Washington State Cougars On SI

Washington State WBB Fall Flat in Second Half, Lose WCC Semifinal To Portland

Joe Londergan

Washington State women's basketball coach Kamie Ethridge talks to an official while facing Texas Tech in a non-conference women's basketball game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at United Supermarkets Arena.
Washington State women's basketball coach Kamie Ethridge talks to an official while facing Texas Tech in a non-conference women's basketball game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at United Supermarkets Arena. / Stephen Garcia/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Washington State's run at the West Coast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament came to an end on Monday afternoon. WSU fell to defending WCC champions Portland by a final score of 72-57.

The Cougars held a 39-30 lead at the halftime mark, but sputtered in the second half, shooting just 7-for-34 in the final two quarters. Portland outscored WSU 26-7 in the third quarter, creating a hole that the Cougs ultimately could not climb out of.

"Disappointed in our performance in the second half, disappointed probably in myself more than anything," Cougs head coach Kamie Ethridge told reporters postgame.

When asked about the difference between the first half and the second half, Ethridge said the following:

"They took a lot of chances in the first half and we made them pay for that. They just changed up and kind of kept us in front...Their pressure still bothered us [in the second half] we came across the half court much slower and we just didn't have the discipline to get ourselves into good spacing on the floor and kind of the things that we wanted to run and actions that we wanted to have. It doesn't help to not make very many shots, but it's a credit to them and how they expose some of the things that we're not great at."

Daiyana Mendes posted a double-double, the fourth of her career, scoring 11 points with 13 rebounds. Mendes was one of three Cougars to score 11 points, along with Eleonora Villa and Tara Wallack.

 Ethrdige added "I'm excited about the future of our team and who we are and what we can become."

Washington State will drop to 20-13 on the season and miss their chance at a bid in the NCAA tournament. Barring an invite to an alternative postseason tournament, the season will end there above the 20-win mark for the third consecutive season.

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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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