It’s a winning weekend, my friends.
Good morning, Coug fans!
It was a busy weekend for Washington State athletics. Volleyball took down Grand Canyon on Friday, and defeated Dayton on Saturday. But more on them in the articles we’ve linked. This one is all about basketball.
On Friday December 1st, the women’s team stomped down UC Davis 77-52! As we’ve been seeing all season, it seems that each game there’s a new bright star, and this time the title belonged to Astera Tuhina. The guard put up 19 points, her career high, and went 8 of 14 from the field. She also had five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. The team had a 45.1% FG rate, and went 62.5% from the line. This was the second consecutive game for CLW where she landed a double-double,
The first quarter ended a little close for comfort, with UC Davis trailing by 6. There were a series of almost opportunities by both Charlisse Leger-Walker and Bella Murekatete- rebound, missed jumper, rebound again, missed three by AT, Leger-Walker offensive rebound, missed Eleonora Villa three.
However, they didn’t let that keep them down. The second quarter opened with a steal from Murekatete, followed by a huge three from Kyra Gardner.
The third quarter once again got a little close for comfort, wrapping up at 49-42, Cougs. It was at this time, however, that WSU decided to really turn it on. A Murekatete jumper kicked things off, and it was all downhill for Davis. The fourth wound up being a big quarter for the bench, as Cia Eklof drained a three.
If you’re wondering where Beyonce Bea is, don’t worry! We assume she’s just nursing something small, and they want to keep her rested. Alex Covill has stepped into that role nicely, playing twelve minutes, going 2 of 3 with field goals, and picking up eight rebounds, four of which were defensive.
Overall, WSU definitely controlled the pacing of the game, and were able to control the potential break from the Aggies in the third quarter, and came back stronger. This team is so good and fun. This is the best season start for WBB since their 1978-79 season, where they opened 10-0. They seemed really excited to be on the court, and their enthusiasm is contagious!
The men’s team took to the court on Saturday, December 2nd, and beat Portland State 71-61. Isaac Jones and Myles Rice combined scored 46 points, 27 for Jones and 19 for Rice. Rice turned it on in the last ten minutes, grabbing 11 of his 19 then. Jones went 11 of 15 from the field, and landed 11 rebounds.
The Cougs and the Vikings entered the second half tied, but Jones took quick care of that, landing a layup after a defensive rebound. The game heated up, and Portland State took the lead with twelve minutes left. However, as mentioned, Myles Rice handled it- making a free throw, layup, then assisted Jones with a three. WSU took control in the final four minutes, going on a 13-6 run to seal the deal.
The Vikings are no slouch. They entered the game in the top 150 in the KenPom rankings with some decent wins on their resume and project to be a contender for the Big Sky conference title. The Cougars emerging out of a back-and-forth game with a double-digit win will not only look good on the resume, but a great display of the Cougs ability to fight through some early season adversity.
See you tomorrow, December 4th for the women’s game at South Dakota State at 4pm, and Wednesday December 6th at home for the men against UC Riverside at 7! Go Cougs!