The WSU women’s basketball team is set to begin its final home-stand of the regular season with a matchup on Thursday night against a Utah squad sitting at 11th in the Pac-12 standings.

Coming off a pair of losses to the Southern California schools, the Cougars are in search of a late-season surge against a Utes team they beat three weeks ago.

The Cougars (10-17, 5-11) came away victorious in Salt Lake City against the Utes (15-12, 4-12) on Feb. 5 with a 61-55 win. A big second quarter was the difference in the game against the Utes, who boast an overall winning record, but have struggled in conference play.

However, Utah has changed things up since the two teams’ last meeting by adding in new plays and game plans to their offense.

Head Coach June Daugherty said the “quick hitters and different formations” that Utah’s offense brings are something WSU needs to prepare for this time around.

“We’re still in the race for the postseason,” Daugherty said. “It is an exciting time.”

Senior forward Ivana Kmetovska will play the last two home games of her college career this weekend. Hailing from Skopje, Macedonia, Kmetovska’s father has never had the opportunity to leave Europe and visit Pullman to watch his daughter play. As the team prepares to honor Kmetovska on Saturday, the forward’s dad will be in attendance for both games.

Prior to this weekend, Kmetovska’s father has only been able to watch the Cougars compete on computer livestreams or television the last four seasons.

With four key players on the injured reserve, three of them being the team’s leading scorers, the younger players on the squad have had plenty of time to watch and learn from the team’s lone senior.

Despite the injuries and close losses this season, WSU has lost six games by one possession. Daugherty hopes to see her team’s young players make a postseason run. She said that even with the team’s inexperience and the learning curve it has had to overcome, next week’s Pac-12 Tournament gives the team something else to play for besides Kmetovska.

“It has not been easy,” Daugherty said. “All year, our team has continued to improve and get better.”

WSU is one of four teams holding a conference record of 5-11 in the Pac-12 standings.

The Cougars tip off against the Utes at 6 p.m. on Thursday, and the game will air on the Pac-12 Network.