Tia Presley and Lia Galdeira each scored 17 points to lead Washington State to a 70-60 win over No. 20 Colorado on Friday night in Pullman, Wash.
Tia Presley and Lia Galdeira each scored 17 points to lead Washington State to a 70-60 win over No. 20 Colorado on Friday night in Pullman, Wash.
With the win, the host Cougars improved to 5-0 in Pac-12 Conference play and defeated its third-ranked opponent of the season. The game was played before 1,423 fans at Beasley Coliseum.
Presley, a junior guard, and Galdeira, a sophomore guard out of Konawaena High School, led the balanced Cougars (11-6 overall) as the hosts rose to 5-0 in conference play for the first time since 1977-78. Colorado fell to 11-5 overall and 1-4 in the Pac-12.
Junior center Shalie Dheensaw and sophomore guards Dawnyelle Awa and Taylor Edmondson each added eight points for Washington State. Dheensaw also grabbed a team-high seven boards and blocked two shots while Awa, another former Konawaena High standout, added five assists and Edmondson knocked down two clutch threes for the Cougars. Washington State shot 41 percent from the floor and held Colorado to 32 percent shooting in the second half and 3-for-18 from behind the arc in the game.
The Cougars outrebounded the Buffs 42-36 who entered the night leading the Pac-12 in rebounding margin. WSU has posted wins over No. 10 Nebraska, No. 24 Arizona State and No. 20 Colorado this season, the first time a Cougar team has beat three ranked teams in a season since 1994-95.
Washington State responded to a hot start by Colorado with eight straight points, five coming from Galdeira.
Washington State hosts the University of Utah at noon today on the Pac-12 Networks.
The WSU sports information office provided information for this report.