Cougars advance in WNIT behind Tuhina's clutch 3, Covill's big block
Mar. 25—PULLMAN — Washington State junior Astera Tuhina has a knack for achieving triumph amid disaster.
And it's a trait that the Cougs have come to rely on.
With the WSU women's basketball team trailing Utah Valley by two with less than 40 seconds left in the second round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament, Tuhina watched the Wolverines poke her pass out of the hands of freshman Dayana Mendes, leaving two seconds on the shot clock and the ball loose on the floor.
The junior from Kosovo rushed to the rock, dribbled once as she ducked to her right and put up a 3-pointer playground-style that caught nothing but net to put WSU up by two with 28.4 seconds left and get the reported crowd of 1,853 people out of their seats and hollering.
"It's easier to make those shots than wide-open layups," Tuhina said, perhaps just slightly joking. "So I see the clock, I asked for the ball and just shoot it and hope it goes in."
Sophomore Eleonora Villa snagged an open layup off a steal on the next possession to extend WSU's lead to three and the Cougars clamped down on the final two defensive possessions to beat Utah Valley 57-54 in the second round of the WNIT on Monday at Beasley Coliseum.
Villa led the Cougs (21-13) in scoring yet again with 15 points. Mendes added nine points and the Cougars needed every bucket, overcoming a 31% shooting night to squeak out the postseason win and advance to the WNIT's Super 16.
There, the Cougs will face North Dakota State at 5 p.m. Pacific on Thursday in Fargo, N.D. Specific broadcast information was not available as of Monday night.
A broken play
The same possession that ended in odds-defying ecstasy, began in panic as senior Tara Wallack, playing in her final game at Beasley Coliseum, watched her 3-point attempt miss the rim completely and fall into the hands of WSU's 6-foot-6 sophomore center Alex Covill.
Covill flung the ball from the baseline to Tuhina beyond the arc, who slipped a bounce pass to Mendes. The freshman from France lost the ball, setting up Tuhina's hero shot.
Tuhina said she was unaware of the waning shot clock at first, thinking she had enough time to run a play.
"There's three, four seconds left, so I'm screaming, shoot it, shoot it," Wallack said.
Tuhina heard Wallack and sank the shot. Despite the electric make, the junior guard appeared more static than excited.
"I was kind of stressed because there was still time on the clock," Tuhina said. "I just wanted to win first and then celebrate, not celebrate earlier than that."
With 12 seconds left in the game, Tuhina came through again, grabbing a steal and feeling a little more comfortable celebrating as she embraced Wallack, who on Monday surpassed Borislava "Bobi Buckets" Hristova, for the most minutes played in school history with 3,977.
"I wouldn't want the ball in anyone else's hands when there's three seconds left," Wallack said. "She's amazing. She has done it countless times, and I'm shocked the other team doesn't know this yet. I hope she keeps doing it, because it's really fun."
In the final possession, Covill got a block on a Utah Valley 3-point attempt and the Wolverines (19-13) weren't able to get a clean look on their second attempt as the ball sailed behind the back board as time expired.
A cold shooting night
WSU coach Kamie Ethridge said that the Cougs got the shots they wanted but proved unable to make more than a third of them.
WSU and Utah Valley were knotted up 10-10 after the first quarter and Utah Valley led by four at halftime.
The third quarter featured a missed wide-open layup by WSU guard Kyra Gardner.
The sophomore from Raymond, Wash., immediately made up for the miss with 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions which vaulted WSU from down three to up three with 3:12 left in the third.
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The game was tied again at 40-40 after the third quarter before Tuhina's 3 accounted for the difference in a 17-14 WSU fourth quarter.
Wallack struggled from the floor, along with the rest of the lineup, making just 3-of-12 shots. Mendes and Tuhina were a similarly chilly at 3-of-10 each.
However, Wallack and company made up for their lack of makes with a plethora of stops. WSU contained Utah Valley to 35% from the field.
Wallack came up with two blocks, including one on the Wolverines' second-to-last possession.
Utah Valley's leading scorer, Tahlia White, posted 12 points but needed a 5-of-17 mark to get there.
The foul line also proved to be a difference tonight, with both teams only missing a combined three free throws, but WSU taking 11 to Utah Valley's five.
"We're a top 20 team in the country getting to the line," Utah Valley coach Dan Nielson said. "For us to only shoot five free throws is interesting, but you know, that's how it is on the road in games like this, and you live with it."
Ethridge said that whenever a game is close around the 50-point mark, it can go either way.
"When you're cold and when you're not making those shots, then you have to be really solid on the defensive end and make them make hard shots," Ethridge said. "And I thought we did a great job of that."
Survive and advance
Tuhina knows what it is like to lose a game and face the sinking realization that the season is over.
Her freshman year ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as the Cougs lost to Florida Gulf Coast. Her sophomore year ended with a semifinal loss to Illinois in the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.
With WSU down by four at halftime, Tuhina leveled with her teammates.
"Had to tell the freshies in the locker room ... 'This is it. If we don't go out there and beat them, we're going home and it's over," Tuhina said. "So I think it's a great experience for them, just learning how to win in those big moments when the ball doesn't go in the way you want, to just keep shooting and gaining confidence."
Ethridge said she expects her players to sound like coaches by the time they reach Year 3 or 4 in her program.
"It's exactly what we need our senior leadership to be doing," Ethridge said. "At the same time. I think our freshman class is amazing in competitiveness and in fight and in spirit and wanting to be in those situations."
WSU will get at least one more win-or-go-home opportunity with a Super 16 encounter with North Dakota State on Thursday.
"You can tell they want to win," Ethridge said of Wallack and Tuhina. "Can we put it together and do good enough to advance to the next round? Obviously, going on the road is a challenge, but it's great to have senior leadership that is excited to get on the bus and or the plane and get up to Fargo, and we'll see what happens."
UTAH VALLEY (19-13)
Barcello 3-6 0-0 6, Criddle 2-4 0-0 4, White 5-17 0-0 12, Nelson 3-10 0-0 6, Stafford 3-5 2-2 10, Mabry 1-2 0-0 2, Blackham 2-4 0-0 4, Gibb 0-2 0-0 0, Chaney 4-9 2-3 10. Totals 23-60 4-5 54.
WASHINGTON STATE (21-13)
Wallack 3-12 0-0 7, E. Villa 6-11 0-1 15, Tuhina 3-10 0-0 8, Mendes 3-10 3-4 9, J. Villa 0-0 2-2 2, Kpetikou 0-0 0-0 0, Chiu 0-1 2-2 2, Alsina 0-0 0-0 0, Gardner 3-9 0-0 8, Abraham 0-5 0-0 0, Covill 2-6 2-2 6. Totals 20-64 9-11 57.
3-point goals — UVU 4-15 (Barcello 0-2, Criddle 0-2, White 2-5, Nelson 0-1, Stafford 2-2, Blackham 0-1, Gibb 0-1, Chaney 0-1), WSU 8-28 (Wallack 1-3, E. Villa 3-5, Tuhina 2-6, Mendes 0-3, Chiu 0-1, Gardner 2-5, Abraham 0-5). Assists — UVU 7 (Two with 2), WSU 14 (Tuhina 3). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — UVU 45 (Nelson 15), WSU 39 (Mendes 11). Total fouls — UVU 14, WSU 12. Attendance — 1,853.
Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.
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