PULLMAN, Wash. (February 13, 2025) – Washington State women's basketball defeated LMU 63-51 Thursday night in Beasley Coliseum.

The Cougars (16-11, 11-5 WCC) had an efficient scoring night shooting 50 percent from the field and holding LMU to just 39 percent. The Cougars also found an advantage in the paint, outscoring the Lions 40-28.

Astera Tuhina finished one point shy of her season-high with 15 points, splashing a trio of threes to go with four steals, two assists and three rebounds.

Dayana Mendes recorded her third double-double, tallying 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, while also dishing two assists.

Tara Wallack totaled 12 points, six rebounds, three blocks, three assists and a steal.

Eleonora Villa scored 14 points and Candace Kpetikou added four boards, two blocks and five points.

Both teams were equally matched in the first quarter. While the Lions made two looks from behind the arc, the Cougars made their presence felt in the paint, scoring 12 of their 14 first quarter points in the paint.

While 10 first half turnovers slowed down the Cougars offense at points, their efficient looks on offense gave them the advantage. Wazzu shot 59 percent from the field while holding LMU to just 40 over the first 20 minutes. It was this efficient offense that closed out the half on a 7-0 run to give the Cougars a 27-24 lead.

With the Cougs looking to extend their lead coming out of half, Tuhina started to heat up. Tuhina nailed two three-pointers to spark a 12-3 run and go up 43-31 giving the Cougs their largest lead of the game.

Despite the Lions efforts late to mount a comeback, the Cougars held on to seal the 63-51 win.

RECORD BOOK CLIMBERS AND MILESTONE CHASERS

• Tara Wallack's 12 points put her at 1,201 for her career, 14th in program history.
• Wallack's three blocks puts her at 157 for her career, moving up to third all-time at WSU.
• Wallack had six rebounds, putting her at 623 career boards, eight from 10th all time at WSU.
• With 39 minutes tonight, Wallack has played 3,735 career minutes, fourth all-time at WSU.
• Wallack is also 225 minutes away from matching the most in program history.
• Wallack has started 97 consecutive games dating back to the team's 2022-23 season opener, three from 100.
• Coach Ethridge now has 194 career wins as a head coach, six from 200.

UP NEXT
The Cougs head west for Portland to face the Pilots on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Bryan Sleik and Jen Mountain on the call.

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