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What's better than your first ever post-season victory?
The second one.
The Washington State Cougars (14-19) dispatched the Wyoming Cowgirls (22-10) 68-67 in overtime to advance to the third round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) Saturday afternoon.
After a thrilling 72-64 comeback win against BYU on Thursday, the Cougars traveled up to Laramie, Wyoming, which sits nearly 7,200 feet above sea level, to take on the Cowgirls who finished second in the Mountain West Conference standings.
The Cougars were led by junior guard Pinelopi Pavlopoulou who scored a career-high 20 points to go along with four assists. Behind Pavlopoulou, Caila Hailey scored 12 points while sophomore Alexys Swedlund and senior Ivana Kmetovska added ten points apiece.
WSU held the lead with Wyoming in possession for the final 30 seconds of overtime when Cowgirl guard Clara Tapia rotated around the three-point line down the right side of the court with Swedlund defending when her floater fell short of the rim. Fittingly, Pavlopoulou secured the rebound and the victory for Washington State as the game clock expired after the miss.
The win moves WSU into the third round of the WNIT where just 16 teams remain and the Cougars have an opportunity to have one more home game at Beasley Coliseum. If UC Davis defeats Colorado State this afternoon (tip at 1 p.m. PST), the Aggies will head to Pullman on Friday for the game. If the Rams defend their home court, the Cougars will have to play their third straight road game in high altitude in Fort Collins later this week.
Women's Basketball:
Cougars Survive to Advance to WNIT Field of 16 - WSUCougars.com | Washington State University Athletics
Four Cougars scored double figures against the Cowgirls to secure the victory in overtime.
Baseball:
NCAA admits referee in Northwestern-Gonzaga game got it wrong - The Washington Post
The technical that may have swung the game to Gonzaga. (Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports)