WSU Women's Basketball Upsets No. 20 Cal to advance in Pac-12 Tournament

WSU's women's basketball team pulled off another upset of a ranked opponent Friday by knocking off No. 20 California 91-87 to advance to the semifinal round of the Women's Pac-12 Basketball Tournament. The victory marked the fourth time this season WSU has defeated a ranked opponent

The win was not really all that shocking given the way the Cougs fought the Bears in their two previous meetings this season.  In the first meeting between the two teams in Pullman, WSU carried a four point lead into the locker room, only to be outscored in the second half by 21 points and lose by a final score of 87-70. Just over a week ago, Cal narrowly escaped with a 75-68 OT victory in Berkeley.

Well, you know what they say about third times and charms.

The Cougs were finally able to pull off the win when it mattered most to advance to the semifinal round of Pac-12 tournament for the second time in three years. Lia Galdeira gave an individual performance that  cannot be ignored. She scored 28 points, pulled in 7 rebounds, and had 3 steals. However, she was not alone in helping the WSU scoring effort. Tia Presley, Sage Romberg, and Mariah Cooks all scored in double figures with 19, 16, and 12 points respectively.

Singling out individual efforts really does not do justice to what this team is about. This is a team in every sense of the word.  Every player has a role and they know how to execute that role. This hasn't been a process that developed overnight. If you haven't acquainted yourself with this team yet, Saturday night is the night to do it.  Cougar Nation has the opportunity to make this a real home game for the Cougs when they tip off at 8:30 pm against Oregon State in KeyArena. The Cougs have lost to OSU twice this season by final scores of 72-57 in Corvallis and 67-53 at home.

Well, you know what they say about third times and charms.

Cougars Knock Off No. 20 Cal, Advance To Semifinals - Washington State University Official Athletic Site

BASEBALL

The Cougar Baseball team got a much needed win last night over Texas State 8-6 behind big offensive nights from several players.  Most notably, Yale Rosen sparked the Cougs with a 3 for 3 night that included a double in the second inning and a homer in the third. The win lifts WSU to 3-7 record on the season.

The Cougs will be back in action Saturday.  With an 80% chance of rain showers on Sunday, there will be a decision made Saturday morning as to whether the two teams will play one game in the afternoon or a doubleheader that same day. Stay tuned to the WSU Athletics homepage for updates.

Cougars Power Past Bobcats - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Yale Rosen homers and Matt Bower earns relief win.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

The Men's Basketball team will play on Saturday for its home finale and Senior Night at 8 pm.  The Cougars will be saying their goodbyes to two seniors, DJ Shelton and Wil DiIorio.  For all the frustration this season has rendered and the seemingly inevitable changes hanging over the program, Shelton and DiIorio have both accomplished some good things during their time at WSU. In fact, their former assistant coach, Jeff Hironaka, took the time to go on Twitter and plead with the WSU student body to recognize these players.

Asking the ZZU crew to please come out to WSU Men's games this week to honor the 2 seniors DJ Shelton n Will DiIorio. Good kids n good luck.

— Hiro (@jeffhiro) March 5, 2014

Coach Hiro is an amazingly nice person that is dedicated to the players he coaches. But, I know he would not make this kind of statement, if it were not true. Both players are on their way to successfully completing the course of being student athletes. Saturday night is their night, and it's time for fans to set down their frustration with the current state of the program and recognize what these two young men have accomplished.

COUGS HELPING COUGS

While I have been celebrating the success of the Lady Cougs, I just found out Thursday from a dear Coug friend that the WSU community has experienced a tragic loss with the sudden and unexpected passing of Visa Marong.  Mrs. Marong was the wife of former WSU football player and Pullman High School graduate Serign Marong.  In addition to her husband, Mrs. Marong is survived by two young sons. My friend, a former coworker of Mrs. Marong, describes her as "a great Coug that was taken from us too soon."

Tragedies such as this are so horrible that most of us prefer to not even contemplate what we would do if a situation like this were to occur in our lives.  Somehow the Marong family must find a way to go on without their wife and mother, a scenario that seemed unimaginable just a few days ago.  As a community, we have the opportunity to play a role in this process.The Marong family has established a website for the Visa Marong Memorial Fund to assist with the financial burdens associated with their loss. The past generosity of the CougCenter community has been a real source of pride for me and many other members. Please give consideration to assisting the Marongs during this difficult time. To all those that knew and loved Mrs. Marong, our thoughts are with you.