INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (April 1, 2024) – Washington State women's basketball fell to Illinois, 81-58, in the WBIT Semifinals Monday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The Cougars (21-15) were able to drain 10 from beyond the arc, shooting nearly 42 percent from three, but Illinois 54-percent shooting from the floor in for the game was too much to overcome.
Astera Tuhina led the scoring with 20 points, splashing a career-high five 3-pointers. She also ended the game with three assists and three rebounds.
Eleonora Villa finished with 14 points, three assists, a rebound and a steal.
Bella Murekatete grabbed a team-high nine boards to go with three assists, two steals and two points.
Beyonce Bea recorded six points, four rebounds, and two assists, while
Jessica Clarke had five boards, a block and an assist.
Alex Covill added three rebounds, a block and three points.
Kyra Gardner had three points and a steal, and
Tara Wallack finished with four points, two assists and a block.
Illinois opened with an 11-4 lead before back-to-back buckets from Bea made it 15-8 going into the first media break. A pair of Tunina threes in the final minutes of the first quarter kept Illinois within striking distance, making it 23-14 heading to the second quarter.
Shots from Murekatete, Bea and E. Villa to start the second, and a Tuhina three midway through the quarter helped WSU keep pace, putting the game at 35-23. E. Villa scored on a layup as the clock ticked down to the final minute in the first half before burying a three on the final possession, sending the game into halftime, 42-28.
Illinois continued to knock down shots out of the break to extend its lead to 51-30 with 5:28 to go in the third. Later in the quarter, triples from E. Villa and J. Villa cut into the Illinois lead, making it a 17-point game, 58-41. After free throws from Covill and E. Villa, the game entered its final quarter with a score of 62-45.
In the fourth, the Cougar offense saw threes from Tuhina, Gardner and E. Villa down the stretch, but it wouldn't be enough as they ultimately fell, 81-58.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Bella Murekatete
- Grabbed nine rebounds to extend her program lead to 990 career rebounds
- Two points today puts her at 1,552 career points, fifth most in program history
- Played in game number 153, and started her 145th game, extending her program lead in both categories
Beyonce Bea
- Grabbed four rebounds to extend career rebounds total to 1,096
- Scored six points to extend her career points total to 2,128 points
- Appeared in her 146th career game
Eleonora Villa
- With 14 points tonight, she has scored in double-figures 29 times this season, becoming the most double-digit scoring games by a WSU freshman
- 14 points tonight extends her season total to 463, second-most ever by a WSU freshman
- Made two three-pointers to push her season total to 54, which is the third-most threes by a WSU freshman
- 37 minutes played puts her at 1,199 this season, most ever by a WSU freshman
FOLLOW US
For more information on the Washington State women's basketball team, follow @WSUCougarWBB on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
