Cougs drop pivotal weekend series

Jan 24, 2023 - 2:00 PM

Washington State women’s basketball dropped two games over the weekend to USC and UCLA. After defeating Oregon the week prior, the Cougs kept it close but could not finish down the stretch. They now sit at 13-6 with 10 games remaining in the regular season. They will get another chance at the Trojans and Bruins at the end of the season.

Against the Trojans on Friday, they tried to keep up but ultimately could not finish it off. They struggled in the fourth quarter and put up just 8 points and did not hit a basket for the first five and a half minutes of the quarter. The Trojans also dominated on second chance points as they outscored the Cougs 11-3.

Sunday did not get much better against #9/#13 UCLA when they could not complete the comeback in a 73-66 loss. The Cougs narrowed the gap to 3 with just over 2 minutes to play but couldn’t take advantage of a few shots and a steal as they fouled the Bruins giving them four free throws to finish the game and push their lead.

The offense did however hit a stride as they had 5 players score in double digits. Astera Tuhina led the way with 15 points followed by Tara Wallack, Bella Murekatete, and Jessica Clarke who all had 11. Johanna Teder was the final Coug in double digits who finished with 10 points. They had 26 points in the paint and 9 second chance points to finish off the week.

Tuhina, a Freshman, stepped up massively in the absence of Charlisse Leger-Walker who returned to New Zealand for a personal matter. Friday, Tuhina put up 13 points on 6 of 13 shooting. She added 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. On Sunday in the game against the Bruins, she led the team once again with 15 points and added 3 steals and a rebound.

Up next is a road trip to Arizona where they will take on Arizona State on Friday at 5:00 pm and then on to Tucson for a matchup with Arizona on Sunday at 11:00 am. Both games can be seen on Pac-12 Networks.

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