WSU OPENS PAC-12 TOURNAMENT AGAINST USC
Playing as the No. 9 seed, the Washington State women's basketball team (14-15, 5-13 Pac-12) will travel to Seattle, Wash. to face No. 8 USC (18-12, 6-12) in the opening round of the 2016 Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament at KeyArena. The Cougars and Trojans are scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. with television coverage on the Pac-12 Network. The Pac-12 Network's Krista Blunk, Mary Murphy, and Jill Savage will provide television commentary, while Steve Grubbs offers play-by-play on the Washington State IMG Sports Network. Fans can also follow along on Twitter with @WSUWomensHoops.
ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE
The Cougars finished the regular season with a 14-15 overall record, including a 5-13 mark in Pac-12 Conference play. Most recently, WSU splits its final regular-season series, defeating Colorado, 83-70, Thursday before falling to Utah, 75-69, Saturday. The Cougars have played 12 games this season that were within two possessions (six points) in the final two minutes. Washington State defeated one nationally-ranked opponent this season, upcoming opponent and then-No. 25 USC, 73-61, in Pullman, Jan. 15. WSU went 9-2 in nonconference play. The Cougars are seeking a third-consecutive postseason berth for the first time in school history after a second-straight appearance in the WNIT last season.
ABOUT THE WOMEN OF TROY
USC enters Thursday's game with an 18-12 record and a 6-12 record in Pac-12 Conference play. The Trojans are led by third-year head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke. The Women of Troy are led by a trio of double-digit scorers, headlined by Temi Fagbenle (13.6 ppg). Kristen Simon (10.9 ppg) and Sadie Edwards (10.6 ppg) also score in double-digits. USC is a defensive-minded team forcing a conference-best 10.3 steals per game and an average turnover margin of +5.1.
USC-WASHINGTON STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Cougars and Trojans have met two times this season, splitting the regular season series with both teams winning at home. WSU beat then-No. 25 USC, 73-61, in Pullman, Jan. 15, but fell to the Women of Troy, 64-62, in Los Angeles, Feb. 14. The Trojans own a 44-17 advantage over WSU in the series history, but the Cougars have won four of the last five contests against USC. The two sides have previously met three times in the conference tournament. The Trojans own a 2-1 advantage, but WSU won the most recent tournament meeting between the teams. The No. 11-seeded Cougars upset the No. 3-seeded Trojans, 69-55, in the second round of the 2012 tournament.
WSU AT THE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
In the 15-year history of the Pac-10/12 Tournament, the Cougars hold a 6-14 record. Washington State's highest seed in program history was No.7 in 2014 and 2015. The Cougars have played in the semifinal twice in the tournament's history (2012 and 2014). WSU has played as the No. 11 seed once, No. 10 seed six times, No. 9 seed three times (including this season), No. 8 seed three times, and No. 7 seed twice (the last two seasons).
HRISTOVA AND HAILEY EARN ALL-PAC-12 HONORS
Freshman Borislava Hristova and sophomore Caila Hailey received All-Pac-12 honors, the conference announced Monday. Hristova was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team and received an honorable mention on the All-Pac-12 team. Sophomore Caila Hailey received an honorable mention to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team.
WSU SENIORS LEAVE THEIR MARK
WSU's four seniors, Dawnyelle Awa, Mariah Cooks, Taylor Edmondson, and Alexas Williamson, have played a combined 7,989 minutes in Cougar uniform. The four seniors have their names sprinkled throughout the WSU record book with seven spots among the program's all-time top-10 lists. The senior class has led WSU to back-to-back postseason berths for the first time in school history and the best conference finish since 1997-98. Combined, the seniors own three Pac-12 All-Academic honors.
TWO MINUTE DRILL
Twelve times this season Washington State has played a game that was within two possessions (six points) in the final two minutes. In six of those games the Cougars were leading, and in six games they were trailing. WSU owns a 5-7 record in such games. The Cougars are 4-2 when leading in the final 120 seconds and 1-5 when trailing down the stretch, having pulled off a last-second comeback at Arizona, Feb. 21. In addition, WSU was within two possessions of pulling off upsets of then-No. 16 Stanford and then-No. 9 Oregon State with less than four minutes remaining. The Cougars are 2-5 in games decided by five points or fewer.
BLOCK PARTY
With three blocks in Saturday's game against Utah, WSU broke the school record with 117 total blocks this season. The Cougars are averaging 4.0 blocks per game and with at least one Pac-12 Tournament game, the Cougars will look to extend the school record. Redshirt-freshman Nike McClure and true freshman Maria Kostourkova headline the Cougar frontline with 25 and 23 blocks, respectively, fourth- and fifth-most in WSU freshman history.
AWA FINDING HER FLOW
Senior Dawnyelle Awa has proven to be a competent leader on the Cougar hardwood over the past four seasons. With 126 games under her belt (t-third in school history) and 108 career starts (t-third in school history), the Hawaiian native has found her name sprinkled throughout the WSU record book. Awa leads the team in assists (88) and steals (50) this season and currently sits sixth in school history with 352 career assists.
BORISLAVA 'BOBI BUCKETS' HRISTOVA
True freshman and Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honoree Borislava Hristova has turned heads in her first season with the Cougars. The Varna, Bulgaria native is leading the team with 16.1 points per game, second-best in the conference by a freshman and seventh-best overall. The three-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week selection most recently set the WSU freshman scoring record with 466 total points. Hristova now holds the WSU freshman records in total points, field goals made (192), points per game (16.1), and free throw percentage (.897). She has reached double-digit scoring figures 25 times this season and already holds the all-time record at WSU for best career free throw percentage at .897 (min. 50 made FTs). Eight times this season Hristova has scored at least 20 points, breaking a freshman record that had stood for over 26 years.
LAST TIME ON THE HARDWOOD
Washington State was unable to hold on to a halftime lead against Utah, falling on Senior Day, 75-69. The Cougars held a double-digit halftime lead, but the Utes outscored WSU by 13 in the third quarter to erase the deficit. In a game that featured seven ties and 14 lead changes, the Cougars were led by freshman Borislava Hristova with 14 points and sophomore Caila Hailey who matched her career-high with 11 points.
COMING UP
The winner of Thursday's opening-round game will face No. 1 seeded Oregon State, Friday, at 6 p.m. with coverage on the Pac-12 Networks.
RECORD WATCH
Senior Dawnyelle Awa recorded three assists in WSU's game against Utah, Feb. 27, moving her into sixth place in school history with 352 career assists. Awa, along with senior Mariah Cooks, have each played in 126 games during their time on the Palouse. The mark pushes the duo into a tie for third place in career games played at WSU. If both seniors play in the opening Pac-12 Tournament game, they will sit two games shy of the school record held by former teammate Sage Romberg (129). Awa made her 108th career start against the Utes, tied for third-most all-time at Washington State. If Awa remains in the starting lineup for the opening-round game, she will finish third all-time in school history for career starts. Senior Taylor Edmondson has made 77.6 percent (83-of-107) 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.
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 16.1 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 4.3 rebounds per game and 5.6 points per game. Kostourkova led the team with a career-high 17 points against Colorado, Jan. 4. Alexys Swedlund dropped four 3-pointers against California to aid the Cougars, finishing with a career-high 16 points, and is currently averaging 4.8 points per game.
COUGARS' DEPTH SHINES
The Washington State women's basketball team is the deepest it has been in nine years, according to head coach June Daugherty. Nine Cougar players have played in all 29 games, and nine players are averaging over 10 minutes per game. WSU's bench players have outscored the opponent's bench 23 times this season and the Cougar reserves are currently outscore opponent reserves by an average of 11.7 points per game.
DAUGHERTY REACHES 100 WSU WINS
Head coach June Daugherty earned her 100th-career win at Washington State with the Cougars' 74-66 victory at Colorado, Jan. 4. Daugherty has guided the WSU program to a 104-176 record over nine seasons in Pullman, becoming 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 417-390 record over her 27-year coaching career.
DAUGHERTY DOMINATES FOR DECADES
Head coach June Daugherty has proven to be successful across the Pac-12 Conference and beyond. When she earned her 100th win Jan. 4, she became the first coach in conference history to win 100+ games at multiple Pac-12 schools (Washington). Daugherty also became one of three active coaches at a Power-5 conference school to have guided three different Division-I programs to 100+ wins. Daugherty boasted a 191-139 record while at Washington and registered 122 wins in her time at Boise State.
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.
AWA TO PARTICIPATE IN WBCA PROGRAM
Senior guard Dawnyelle Awa was selected this month to participate in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's “So You Want To Be A Coach Program” program. The highly-competitive program is a collaborative effort between the WBCA and the NCAA to provide female student-athletes with an experience that becomes the foundation of a successful coaching career. The program assists female collegiate basketball players who are interested in pursuing a career in coaching women's basketball with professional development and career advancement through education, skills enhancement, networking, and exposure opportunities, while increasing awareness regarding the availability of talented female basketball players who want to coach.
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.