Mar. 31—The mass exodus that hit the Washington State football program after last season has landed in women's basketball.
The Cougars have lost five players, including two starters in less than a week. Starting point guard Astera Tuhina entered the transfer portal Monday, Talia Goodman of On3sports posted on X.
A 5-foot-9 junior from Pristina, Kosovo, Tuhina started all 35 games this season, all 29 games last year and four games as a freshman.
Tuhina averaged 7.8 points, down from 9.4 the year before, 3.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds. She played 31.2 minutes per game and shot 36.4% from the field and 3-point range.
She made the winning 3-point shot in a season-opening 83-82 overtime win over Eastern Washington. She had a season-high 10 rebounds in WSU's season-ending loss to North Dakota State.
Tuhina was limited to three points or less in 10 games. She had a season-high 18 points in a West Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinal win over Pacific — a game that her father and sister traveled from Kosovo to watch.
WSU finished 21-14 overall and third in the WCC (14-6) in the first of two years as an affiliate member.
The transfer portal opened March 24 and closes April 22.
The loss of players began when 6-3 freshman post Dayana Mendes from Paris announced she was transferring after leading the Cougars to a win over Utah Valley in a Women's National Invitation Tournament win over Utah Valley on March 24.
Over the weekend, 6-3 redshirt freshman post Candace Kpetikou (Niamey, Niger), 5-10 freshman guard Alice Dart (Brisbane, Australia) and 6-1 sophomore wing Jenna Villa (Arlington, Washington) entered the portal.
Mendes averaged 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds starting in nine of 30 games played. She stepped into the starting lineup when sophomore post Alex Covill was out with an injured foot.
Villa started 29 of 35 games, averaging 5.6 points and 2.5 rebounds.
Kpetikou was seen as a future replacement in the starting lineup for graduated post Bella Murekatete, but she struggled with consistency. She started seven of 33 games this season, averaging 3.4 points.
Dart played in 22 games, averaging 4.9 minutes.
WSU coach Kamie Etheridge talked highly of her freshmen before and during the season. Two other freshmen — 6-0 guard Charlotte Abraham (Cambrai, France) and 5-11 guard Marta Alsina (Barcelona, Spain). Abraham started in six of 32 games, averaging 5.4 points and 2.7 rebounds and Alsina played in 35 games, averaging 10.9 minutes.
Another freshman, 6-2 forward Keandra Kortis (Tallinin, Estonia), used a redshirt this year.
It was believed the Cougars would be losing just one player this offseason, 6-2 senior wing Tara Wallack. But now Ethridge has some scholarships to fill.
WSU signed two players in November. They are: 6-2 forward Malia Ruud from Chiawana High in Pasco and 5-9 point guard Malvina Haziri of Vushtrria, Kosovo.
The WCC postseason honors were collected mostly by seniors. WSU would have returned the most honorees before the latest developments. Sophomore guard Eleonora Villa was named to the second team and Tuhina was an honorable mention selection. Mendes and Abraham were named to the All-Freshman Team.
WSU announced in early March that it has added a year to Ethridge's contract through the 2030-31 season. She just finished her seventh season, and the Cougars have advanced to a postseason tournament five straight years, including winning the Pac-12 Tournament championship in 2022-23. Her record at WSU is 116-104.
—Gonzaga, Eastern Washington and Idaho have lost a player each to the portal.
Gonzaga 6-2 redshirt junior guard Bree Salenbien, who was honored during Senior Day and has graduated, entered the portal as a grad transfer.
Salenbien, who returned from a second knee ...
