PULLMAN, Wash. (February 23, 2024) – Washington State women's basketball went step-for-step with Oregon State until the Beavers pulled away in the fourth quarter, falling 65-52 Friday night.

The Cougars (16-12, 5-10 Pac-12) despite taking care of the ball with only five turnovers and giving themselves good looks all night, shots didn't fall as the team made 36.7 percent from the field.

Bella Murekatete led the offense with 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

Tara Wallack also had three steals to go with seven points, six rebounds, a block and an assist.

Eleonora Villa scored 10 while Kyra Gardner put up seven points.

Astera Tuhina scored six and dished out five assists, and Beyonce Bea recorded six boards, a block and a steal.

Jessica Clarke added four points and two rebounds.

Teams went blow for blow to open the game, and six points from E. Villa and four from Murekatete gave WSU a 10-8 lead midway through the first. OSU would rattle off an 11-4 scoring run from there, though, to hold a 19-14 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

A layup from Clarke, followed by a Gardner three, locked things back up at 19-all before a step-back bucket from Gardner put WSU back on top 23-21 with 5:45 before halftime. But OSU continued to have answers, and took a 32-27 lead into the break.

Four quick points from Murekatete and a Tuhina pull-up drew the Cougs back to within one, 34-33, early in the third. OSU kept a narrow lead, but WSU continued to keep things close with the help of shots from Tuhina and E. Villa before the game went into the final quarter 48-42.

Tuhina drew the Cougs back to within four, but then six straight points from the Beavers gave OSU its first 10-point lead, 54-44 with 6:28 remaining. WSU continued to fight down the stretch, but OSU didn't let up either, as the Beavers went on to win 65-52.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Bella Murekatete

• Grabbed eight rebounds to extend her program lead to 937 career rebounds
• 14 points today puts her at 1,483 career points, 10th most in program history
• Played in game number 145, and started her 137th game, extending her program lead in both categories

Beyonce Bea

• Grabbed six rebounds to extend career rebounds total to 1,032
• Appeared in her 139th career game

NOTES

• E. Villa has scored in double-figures 23 times this season, moving past Charlisse Leger-Walker into a tie for fourth most double-digit scoring games by a WSU freshman.
• E. Villa's 12 straight double-digit games ties her for second all-time in consecutive double-digit scoring games for a freshman in WSU history.

UP NEXT
The Cougars host their final game of the 2023-24 season, facing Oregon on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 12 p.m. on Senior Day.

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