Washington State University Athletics
WSU Wraps Up Nonconference at Kansas
December 15, 2015 | Women's Basketball
WASHINGTON STATE (8-2) at KANSAS (5-4)
Allen Fieldhouse | Lawrence, Kan.
Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015 | 5 p.m. PT | 7 p.m. CT
ESPN3 | Washington State IMG Sports Network
WSU WRAPS UP NONCONFERENCE AT KANSAS
The Washington State women's basketball team (8-2) will conclude its nonconference schedule with a Sunday matchup at historic Allen Fieldhouse. The Cougar will face the Kansas Jayhawks (5-4), Sunday, Dec. 20, with a scheduled tipoff of 5 p.m. PT/7 p.m. CT. The game will stream live on ESPN3 and will also be available on the Washington State IMG Sports Network with Steve Grubbs. Fans can follow live updates on Twitter with @WSUWomensHoops, and catch live stats online at wsucougars.com.
ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
In his first season at the helm of the Kansas program, head coach Brandon Schneider has guided Kansas to a 5-4 record. The Jayhawks most recently rallied from a 19-point deficit to defeat Navy in overtime, 61-54. KU is led by a pair of double-digit scorers in sophomore Lauren Aldridge (14.0 ppg) and freshman Kylee Kopatich (11.3 ppg). The Cougars will be the second Pac-12 school the Jayhawks face this season, after KU traveled to Arizona, Nov. 23, where they fell to the Wildcats, 67-52.
LAST TIME ON THE HARDWOOD
Washington State's come-from-behind victory at Saint Mary's, Sunday, fell short, as the Cougars lost to the Gaels, 75-71. After trailing by as many as 18 points in the opening half, WSU rallied in the third quarter, using a 23-5 run to erase the deficit. However, the Cougars were unable to hold off the Gaels in the final quarter, as SMC went 12-of-13 from the freethrow line down the stretch to seal the victory and WSU's second loss of the season.
COMING UP
The Cougars will begin Pac-12 competition as they welcome in-state rival Washington to Beasley Coliseum, Tuesday, Dec, 29. WSU and UW will tip off at 8 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks. The game is also a 'youth game' with free admission to all local youth basketball players in team uniform.
DAUGHERTY APPROACHES 100 WSU WINS
Head coach June Daugherty has led the Washington State women's basketball program to a 98-163 record over nine seasons in Pullman, just two wins shy of 100 WSU-career victories. Daugherty will become the third coach in Cougar history to reach 100 WSU wins. Sue Durant boasted a 134-99 record in nine seasons (1974-82) and Harold Rhodes guided the Cougars to 194 wins over 17 years at WSU (1983-99). Daugherty is no stranger to success, having reached 400-career wins last season, and currently owns a 411-377 record over her 27-year coaching career.
RACKING UP THE AIRLINE MILES
Washington State has done its fair share of traveling this nonconference season. The Cougars traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii for the Bank of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Classic, Nov. 20-22, flying 5,860 miles. After returning home for Thanksgiving and a single home game, the team turned around and began a nine-day trip to Oklahoma State, Boise State and San Diego, accruing 4,722 miles. WSU most recently traveled to Moraga, Calif., to face Saint Mary's, adding an additional 1,758 miles. The Cougars will accrue 3,308 miles traveling to Lawrence, Kan. In total, WSU will travel 15,728 miles during its 11-game nonconference season, averaging nearly 1,430 miles per game.
OFF TO A HOT START
After beginning the season 5-0 for the first time since 1998, the Cougars recorded their first loss of the season at Oklahoma State. WSU responded with three-straight victories, improving to 8-1 for the first time since 1989-90, before falling at Saint Mary's, Dec. 12. The honor for the 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 season with the Cougars. The Varna, Bulgaria native is averaging 19.4 points per game, second-best in the conference by a freshman and fifth-best overall. Her scoring average is currently the fourth-best by a freshman in the entire country. Hristova dropped 30 points on San Jose State, becoming just the second freshman in WSU history to reach the 30-point plateau. She is a dead-eye from the field, shooting an impressive .517 (78-of-151) as a forward. Hristova was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, the conference released Nov. 23, and was also named the Rainbow Wahine Classic MVP after pouring on 39 points in two games in Honolulu, Hawaii.
RECORD WATCH
Senior Taylor Edmondson has made 76.7 percent (69-of-90) of her free throws during her WSU career. The mark is currently ninth-best in school history, after the New Mexico native began the season tied for seventh with a .769 clip. Fellow senior Dawnyelle Awa recorded six assists in WSU's game at Saint Mary's, Dec. 12, and currently sits 10th all-time in school history with 293 career assists. Awa, along with senior Mariah Cooks, have each played in 107 games during their time on the Palouse. If both seniors play in the 19 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 FRESHMEN 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 19.4 points per game. The Varna, Bulgaria native dropped 30 points on San Jose State, becoming just the second freshman in WSU history to reach the 30-point plateau. Maria Kostourkova has proven an inside threat, averaging 4.7 rebounds per game and 5.0 points per game. Alexys Swedlund dropped four 3-pointers against San Jose State to aid the Cougars in victory, finishing with a career-high 16 points, and is currently averaging 5.9 points per game.
YOUNG WSU TEAM LED BY FOUR SENIORS
With nine underclassmen, WSU is young this season. The Cougars entered the season with eight student-athletes that had 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.
LATE PRESIDENT FLOYD HONORED
Washington State University's late president Elson S. Floyd, who passed away in June after complications from colon cancer, is being honored this season by WSU student-athletes with a black 'ESF' patch on team uniforms. The Cougars' basketball uniforms don the patch on the right side of the chest.
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. 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 BASKETBALL ON THE RADIO AND WEB
Follow the Cougars on Pullman's 104.7 FM, 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.
