PULLMAN, Wash. (March 24, 2025) – Washington State women's basketball knocked off the Wolverines 57-54 in front of a passionate Beasley Coliseum crowd Monday night.
The Cougars (21-13) got off to a slow start offensively, but made up for it on the defensive end, racking up six blocks as a team and forcing 15 turnovers while shooting just 31.3 percent from the floor and 28.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Eleonora Villa led the offense with 15 points to go with three rebounds, two assists and a steal, and
Dayana Mendes grabbed a team-best 11 boards along with nine points.
Astera Tuhina tallied eight points behind a pair of threes, and also had three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Tara Wallack finished her final game in Beasley with seven points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.
Kyra Gardner knocked down a couple of impact triples, and
Alex Covill put up three blocks, including the stuff in the final seconds to seal the game.
The Cougars took a quick 4-0 lead in what turned into a back-and-fourth opening frame. Both teams started slow, and although neither team made a three in the first quarter, WSU grabbed six offensive rebounds and got open looks as the game entered the second, tied 10-10.
UVU connected for the game's first three and stretched out to 20-12 lead midway through the second quarter. Mendes dropped in a layup to inch the Cougs a little closer before
Eleonora Villa hit the team's first three of the game to draw back to within three, 22-19 before going into the half trailing 26-22.
WSU continued to go to work out of the break using buckets from Covill and Wallack, and a pair of
Eleonora Villa threes, to make it a one-point game, 33-32 with under five to go in the third. Later down 35-32, Gardner hit a three to lock the score at 35-all, and then seconds later, splashed another to give the Cougs a 38-35 lead.
Covill dropped in a hook shot which was followed by a Wallack triple and a layup from
Eleonora Villa to put the lead at 47-44 in the final quarter. Neither team would go quietly, though, going blow-for-blow as the game was brought to its tenth tie, 50-50 with the game nearing its final two minutes.
After UVU went back on top with a bucket, Mendes answered with a layup to lock things at 52-all. UVU re-took a 54-52 lead as time ticked into the final minute, and as the Cougs faced an expiring shot clock, Tuhina hurled up a deep three that dropped through the nylon for a 55-54 lead.
A defensive stop highlighted by a Wallack block led to an easy inbound layup for
Eleonora Villa to put the Cougar lead at 57-54 in the closing seconds before one more big stop, this time with the help of a Covill block, secured the victory.
RECORD BOOK CLIMBERS AND MILESTONE CHASERS
- With 35 minutes today, Tara Wallack has become the program's all-time leader in minutes played with 3,977.
- Wallack's seven points puts her at 1,285 for her career, 14th in program history.
- Wallack recorded two blocks, and now has 162 career blocks, second all-time at WSU.
- Wallack had three rebounds, putting her at 666 career boards, ninth all time at WSU.
- With three blocks, Alex Covill has 112 career blocks, seventh all-time in program history.
- Head Coach Kamie Ethridge now has 199 career wins as a head coach, one shy of 200.
UP NEXT
With the win, the Cougars advance to the WNIT Super 16 and will travel to take on North Dakota State on Thursday, March 27 at 5 p.m. PT in Fargo N.D.
FOLLOW US
For more information on the Washington State women's basketball team, follow @WSUCougarWBB on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
