Cougars Trip to USC For Friday Tilt On Pac-12 Networks
WASHINGTON STATE (11-9, 5-3) at USC (14-7, 7-2)
6 p.m. • Friday • Jan. 31
Galen Center (10,258)
Los Angeles
COUGARS TRIP TO USC FOR FRIDAY TILT ON PAC-12 NETWORKS: Washington State University hits the road for the second straight week, heading to Los Angeles to face USC Friday at 6 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks and UCLA Sunday at Noon.
ON DECK: The Cougars return home to host Stanford Friday, Feb. 7 and California Sunday, Feb. 9.
LISTEN IN: Fans can follow the Cougars during the regular season on Pullman’s KHTR (104.3 FM), KQQQ 1150 AM or go to WSUCougars.com and listen online. Steve Grubbs will be calling the play-by-play for the Cougs.
COUGAR ATHLETICS ON THE WEB: Connect with Washington State University Athletics on the web at WSUCougars.com, the official website of Cougar Athletics. Every home game will be webstreamed through the Pac-12 Networks at http://pac-12.com/videos/washington-state-university.
FOLLOW THE COUGS ON TWITTER: Follow Washington State women’s basketball on twitter @WSUWomensHoops and head coach June Daugherty @CoachJuneD.
ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE: The Cougars own an 11-9 record and 5-3 in Pac-12 play after starting 5-0 for the first time since starting Northwest Women’s Basketball League play 5-0 in 1977-78. The Cougars own three wins over ranked teams this season and enter the week with the nation’s No. 14-toughest schedule. Guard Lia Galdeira enters the week leading WSU and sixth in the Pac-12 in scoring at 18.6 ppg including 19.9 ppg in Pac-12 play, fifth-highest in the league. Fellow guard Tia Presley is seventh in the conference in scoring at 18.4 ppg. In conference play, center Shalie Dheensaw is averaging 9.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg and shooting over 53 percent from the field.
COUGAR NOTES
• Lia Galdeira is fifth in the conference in scoring during Pac-12 play at 19.9 ppg
• Tia Presley is second in the Pac-12 for the most free throw attempts (127)
• Galdeira owns seven 20-point scoring efforts this season, Presley owns six
• Shalie Dheensaw’s first two career double-doubles came in the two wins over Washington
• WSU started Pac-12 play 5-0 for the first time since starting NWBL play 5-0 in 1977-78
• WSU has won four straight against Arizona State and six straight against the Arizona schools
• WSU snapped a 36-game losing streak to Washington, winning for the first time since 1995
• WSU recorded its first win over Washington in Seattle since 1993, snapping a 20-game skid
• WSU swept Washington in the regular season for the first time since 1974-75
• WSU enters the week No. 70 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings
• WSU owns three wins over ranked teams this season, the most since 1994-95, tied for second-most in the Pac-12 with Arizona State, Stanford leads with five
PLAYER NOTES VS. USC
• Last season against USC, Lia Galdeira scored 14 points in Los Angeles and 10 points in Pullman
• Last season, Dawnyelle Awa hit three-3-pointers, scored a season-high 11 points and dished out five assists in the win over USC in Pullman
• Last season, Tia Presley scored 25 points at USC
• Last season, Alexas Williamson scored a career-best six points in the win over USC in Pullman
• As a sophomore, Brandi Thomas had 17 points and eight rebounds against USC in Pullman in 2012
• As a sophomore, Sage Romberg hit two 3-pointers and finished with 11 points in the 2012 Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal round win over USC
ABOUT USC: USC enters Friday with a 14-7 overall mark, 7-2 in Pac-12 play and winners in four of its last five after dropping a 86-59 decision at Stanford Monday. USC is receiving votes in the latest Associated Press poll. Guard Ariya Crook leads the Trojans in scoring at 16.2 ppg while forward Cassie Harberts adds 15.7 ppg and 7.4 rpg. Cynthia Cooper is in her first season as head coach at USC.
WSU-USC SERIES: USC leads the all-time series 43-14 after splitting the two meetings last season. USC won 61-59 in Los Angeles and Washington State posted a 57-54 victory in Pullman. The Trojans lead the series in Los Angeles 24-6, having won the last three meetings. WSU’s last win in Los Angeles came in 2010, 64-52. The Cougars did post a 69-55 victory over USC in the Galen Center in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Pac-12 Conference Tournament.
LAST YEAR AGAINST USC IN LOS ANGELES: Washington State suffered a 61-59 defeat to USC after the Trojans hit two free throws with 0.8 seconds remaining at the Galen Center last January. A controversial foul was called after a pair of players collided while battling for a loose ball and USC’s Ariya Crook sank both free throws to clinch the win. Tia Presley scored a game-high 25 points and Lia Galdeira added 14 for the Cougars. WSU scored 18 points off of 23 USC turnovers while the Trojans connected on 20-of-24 trips to the free throw line. Cassie Harberts led USC with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
SCHEDULE RANKED 14th TOUGHEST IN THE COUNTRY: According to Jeff Sagarin of College Basketball News, the Cougars enter the week having played the No. 14-toughest schedule in the country. The Cougars beat No. 10 Nebraska, No. 25 Arizona State and No. 21 Colorado, and dropped contests to Syracuse, West Virginia (neutral), No. 25 Gonzaga and Dayton (road), with each currently receiving votes in the latest national polls. Syracuse and Gonzaga were each ranked earlier this season.
COUGS AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS: Washington State has gone 3-1 against ranked opponents this season after posting a 76-72 road win at No. 10 Nebraska, a 85-78 victory over No. 24 Arizona State and a 70-60 win over No. 21 Colorado. No. 25 Gonzaga recorded an eight-point win in Pullman Dec. 21. For the first time since 1995, WSU owns three wins over ranked teams in a season. Last season, WSU beat No. 20 Ohio State University 63-55 in Beasley Coliseum.
PRESLEY PUTTING UP BIG NUMBERS: Tia Presley enters the week seventh in the Pac-12 at 18.4 ppg after posting six 20-point efforts this season. The junior guard scored 20 points in the season-opener against Syracuse, 29 in the win over Ole Miss in Hawaii, a career-high 37 in the win over Fresno State, 21 while beating Cal State Northridge, 24 in the victory over UC Riverside in Kennewick, Wash and 29 in the win at Washington. Her 37 points against Fresno State were the second-most in WSU single-game history, four away from the Jenni Ruff’s school record of 41 set in 1996 against California. Presley went 15-of-24 from the floor including a career high five threes, all five coming in the first half. She also grabbed six boards and made three steals. Her 15 made field goals tied for the most in WSU single-game history.
GALDEIRA CONTINUES TO PRODUCE: Lia Galdeira has picked up where she left off from last year’s record-setting freshman season. The sophomore guard enters the week leading WSU and sixth in the Pac-12 in scoring at 18.6 ppg and tied for third in steals with 48. Galdeira’s seven 20-point performances this season are a team-high. Her 37 made 3-pointers are ninth-most in the Pac-12 this season and twice she has reached the 29-point mark, the first coming in her return to her homestate Hawaii against the Warriors and the other coming at Dayton. Galdeira also scored 20 in the win over Fresno State, 26 in a overtime victory against UC Riverside, 27 in the win over No. 24 Arizona State, 28 in the home victory over Washington and 21 at Oregon State this past Sunday.
DHEENSAW STEPS UP: Shalie Dheensaw has increased her production during Pac-12 play, averaging 9.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg and shooting over 53 percent from the field. The junior center broke out in the two wins over Washington, recording the first two double-doubles of her career with 11 points and 14 rebounds in the win in Pullman before pouring in a career high 20 points along with 13 rebounds in the victory in Seattle. The Vancouver, B.C. native owns the team-lead with 22 blocks, while averaging 7.2 ppg and 7.1 rpg overall. She has scored in double figures five times and posted four double-digit rebound performances in her first season as the starter after sitting behind Carly Noyes the past two seasons who graduated as WSU’s career leader in games played and blocks.
ROMBERG CLIMBING WSU RECORD BOOK: Sage Romberg is making the most of her senior season for the Cougars, producing the third-highest 3-point shooting percentage in the Pac-12 at 44.4 percent and second on the team lead in blocks (21). The McKinleyville, Calif. native has served a variety of roles for WSU during her four years and the result has put her name throughout the WSU record book. Romberg enters the week seventh in WSU history with 122 made threes, sixth with 80 career blocks and tied for sixth with 115 career games played.
COUGARS INK FOUR FOR 2014 SIGNING CLASS: Washington State women’s basketball signed four players to attend WSU next fall. Joining the Cougars next season are 6-2 guard Ashley Bolston (Medford, Ore.), 5-9 guard Caila Hailey (Inglewood, Calif.), 6-3 forward Nike McClure (Tenino, Wash.) and 5-8 point guard Pinelopi Pavlopoulou (Athens, Greece). This year’s class received honorable mention from Blue Star Basketball as one of the top recruiting classes in the country.
COUGARS TOOK EUROPEAN TRIP IN AUGUST: WSU took a 10-day foreign trip to Austria, Slovakia and Czech Republic this past August. The Cougars departed Pullman Aug. 6, arrived in Vienna Aug. 7 and visited the cities of Vienna (Aug. 7-8), Bratislavia (Aug. 9-11) and Prague (Aug. 12-15). They took in a number of sights including a tour the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Schonrunn Palace, Prater Amusement Park, the Bratislava Castle and the Vltava River before returning home Aug. 16. The Cougars played four games and swept all four contests, beating Levice in Bratslava Aug. 11, Hradec Kralove in Prague Aug. 13, Lokomotiva Karlovy Vary in Prague Aug. 14 and BLK VSE Praha in Prague Aug. 15. Six WSU Ambassadors joined the team on the trip including WSU First Lady Carmento Floyd.
GALDEIRA INVITED TO TEAM USA U19 NATIONAL TEAM TRIALS: Guard Lia Galdeira was selected to attend the 2013 National Team Trials and tryout for the FIBA U19 World Championship Team at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. last May. Galdeira was one of 34 players from throughout the country who received and accepted the invitation.
FORMER COUGS SIGN PRO CONTRACTS: Former Cougars Ireti Amojo and Carly Noyes each signed professional contracts to play in Germany this fall. Both Amojo and Noyes inked deals with the Chemitz Chemcats in Ghemnitz, Germany. The Chemcats are one of 12 teams that play in the DBBL, the highest rated league in Germany. It was the second straight year that multiple Cougars have signed professional contracts. Last summer, Rosetta Adzasu signed to play professionally in Finland and Jazmine Perkins signed to play in Sweden.