SAN JUAN, P.R. (November 30, 2024) – Washington State women's basketball went point-for-point most of the way against Drake Saturday afternoon, but the Bulldogs pulled away at the end to win 79-68.

The Cougars (4-4, 0-0 WCC) shot well, going 26-of-60 from the field for a 43.3 percent clip while hitting eight threes. WSU also put up nine blocks, but Drake's 5-of-6 showing from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter was too much to overcome.

Tara Wallack recorded her third 20+ point game in the last three days with 21 points, five rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

Alex Covill continued her hot shooting, going 6-of-7 from the floor to tally 13 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

Astera Tuhina also scored in double-figures with 11 points, five assists, and a block.

Jenna Villa drained a trio of threes for nine points, five assists, and two blocks.

Charlotte Abraham grabbed seven boards to go with three assists and a 3-pointer.

Marta Alsina had four points, and a block while Dayana Mendes finished with seven points.

The game was back-and-forth to start as early threes from Wallack and Tuhina made it 8-8 midway through the first quarter. At the end of the first, a 3-point play from Wallack and then her second triple of the game made it a one-point game, 19-18, going into the second.

A pair of buckets from Alsina in the second quarter kept things close as the Cougs trailed by a possession, 25-23, with under five to play in the half. The score was tied three more times before halftime with a Tuhina trey making it 27-all, and a pair of Wallack makes evening things at 29- and 31-all before Drake held a slight 33-31 lead at the break.

Layups from Covill and Mendes out of the locker room tied things up at 35 apiece before a pair of threes from Jenna Villa put the Cougs in front, 41-40. Buckets from Mendes and Wallack extended the lead to 45-42, and as teams traded points, Covill knocked down four buckets to keep the Cougs ahead 53-52 with under two minutes left in the third, but Drake nailed a three in the final seconds of the period to take a 55-53 lead at the end of the quarter.

The Bulldogs rode that momentum into the fourth quarter and quickly worked their way ahead 62-53. After a Covill jumper and Abraham triple made it 67-60, Drake rattled off a 5-0 spurt to extend its lead to 72-60 with the game entering its final five minutes of play. Wallack connected for a pair of makes and Jenna Villa hit a three down the stretch, but Drake got hot from beyond the arc at the right time as they went on to win the game, 79-68. 

RECORD BOOK CLIMBERS AND MILESTONE CHASERS
•    Tara Wallack's 21 points put her at 967 for her career, 33 points away from 1,000.
•    Wallack's five rebounds gives her 487 for her career, 13 away from 500.
•    Wallack's two block moves her to 121 career blocks, sixth all-time at WSU.
•    Astera Tuhina's five assists put her over 200 for her career, now at 203 career assists.


UP NEXT
WSU finishes their long road trip at Oregon on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network+.

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