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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cougs, Eagles have mutual admiration

Both excited to square off

Before the season began, the Washington State and Eastern Washington women’s basketball teams met in a gym in Cheney and played in a closed-door scrimmage to gauge each team’s progress.

The two teams had to wait for their seasons to end before they could meet for real. The Eagles and Cougars square off tonight at 7 p.m. in Pullman for the first round of the WNIT after both teams fell a couple of wins short of reaching the NCAA tournament.

“We are very excited for the opportunity to play in the postseason,” EWU coach Wendy Schuller said. “There are a lot of teams sitting at home right now.”

The Eagles (20-11) reached 20 wins for the first time in Schuller’s 14 years in Cheney. Washington State (17-14) had its season end with a loss to Arizona State in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament.

“We were right there, but we didn’t get it done. That’s on us,” WSU coach June Daugherty said. “But, we have a chance to compete for another championship and it starts tonight.”

Schuller said she doesn’t recall much from the closed-door matchup with the Cougs before the season.

“Gosh, we played 30 games since then,” she said. “It was a long time ago for both teams.”

Daugherty, however, remembers the scrimmage well.

“We were exposed to some things on both ends of the floor. We had to make some corrections very quickly,” Daugherty said. “We came away from it with a great admiration for Eastern. We knew they were going to have a good year.”

The Cougars are led by the dynamic guard duo of junior Lia Galdeira (19.6 points per game) and senior Tia Presley (Gonzaga Prep). Both were injured in the game against Arizona State but Daugherty said both should be ready to play against the Eagles.

That wasn’t good news to Schuller.

“I think you first have to keep the ball out of their hands,” Schuller said of Galdeira and Presley. “But Wazzu does a great job of finding ways to get them touches. We have to do a good job containing them. I don’t’ think anyone can stop them.”

Daugherty said her team will have to deal with the double-double machine that is EWU senior forward Melissa Williams. She averages 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds a game. Junior Hayley Hodgins leads the Eagles with 16.6 points a game.

“Wendy Schuller has done a fantastic job. These kids are flat-out competitors,” Daugherty said. “I told my staff I don’t think we’ve seen a team that plays that hard.”

Schuller said she recruits kids who are willing to dive on the floor for loose basketballs and those willing to take a charge.

“For us, that’s how we have to play,” Schuller said. “If we don’t play really, really hard (tonight), we will be in trouble.”