Washington State University Athletics
Basketball Faces Hawaii in Rainbow Wahine Classic
November 22, 2015 | Women's Basketball
BASKETBALL FACES HAWAII IN RAINBOW WAHINE CLASSIC
The Washington State women's basketball team will conclude play in the 2015 Bank of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Classic against the University of Hawaii Sunday, Nov. 22. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. PT (5 p.m. HAT) at Stan Sheriff Center. Oceania Time Warner Cable will televise the game and offers a live stream available online. The game will be broadcast on the Washington State IMG Sports Network, and live stats will be available at wsucougars.com.
ABOUT THE RAINBOW WAHINE CLASSIC
The Bank of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Classic is an annual tournament hosted by the University of Hawaii. In addition to host school Hawaii, this season's tournament includes Washington State, LMU, and Nevada. The Rainbow Wahine Classic takes place at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. WSU defeated Nevada, 70-57, Friday, Nov. 20, in its opening game of the tournament. WSU returned to Stan Sheriff Center after participating in the 2013 Rainbow Wahine Classic. The Cougars went 1-2 two years ago, falling to Hawaii and West Virginia, before closing the tournament with a win over Ole Miss.
ABOUT THE RAINBOW WAHINE
Hawaii is led by fourth-year head coach Laura Beeman, who has led the Rainbow Wahine to an unblemished 3-0 record this season. Last year, UH boasted a 23-9 record en route first round WNIT appearance. The Wahine most recently beat LMU in their opening game of the Rainbow Wahine Classic. WSU is 1-6 all-time against Hawaii, having lost its last two matchups.
LAST TIME ON THE HARDWOOD
Freshman Borislava Hristova continued her hot start, leading all scorers with 23 points, as the Cougars defeated Nevada, 70-57, in the opening round of the Rainbow Wahine Classic. Washington State forced the Wolf Pack into 26 turnovers, including 18 in the first half, leading to 21 points for WSU. Senior Dawnyelle Awa scored a season-high nine points, while sophomores Caila Hailey and Bianca Blanaru set career bests in rebounds (4) and points (7).
BORISLAVA THE BULGARIAN LEADING WSU
True freshman Borislava Hristova has turned heads in her first three games with the Cougars. The Bulgarian has led WSU in points all three matches, breaking the 20-point plateau on two occasions. Hristova is currently averaging 19.3 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game after entering WSU as the No. 1 international recruit in the world.
COMING UP
WSU will return to Pullman for Thanksgiving Break to host San Jose State in a matchup on Black Friday, Nov. 27. The Cougars and Spartans will tip off at 7 p.m. inside Beasley Coliseum. Fans who are unable to attend can watch a free webstream of the game online at wsucougars.com or listen to Steve Grubbs call the game on the Washington State IMG Sports Network.
COUGS WELCOME TALENTED NEWCOMERS
Washington State welcomed one of its most talented recruiting classes in June Daugherty's tenure with the signing of its three 2015-16 freshmen. Borislava Hristova (Varna, Bulgaria) was regarded as the No. 1 international recruit in the world for her class by NetScouts Basketball International and was named MVP of the 2014 FIBA U18 European Championship. Alexys Swedlund (Rapid City, S.D.) was named Miss Basketball South Dakota, awarded to the state's best girls' basketball player, regardless of classification. Maria Kostourkova (Lisbon, Portugal) was listed as the third-best international collegiate basketball prospect by Peach State Basketball and averaged a double-double at the FIBA U18 European Championships this summer.
YOUNG WSU TEAM LED BY FOUR SENIORS
With nine underclassmen, WSU is young this season. The Cougars have eight student-athletes that have played less than 300 minutes in their careers, but are led by a senior class that has played more than 6,000 minutes in Cougar uniform. Washington State returns two starters from last year after losing Shalie Dheensaw, Tia Presley, and Lia Galdeira (foregone senior year).
THE “UNITED NATIONS OF BASKETBALL”
The 2015-16 Cougar basketball team is represented by student-athletes from seven different countries and five different states. Head coach June Daugherty regards the team as the “United Nations of Basketball.” The Cougars have five student-athletes from Europe compared to six for the rest of the Pac-12 Conference combined. Of the conference's six Australian student-athletes, two of them don WSU uniforms.
WSU PICKED TO FINISH 10TH
The Pac-12 Conference released the 2015-16 Preseason Coaches' Poll, Oct. 14, with the Cougars picked to finish 10th in the conference, receiving 30 points. The 2015-16 Preseason Media Poll also tabbed Washington State for 10th place, with 75 points, the conference announced Nov. 4.
FOUR PLAYERS TABBED TEAM CAPTAINS
Redshirt-freshman Nike McClure, sophomore Pinelopi Pavlopoulou, and seniors Mariah Cooks and Alexas Williamson were named this year's team captains for the Cougars.
DAUGHERTY INKS FOUR FOR 2016-17
Chanelle Molina, Cameron Fernandez, Katie Campbell, and Kayla Washington have each signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Washington State University beginning next fall, WSU Head Coach June Daugherty announced Wednesday. Molina (Kailua Kona, Hawaii) is listed as a five-star recruit by ESPN.com, and is the third WSU recruit from Konawaena High School (Dawnyelle Awa and Lia Galdeira). Fernandez (Makawao, Hawaii) led Lahainaluna High School to a 20-2 last season and the state championship game, while averaging 17 points, six assists, four steals, and five rebounds per game. Campbell (Oxnard, Calif.) is a three-time captain at Oaks Christian High School, she is a 3-point threat for the Lions, and made 77 shots from beyond the arc during her junior season. Washington (San Bernardino, Calif.) is a four-year captain at Cajon High School, Washington has led the Cowgirls to three-straight Citrus Belt League Championships.
COUGARS FEND OFF HAMPTON
The Cougars improved to 2-0 with a 68-61 win over visiting Hampton Monday, Nov. 16. Freshman Borislava Hristova led WSU with 20 points, becoming the first freshman to break the 20-point plateau since Lia Galdeira did so against Arizona in 2013. The Cougars shot 11-of-22 from beyond the arc, as Hristova, senior Taylor Edmondson, and freshman Alexys Swedlund each made three 3-pointers.
WSU OPENS SEASON WITH WIN OVER UCSB
Washington State opened the 2015-16 season with a 61-44 victory over UC Santa Barbara Nov. 13 at Beasley Coliseum. True freshman Borislava Hristova led all scorers with 15 points, the most by a true freshman in their debut since Lia Galdeira scored 33 in 2012. The Cougars used a stifling defense to hold the Gauchos to 11-of-43 (.256) from the floor, while forcing UCSB into 23 turnovers, including 15 steals.
COUGAR BASKETBALL ON THE RADIO AND WEB
Follow the Cougars on Pullman's KHTR (104.3 FM), KQQQ 1150 AM or go to wsucougars.com and listen online. Connect with Washington State University Athletics on the web at wsucougars.com, the official website of Cougar Athletics.
COUGARS SEEK RETURN TO POSTSEASON
Washington State has made two-straight appearances in the postseason for the first time in school history. Last year the Cougars were listed as the “First Team Out” of the NCAA Tournament and went on to compete in the WNIT, falling in the opening round to Eastern Washington. WSU also competed in the WNIT in 2014, snapping a postseason drought that dated back to 1991.
WASHINGTON STATE HEAD COACH JUNE DAUGHERTY
Cougar Head Coach June Daugherty begins her ninth season at the helm of the Washington State women's basketball program. Daugherty has guided the Cougars to back-to-back postseason berths for the first time in school history after reaching the opening round of the WNIT in 2014 and 2015. The Cougars are 93-161 in Daugherty's time in Pullman and are coming off of a seventh place finish in the Pac-12 Conference.
2014-15 SEASON IN REVIEW
Washington State earned its second-straight postseason berth after being selected to the WNIT for the second-straight season. Eighth-year head coach June Daugherty led the Cougars to back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time in program history, finishing with a 17-14 overall record and 7-11 in Pac-12 Conference play, good for seventh place for the second-straight season. The Cougars posted four wins over NCAA RPI top-50 teams Dayton (13), Maryland (6), at Gonzaga (39) and at Washington (33). WSU came close to knocking off three of the top-4 teams in the Pac-12 this season, falling to Stanford in Pullman in overtime, dropping a 73-70 decision to Oregon State in Corvallis, a 57-54 heartbreaker in Berkeley and a 61-56 contest to Oregon State. WSU went 9-2 in nonconference play, recording one of the biggest wins in program history with a 70-64 victory over No. 10/8 Maryland, an eventual No. 1 seed and Final Four participant, at the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico…WSU's win at Utah Feb. 15 gave June Daugherty career win No. 400…according to Jeff Sagarin's Rankings (RPIratings.com), WSU played the 33rd-toughest schedule in the country…WSU played nine NCAA Tournament teams last season and three WNIT teams.
