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WSU Men's Basketball

Astera Tuhina cans game-winner to beat Utah Valley, send WSU women onto WNIT round of 16

Washington State Cougars guard Astera Tuhina (11) drives the ball against the Pacific Tigers during the second half of the WCC Tournament quarterfinals on Sunday, Mar. 9, 2025, at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. WSU won the game 73-62. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
By Greg Woods gregw@spokesman.com(509) 459-5587

PULLMAN – Astera Tuhina hardly seemed jazzed. Washington State’s junior guard had just knocked down the go-ahead triple, a straightaway 3-pointer in crunch time of Monday’s WNIT game against Utah Valley, and she wasn’t exactly jumping up and down.

Tuhina joined her teammates in a small celebration at midcourt, but with 28 seconds left, the Cougars needed one more stop. Moments later, they secured it via turnover. For WSU, it added up to a 57-54 win over Utah Valley, advancing to the WNIT Round of 16 to face North Dakota State on the road Thursday at 5 p.m.

“I was kinda stressed because there was still time on the clock, and we were winning by one,” Tuhina said. “So I just wanted to win first and then celebrate, not celebrate earlier than that. Then when I got the steal, I was more relieved.”

“There’s been times this year where she’s probably looked at me and thought, why aren’t you giving me the ball in these moments?” WSU coach Kamie Ethridge added of Tuhina. “She can find some room, and she’s got the mindset, and she wants to keep playing. I don’t know that she wants to keep practicing, but I know she wants to keep playing.”

Tuhina totaled eight points on the game for the Cougs, who got a game-best 15 points from sophomore guard Eleonora Villa, which helped the hosts overcome a sluggish 31% shooting mark from the floor. After Villa laid in a layup with 10 seconds left, WSU forward Alex Covill blocked away a desperation shot at the buzzer.

In a game with six lead changes and 11 ties, WSU also got nine points from freshman forward Dayana Mendes and eight from junior guard Kyra Gardner, the latter of whom canned back-to-back 3-pointers in the third quarter to hand the Cougs a 38-35 lead. In her final game at Beasley Coliseum, senior forward Tara Wallack added seven points.

Down four at halftime, the Cougs outscored the Wolverines 18-14 in the third frame and 17-14 in the fourth. In the final quarter, Wallack knocked down a wing triple to give WSU a 45-42 lead, and moments later, Mendes hit three free throws to tie the game at 50-all. With 90 seconds left, Mendes banked in a tough shot in the lane to tie the game at 52-all.

The Cougars didn’t play their best offense of the season – their 57 points are tied for their fewest in a win this season – but their defense also helped facilitate this win. Utah Valley shot just 38% from the floor, including 4-for-15 from deep, plus 15 turnovers. WSU turned those into 10 points.