WASHINGTON STATE (2-2, 0-0 WCC) at (RV) IOWA (4-0, 0-0 B1G)
Sunday, Nov. 24 // 1 p.m. PT
Iowa City, Iowa // Carver-Hawkeye Arena
Watch | Big Ten Network
Listen | Pullman Radio KQQQ, 1150 AM (Steve Grubbs pXp)
Live Stats | Statbroadcast


Washington State women's basketball is at Iowa this weekend to take on the 4-0 Hawkeyes on Sunday, November 24 in Iowa City, Iowa. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network with tipoff at 1 p.m. PT.

NEXT UP
WSU heads down to Puerto Rico for the 2024 Discover Puerto Rico Shootout where they will open against Norfolk State on Thursday, Nov. 28 at 1 p.m. PT. The team will then play Virginia on Friday, Nov. 29 at 1 p.m. PT and Drake on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 12 p.m. noon PT. All three games will be broadcast live on FloCollege.com/events.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE
WSU is 2-2 to start the 2024-25 season after home wins over Eastern Washington and Idaho, and road losses at Stanford and Texas Tech. Through four games, the Cougs are shooting .392 from the field and .307 from deep while averaging 67.8 points per game. Defensively, the team is currently fifth in the nation averaging 7.0 blocks per game.

Although having to replace some key players from the 2023-24 season, the core remains the same this season with three starters returning, including senior Tara Wallack, junior Astera Tuhina, and sophomore Eleonora Villa. Along with returning letterwinners Jenna Villa, Alex Covill and Kyra Gardner, Coach Ethridge and the staff have supplemented the strong nucleus with six newcomers, a junior transfer and five incoming freshmen.

SERIES HISTORY
The Cougars and Hawkeyes have met only twice before, both times in Iowa City, Iowa. Most recently they played in 2017 in the WNIT tournament which saw WSU win 74-66 to advance to the tournament's Final Four that year. Before that you need to go back to 1980 when the two programs faced each other for the first time, and the Hawkeyes came out victorious, 67-51.

RECORD BOOK CLIMBERS AND MILESTONE CHASERS
>> Tara Wallack ranks sixth all-time at WSU with 110 career blocks.
>> Wallack has 900 career points, 100 away from 1,000, and with 460 rebounds, is 40 away from 500.
>> Astera Tuhina has 188 career assists, 12 away from 200.
>> Head Coach Kamie Ethridge has 97 wins at WSU, 3 away from 100, and with 180 career wins, is 20 from 200.

NEW FACES, NEW PLACES
WSU has six players this season earning minutes for the first time in a Cougar uniform as junior transfer Jean Chiu, redshirt freshman Candace Kpetikou, and true freshmen Charlotte Abraham, Marta Alsina, Alice Dart and Dayana Mendes have all made an impact already in 2024-25. Of these new faces, Abraham and Alsina have accrued the most minutes thus far, averaging 17.0 and 15.3 minutes, respectively, over four games. Abraham is shooting 47.4 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from deep, while Alsina is a plus defender with two steals. Dart has also made her presence known, averaging 5.8 points and 2.0 rebounds over 10.8 minutes per game. Dayana Mendes played in her second game of the season against Texas Tech and will also make an impact this season, already averaging 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 16.0 minutes per game.

COUGS IN THE RANKINGS
The Cougs look to climb back into the rankings this season after having been ranked as high as number 21 last year. Washington State was voted to the Preseason Associated Press Top-25 Poll for the first time in program history, appearing at No. 24 in the preseason poll. WSU was picked to finish second by the WCC coaches and media, the best preseason pick in program history after being picked fifth ahead of the 2023-24 (Pac-12) and 1991-92 (Pac-10) seasons.

ETHRIDGE INKS EXTENSION
WSU Director of Athletics Anne McCoy announced this past April that Ethridge has signed a one-year contract extension keeping her in Pullman through the 2029-30 season. "Since her arrival in 2018, Kamie has solidified Washington State women's basketball as a destination where student-athletes can receive a world-class education while competing at the highest levels," said McCoy. "Her leadership has resulted in historic seasons for WSU, including this most recent campaign when WSU reached the postseason for the fourth-consecutive year, marking another program first. We are thrilled Kamie shares the same love and passion for Washington State that so many of us do and excited she will be leading our program for many years to come." Coach Ethridge has continued to raise the bar every season she has been on the Palouse. The Hall of Famer has brought her winning ways to Pullman, quickly elevating the WSU women's basketball program into the upper echelon of the college women's basketball landscape. Ethridge has guided Washington State to four straight postseason tournament appearances, and its first back-to-back 20-win seasons.

For more information on the Washington State women's basketball team, follow @WSUCougarWBB on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.