Two days ago, the Washington State women's basketball program had never won a Pac-12 Tournament game. Now, after their 69-55 win against USC, they've won two in two days.
While yesterday's win over Oregon State might have qualified as an upset, this one is a shocker. USC finished third in the Pac-12 and at 18-11 was on the women's NCAA tournament bubble. They were playing in a must-win game on their home floor and beat WSU last weekend in Pullman. Instead, it was the Cougars who looked like they were playing for a spot in the NCAA tournament.
While shooting struggles plagued the Cougars during the season, WSU turned in one of their best shooting performances of the season making 25 of their 56 attempts. That .446 shooting percentage is their highest since they shot .459 against UC Riverside back in December. Where WSU really held an advantage over USC was 3-point shooting. Despite finishing the season ranked tenth in the Pac-12 with a .295 3-point shooting percentage, WSU went 10-20 against USC.
Four seniors led the way for the Cougars. April Cook came off the bench to lead the team in scoring with 15 points while Jazmine Perkins, 12, and Rosie Tarnowski, 11, also scored in double figures. Rosetta Adzasu chipped in six points and a game-high seven assists.
With their second win, WSU now advances to the semi-finals of the Pac-12 Tournament. Not too bad when you consider the Cougars won just two of their final 15 regular season games. Next up for the Cougars is a 2:30 p.m. matchup with California. The game will shift from the Galen Center to the Staples Center and will be broadcast on FSN.
One other programming note, the WSU baseball teams begins a three game series with UNLV tonight at 6:05 p.m. All three games can be streamed for free via the UNLV website.
Men's Basketball
WSU forward Motum keeping options open " Kitsap Sun
LOS ANGELES — Washington State's basketball season might be a done deal — does the College Basketball Invitational await? — but at the very least, WSU fans can dream sweet dreams about next season and the return of Brock Motum for his senior year.
Women's Basketball
Women: Washington State 69, USC 55 > Pac12 > News
Forget about Cougar Gold cheese as after the No. 11-seed Washington State Cougars extended its special run with an upset win over No. 3-seed USC at the Galen Center, the most talked about part of the Washington State campus may not be the cheese anymore. The Cougars took down the Trojans 69-55.
Cougars Knock Off USC At Pac-12 Tournament, Advance To Semifinals - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
LOS ANGELES - Washington State University knocked off No. 3 seeded USC 69-55 in Thursday's quarterfinal round of the Pacific Life Pac-12 Tournament held at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.
USC Women Fall 69-55 In Pac-12 Quarters - USC's Official Athletic Site
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - If rebounds were points, the USC women's basketball team would have been in solid shape for tonight's Pacific Life Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal game against Washington State at the Galen Center.
WSU women pull shocker at Pac-12 tourney - Spokesman.com - March 8, 2012
LOS ANGELES – There was little drama to this surprising encore. After picking up the program’s first Pac-12 tournament win on Thursday over Oregon State, the Washington State women’s basketball team decided it wanted to stay down here a bit longer.
Washington State women upset Southern Cal 69-55 - AP State Sports - The Sacramento Bee
LOS ANGELES -- April Cook scored 15 points off the bench, Jazmine Perkins added 12 and Washington State rode its long-range shooting to a 69-55 upset of third-seeded Southern Cal on Thursday in the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals.