherty said. “And she and our training staff and doctors are doing everything they can to get those muscles relaxed and get Lia (Galderia) back to being back to being the explosive Lia that we love to see out there on the basketball court.”

The next opportunity for Galdeira and the Cougars to take the court is a Friday night showdown against the Oregon Ducks.