GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – Led by junior Lia Galdeira, the Washington State University women's basketball defeated No. 10/8 Maryland, 70-64, to conclude the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico. The victory is the highest-ranked opponent the Cougars have beaten in program history, as the previously-undefeated Terrapins (6-1) entered the game ranked No. 8 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Cougars' victory is their first over a top-10 team in either of the Top-25 national polls since beating Nebraska (10/10) on the road, Nov. 30, last season.

The Cougars used a stifling defense that held Maryland to its lowest point total of the season (64), while the Terrapins turned the ball over a season-high 24 times. The Terps were held without a field goal for over seven minutes in the opening half, and experienced a four-and-a-half-minute drought in the second half. Washington State held Maryland to its season-low in both field goal percentage (0.436) and 3-point field goal percentage (0.267).

“I'm so proud of our team,” WSU Head Coach June Daugherty said. “We really showed how gutsy this team is and how talented we are when we play as hard as we did defensively tonight. It's very exciting – great things ahead for the Cougs, but this was a big win.”

On the offensive end, Lia Galdeira led the Cougars, scoring 33 points. The mark matches Galdeira's career-high first set in her collegiate debut at Minnesota (Nov. 10, 2012). The Hawaiian went 12-of-21 from the field against the Terrapins. Her 12 made field goals also matches a career-high.

In the opening eight minutes of the game, the Cougars (5-2) found themselves trailing by as many as eight points. After an opening jumper from Galdeira just 13 seconds in to the game, the Cougars failed to make a field goal until the 12-minute mark when senior Tia Presley drove to the basket and threaded two defenders for a layup. The field goal sparked a 16-4 run by the Cougars, and gave WSU a 20-16 lead with 4:50 to play in the opening half. During the first half, the Cougar women forced 13 turnovers by Maryland, and entered the locker room leading the Terrapins, 31-27.

In the second half, the Terrapins looked to erase Washington State's four-point lead with a layup from leading-scorer Brionna Jones (23 points). However, junior Dawnyelle Awa answered the basket with a baseline drive and layin that put the Cougars up, 35-31, with 19 minutes left in the game. The field goal ignited a 13-3 run by WSU, as the Cougars extended their lead to 12 points with 13:11 left to play. During the run, the Cougars forced five turnovers as the Terrapins shot 1-of-7 from the floor.

As the teams traded field goals for the remaining 12 minutes, Maryland tried to erase its double-digit deficit. The Terrapins used a 9-3 run to cut the Cougar lead to 59-55 with 2:27 to play. However, the Cougars were able to maintain their lead from the free throw line, going 9-of-13 from the charity stripe in the final three minutes of the game to secure the victory.

With 33 points, Galdeira moved into eighth place on the WSU all-time scoring list (1,202 points), surpassing April Cook (1,188).

The Cougars continue their road swing, Thursday, Nov. 4 at UC Santa Barbara. The game will tip off at 4 p.m. PT.