SEATTLE — Tia Presley scored 29 points, 23 in the first half, as the Washington State women’s basketball team beat archrival Washington for the second time this week, 85-76 on Saturday.
It was WSU’s first road victory over Washington since a 75-72 overtime game in 1993 and the Cougars’ first season sweep of the Huskies since 1975. WSU beat the Huskies 82-80 on Tuesday, snapping a 36-game losing streak to Washington.
With Saturday’s victory, Washington State (10-6) improved to 4-0 in Pac-12 play, the best conference start in program history.
Shalie Dheensaw recorded her second straight double-double for WSU with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Freshman Kelsey Plum scored a career-high 30 points for Washington (8-7, 1-3). Jazmine Davis added 22 points and Aminah Williams pulled down 15 rebounds.
The final score doesn’t reflect how close the game was. There were 12 lead changes and 13 ties.
Dheensaw and Mariah Cook combined for seven consecutive points to give Washington State a 57-49 lead early in the second half.
But Washington rallied and Plum’s 3-pointer tied the game at 65 with 7:29 remaining and her basket on the next trip down the floor gave the Huskies their first lead of the second half at the 6:31 mark.
The game was tied four times in the final 6 minutes.
The Huskies were never able to push their lead beyond two points, and Sage Romberg’s 3-pointer at the 2:19 mark gave Washington State a 76-73 lead.
Galdeira gave the Cougars a five-point lead three times in the final 2 minutes in the back-and-forth affair. She scored seven of the Cougars’ final nine points.
The Cougars’ defense allowed just two Washington field goals in the final 4 minutes.
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