Cougars Host Central Methodist Sunday In Exhibition
PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State women’s basketball will take the floor for the first time in the 2014-15 season Sunday, hosting Central Methodist in an exhibition contest set for a 1 p.m. start at Beasley Coliseum.
The Cougars, led by head coach June Daugherty now in her eighth season at WSU, return eight letterwinners including four starters from last year highlighted by All-Pac-12 Conference guards Lia Galdeira and Tia Presley. Washington State welcomes in seven newcomers, four of which are international and four that stand 6-2 and above. Washington State opens the regular season with a four-game homestand beginning Friday, Nov. 14 against the University of Dayton.
ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE: Last season, the Cougars posted a 17-17 overall record including 9-9 mark in Pac-12 play and reached the Pac-12 Conference Tournament semifinals for the second time in the last three seasons. The Cougars earned a trip to the WNIT, the program’s first postseason appearance since 1991. The 17 overall wins and nine Pac-12 wins were the most under Daugherty and the most since the 1995-96 team also won 17 games and the 1994-95 team posted nine wins during Pac-10 play. The Cougars posted four wins over ranked teams this season and faced the nation’s 14th-toughest schedule. Tia Presley led the team and was fifth in the Pac-12 in scoring at 19.0 ppg while Lia Galdeira finished seventh in the conference in scoring at 18.5 ppg and second in steals with 80.
CENTRAL METHODIST: Central Methodist Univeristy is located in Fayette, Mo. and competes in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (NAIA). The Eagles are coming off a 22-9 campaign and return seven players including NAIA All-American honorable mention guard Morgan Vetter who averaged 15.2 ppg last season. CMU appears No. 25 in the NAIA Preseason Top-25. Head coach James Arnold begins is fourth season with the Eagles and owns a 64-30 record.
GALDEIRA, PRESLEY EARN ALL-PAC-12 HONORS: Guards Lia Galdeira and Tia Presley were both named to the All-Pac-12 Team as voted on by the Pac-12 coaches. Galdeira and Presley were the first Cougar teammates to earn All-Conference honors in the same season in program history and is Washington State’s first All-Conference selection since Tricia Lamb in 1998-99. Galdeira also received All-Defensive Team honorable mention for the second consecutive year, picking up her fourth and fifth career all-conference accolades after also receiving All-Pac-12 honorable mention and a spot on the All-Freshmen team last season. Presley earned her second career all-conference honor after receiving All-Pac-12 honorable mention last season. The Spokane, Wash. native had her first two years cut short with season-ending injuries but bounced back with one of the best offensive seasons in program history, tallying 647 points, the second-highest total in WSU single-season history.
DHEENSAW STEPS UP: Shalie Dheensaw enjoyed a breakout junior season last year, increasing her production during Pac-12 play by averaging 8.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg and shooting over 48 percent from the field while posting four double-doubles. The 6-5 center erupted in the two wins over Washington, recording the first two double-doubles of her career with 11 points and 14 rebounds in Pullman before pouring in a career high 20 points along with 13 rebounds in Seattle. She picked up her third double-double of the season, with 11 points and 11 rebounds at USC and posted her fourth with 14 points and a career-high 15 rebounds at No. 18 Cal. Her fifth double-double came in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament opening round win over Oregon with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Vancouver, B.C. native finished the season with a team-high 38 blocks, fifth-most in the Pac-12 and averaged 7.3 ppg and 6.6 rpg overall. She scored in double figures eight times and posted six 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.