WSU pulled out a close, hard-fought 82-81 overtime victory in their season opener against Eastern Washington Monday. The Cougs needed late threes at the end of both regulation and overtime to come away with the win.
Both teams entered the game beginning new eras, with WSU and EWU having a combined 14 newcomers. Despite the number of new faces, there was a difference in age and experience, as EWU had seven upperclassmen who got minutes while WSU had just three. The teams came into the match looking to establish an identity and build some chemistry for the early portion of the season.
The Eagles came out of the gate with energy, jumping to an early 9-2 lead. The Cougs clawed back by the midway point of the quarter by spreading the wealth on offense, but after narrowing the Eagles’ lead to 14-11, the home side went on a three-and-a-half-minute scoring drought. Down 17-11 late in the quarter, WSU went on a 6-0 run over the last minute of the quarter to cut the lead down to just one. Six different Cougs scored in the first quarter.
The second quarter saw EWU begin to pull away with a lead, as the Eagles shot efficiently and bullied the Cougs on the boards. EWU outscored the Cougs 21-10 in the quarter and finished the half with seven straight points to lead 38-26. EWU went 3-3 from beyond the arc in the quarter and outrebounded the Cougs 29-17 in the first half.
The Eagles drew and closed out possessions by winning the rebounding battle and the Cougs simply could not get shots to fall. WSU shot 17% on threes in the first half, going 0-5 in the second quarter. Overall, they shot 25% from the field in the second quarter.
The second half was a different story offensively for WSU, as they looked more comfortable and began to see clean looks go in. The Cougs went down 15 in the third quarter but with just over six minutes left. A three from freshman guard Charlotte Abraham would spark an offensive surge from WSU.
The Cougs went on a 19-2 run over the next five minutes before the Eagles scored a layup with just a minute to go. The Cougs narrowed the deficit to one behind a nine-point quarter from Abraham, who would go on to be the team’s fourth-leading scorer with 12 points in her collegiate debut.
“She’s just like a little spark bug that will just come in and make shots when you need it,” said WSU senior forward Tara Wallack
The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair as the teams traded layups and mid-range jumpers. Peyton Howard, who had 12 points in the fourth quarter, put the Eagles up 72-70 with just under two minutes to go. EWU would hold the lead until the final seconds of regulation when drama set in.
After missing a solid layup opportunity with 49 seconds left, Howard missed again with eight seconds after beating Cougar guard Astera Tuhina off the dribble and creating an open lane. The Cougs took a timeout and prepared for a final possession.
Wallack received the inbound pass and dumped it off to Abraham who had just slipped off a screen set for Tuhina. She immediately rose from beyond the arc and buried a dagger three to put the Cougs up 75-73 with four seconds to go. The shot represented the biggest moment of her young career and head coach Kamie Ethridge praised her willingness to take it.
“I just love the fact that she was zero for three at halftime, and then had no hesitation whatsoever and taking any shot that came her way,” Ethridge said.
The Cougs celebration ended quickly, however, as Howard inbounded the ball, sprinted toward the hoop and got a dump-off pass, banking in a lay-up to send the game to overtime. Howard scored most of her points off layups throughout the game and displayed her driving ability on the game-tying shot.
Overtime was similar to the fourth quarter, a tight affair with neither team going up by more than two points. In the late stretches of the period, Eagles guard Ella Gallatin hit a big three with 20 seconds remaining to give EWU an 82-80 lead. WSU again had to fight back on what seemed to be the final possession, down two points.
Without taking a timeout, Tuhina ran the ball up the floor and looked to get a clean shot off. After 15 seconds ran off the clock, Tuhina received a screen from Wallack and drained a step-back three to put WSU ahead. The shot was just Tuhina’s second made three of the game, coming when it mattered most. Despite the intensity of the situation, Tuhina’s thought process was simple.
“I thought we were down three, and I thought we needed a three, so that’s why I shot the three,” Tuhina said. “But you know, in that moment, I don’t think you’re really thinking much. We don’t think except making the shot, and I feel like it was just a good look, and even if it didn’t go in, it’s still a good look.”
EWU had one last attempt, running the same set they had at the end of regulation. Howard received the ball again, but this time freshman guard Marta Alsina was there to meet her, knocking the ball loose and causing her to fall on the ball. Howard could not get a shot off and the Cougs came out on top with a one-point victory. Ethridge said that normally Wallack’s length bothers smaller players, but that Howard still got by.
“Everybody had gotten screamed at, you know, Howard drives right, right, right, right,” Ethridge said. “Don’t let her go right. And we did some of the craziest things to let her go right.”
Ethridge said that Alsina did a great job sitting on Howard’s right hand and making her adjust on the drive.
Wallack, along with sophomore guard Eleonora Villa, led the way for the Cougs with 21 and 19 points respectively. Wallack played in all but one minute in the highly contested victory. The WSU newcomers combined for 21 points, marking an impressive debut for such a young cast. The Cougs got most of their points from turnovers and the free-throw line. WSU had 23 points off turnovers and made 21 free throws.
Howard notched 25 points in just 27 minutes, pacing the Eagles offense. EWU lost despite shooting 62.5% from three and outrebounding WSU 52-37. The Eagles shot just 42% on free throws.
The Cougs go on the road next for a tough test against Stanford Thursday at Maples Pavilion.
