LAWRENCE, Kan. – Led by senior Dawnyelle Awa, the Washington State women's basketball team defeated Kansas, 66-53, Sunday evening. The Cougars (9-2) shot .563 (9-of-16) from beyond the arc against the Jayhawks (5-5), including a perfect 3-of-3 by Awa. The Hawaiian native scored a career-high 19 points to lead all scorers at historic Allen Fieldhouse.

“We have a tremendous respect for Kansas,” WSU Head Coach June Daugherty said. “We found out a lot about ourselves as Cougars tonight. We found a way to score in a very tough, awesome environment at [Allen] Fieldhouse. I thought Taylor Edmonson and Dawnyelle Awa wanted the ball in their hands and wanted to make plays. They were able to bring it home for us.”

Washington State played well defensively, outrebounding Kansas 38-35, while holding KU to 6-of-25 (.240) from 3-point range. Both sides turned the ball over 15 times, while the Cougars grabbed seven steals and blocked five shots.

The Cougars solidified their victory in the final eight minutes of the game. Awa, along with sophomore Louise Brown and senior Taylor Edmondson, made four 3-pointers in the last quarter. The Jayhawks cut the Cougars' lead to three points with 7:48 to play in the game before WSU went on a 10-2 to take a double-digit lead and secure its victory.

Senior Taylor Edmondson also scored in double figures, adding 12 points to the WSU total. Edmondson led the Cougars with six rebounds, and dished out four assists alongside Awa. Washington State shot 9-of-15 from the freethrow line.

With the victory, the Cougars concluded nonconference play. Washington State will open Pac-12 Conference play with a home matchup against rival Washington. WSU welcomes the Huskies, Tuesday, Dec. 29, at 8 p.m. inside Beasley Coliseum. The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.