SPOKANE, Wash. (February 8, 2025) – Washington State women's basketball left it all on the court Saturday night, battling to the end as they fell to Gonzaga in overtime, 73-69.

The Cougars (15-11, 10-5 WCC) out-shot GU, shooting at a 38 percent clip and knocking down 11 threes, but Gonzaga's 54 rebounds and 21 second-chance points to the Cougars' 32 boards and two second-chance points wound up being the difference.

Tara Wallack fought through leg cramps but still managed to tally a game-high 18 points and five blocks, to go with four rebounds and a steal on the night.

Dayana Mendes had another stellar game with 11 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two assists, and Eleonora Villa pitched in 13 points, two steals and an assist.

Charlotte Abraham also scored in double-figures with 10 points, while Astera Tuhina led the team in boards with seven, along with eight points, six assists and three steals.

Both teams were slow to start as Gonzaga held a 7-4 lead over the first six minutes of play. GU extended to a 12-4 lead at the first media break, but a pair of layups from Wallack and Abraham brought the Cougs closer as Gonzaga held a 15-8 lead at the end of the first.

GU added on to start the second, holding a 17-8 lead until threes from Kyra Gardner, Wallack and Eleonora Villa highlighted an 11-2 Cougar run to tie the game at 19-19 before going into the break trailing 22-20.

Out of the locker room, Eleonora Villa evened things back up with a floater, and then a Mendes trey put WSU out in front, 25-24. Perimeter shooting continued to heat up for the Cougs from there as threes from Tuhina and Jenna Villa pushed the lead to 34-28. WSU would lead by as many as eight, 38-30, but six unanswered points from GU brought them back to within a possession as WSU led 41-40 to end the third. 

Teams continued to trade punches as threes from Abraham and Jenna Villa contributed to the game seeing ties at 50-, 53- and 57-all midway through the fourth. After the Bulldogs moved out in front 62-57, Wallack answered with her second trey, and then a pair of Mendes free throws locked the game up once again at 62-62.

A pair of Wallack free throws brought the game to its ninth tie, 64-64 with 34 seconds to play. With Gonzaga holding the final possession in regulation, Eleonora Villa forced a turnover, stealing the ball away from Yvonne Ejim in the last seconds of the fourth quarter to keep the score tied and send the game into overtime.

After a GU three to open overtime, WSU took back the lead with layups from Mendes and Eleonora Villa, 68-67. The Bulldogs answered back with a pair of their own layups, though, and a couple of free throws later, sealed their 73-69 win.

RECORD BOOK CLIMBERS AND MILESTONE CHASERS
•    Tara Wallack's 18 points put her at 1,189 for her career, moving up to 14th in program history.
•    Wallack's five blocks puts her at 154 for her career, fourth all-time at WSU.
•    Wallack had four rebounds, putting her at 617 career boards, 14 from 10th all time at WSU.
•    With 42 minutes tonight, Wallack has played 3,696 career minutes, fourth all-time at WSU.
•    Wallack is also 264 minutes away from matching the most in program history.

NOTES
•    With eight blocks tonight, it was WSU's 13th game this season with 7+ blocks.

UP NEXT
The Cougs have one final home/road split weekend, hosting LMU on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. before hitting the road for Portland to face the Pilots on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

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