Washington State Cougars On SI

Washington State Basketball Advances To Second Round of WNIT

Joe Londergan

March 10, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Washington State Cougars guard Eleonora Villa (10) shoots the basketball against the Portland Pilots during the second half in the semifinal of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
March 10, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Washington State Cougars guard Eleonora Villa (10) shoots the basketball against the Portland Pilots during the second half in the semifinal of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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The Washington State women's basketball team defeated Utah Valley on Monday by a final score of 57-54, winning their first matchup of the 2025 Women's National Invitation Tournament.

The game was close throughout, with the Wolverines leading by four at halftime. The Cougars retook the lead inside the final minute with a three-pointer from Astera Tuhina. WSU then made two huge defensive stops on UVU's final two possessions and added a two from Eleonora Villa to close things out.

Despite the win, WSU shot 31.3% from the floor, marking their second-worst percentage in that category this season. From beyond the arc, they were 8-for-28, including just two makes on 13 three-point attempts in the first half.

"I thought they had a great game plan," Cougs head coach Kamie Ethridge stated of her opponents, after the win. "They play hard. And again getting to the 50s...anybody can win those games so we've just got to find a way to to put a few points on the board."

Villa led the Cougars in scoring with 15 points. It was also a milestone night for Tara Wallack, who is now the program's all-time leader in minutes played with 3,977. Wallack is also top-ten in WSU history in points (1,285, No. 14), blocks (162, No. 2), and rebounds (666, No. 9).

With the win, since the Cougars had a bye in the first round of the event, Washington State are one of the final 16 teams remaining in the WNIT bracket. They will continue their tournament run at North Dakota State on Thursday, March 27 at 5 p.m. PT. That game will be broadcast by North Dakota outlet WDAY+. A win will give Ethridge 200 in her career as a head coach.

"They've got to understand that we work for good shots, and that's a great shot and you need to shoot it, regardless if it goes in," Ethridge said of her team's confidence heading into the next round. "We have to go on the road and have some confidence in that because I know we can shoot it better than we did tonight and I thought we produced some pretty good shots."

Full WNIT Bracket

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Joe Londergan
JOE LONDERGAN

Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.

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