Washington State University Athletics
Cougars Face Spartans in Black Friday Showdown
November 24, 2015 | Women's Basketball
COUGARS FACE SPARTANS IN BLACK FRIDAY SHOWDOWN
The Washington State women's basketball team returns to Beasley Coliseum for its final home game of November. The Cougars welcome the San Jose State Spartans to Pullman for a matchup Friday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. The game will stream live at wsucougars.com and fans can tune in to the Washington State IMG Sports Network with Steve Grubbs on the call. Live stats will also be available at wsucougars.com.
ABOUT THE SPARTANS
Head coach Jamie Craighead is in her third season at the helm of the San Jose State program. Craighead has guided the Spartans to a 1-2 record this season after 15-17 record last season and an eight-place finish in the Mountain West Conference. SJSU operates a high-powered offense that averages 87.0 points per game, led by five Spartans that are averaging double figures through three games. However, San Jose State also give up 86.3 points per game, with opponents shooting over 40 percent from the field.
LAST TIME ON THE HARDWOOD
Senior Dawnyelle Awa scored a career-high 16 points in her return to Hawaii, leading WSU to a 62-52 win over Hawaii in the 2015 Bank of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Classic. In addition to Awa, freshman Borislava Hristova (16 points) and senior Taylor Edmondson (10) scored in double digits to carry the Cougars to the tournament title. Hristova was named the tournament's MVP, averaging 19.5 points across two games, while Awa picked up all-tournament team honors.
COMING UP
The Cougars begin a three-game road trip around the country. WSU will travel to Stillwater, Okla., to face the Oklahoma State Cowgirls Monday, Nov. 30. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT (7 p.m. PT).
OFF TO A HOT START
The Cougars (4-0) are off to their best start since the 1998-99 season when WSU started the year 5-0. The honor for best start in school history goes to the Cougars' 1978-79 squad that started the season 10-0 before falling to Oregon.
BORISLAVA 'BOBI BUCKETS' HRISTOVA
True freshman Borislava Hristova has turned heads in her first four games with the Cougars. The Bulgarian was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, the conference released Monday. Hristova has led the Cougars to an unblemished 4-0 record this season, averaging 18.5 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game. The Varna, Bulgaria native was also named Rainbow Wahine Classic MVP after pouring on 39 points in two games.
RECORD WATCH
Senior Taylor Edmondson has made 77.4 percent (65-of-84) of her free throws during her WSU career. The mark is currently fifth-best in school history, after the New Mexico native began the season tied for seventh with a .769 clip. Fellow senior Dawnyelle Awa enters the week with 273 career assists, 12 shy of a place on the school's all-time top-10 list. Awa, along with senior Mariah Cooks, have each played in 101 games during their time on the Palouse. If both seniors play in the 25 remaining regular season games, they will sit in a tie for third on WSU's all-time games-played list (126 games), and just three games shy of the school record held by former teammate Sage Romberg (129).
COUGAR FRESHMAN CONTRIBUTING EARLY
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 currently leads the team with 18.5 points per game, having scored a career-high 23 points against Nevada to earn Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors, Nov. 23. Maria Kostourkova has proved an inside threat, averaging 6.0 rebounds per game and 6.8 points per game. Alexys Swedlund dropped three 3-pointers against Hampton to aid the Cougars in victory, and pulled is averaging 2.3 rebounds per game after pulling in four against Hawaii.
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.
WSU OPENS WAHINE CLASSIC WITH VICTORY
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).
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 94-161 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.
