“I think it’s easier to make those shots than wide-open layups,” point guard Astera Tuhina said. “So, I see the clock, I ask for the ball and just shoot it and hope it goes in.”
Cougar fans at this point likely know who is going to have the ball in late game, high pressure situations. It is going to be Tuhina.
With just over 30 seconds left and down 54-52, center Alex Covill grabbed an offensive rebound and passed out to Tuhina to give the Cougars the chance to retake the lead.
The shot clock did not reset though as the ball didn’t touch the rim, leaving Tuhina about seven seconds to work her magic. Except, Tuhina did not realize the clock was about to expire.
After passing to forward Dayana Mendes, forward Tara Wallack and her teammates yelled at Tuhina, who quickly asked for the ball back and chucked up a desperation heave.
“I thought there was like 20 seconds, so I was going to slow it down but then passed it to [Mendes] and I asked for it back because I was like ‘I’m gonna shoot this,'” Tuhina said.
Wallack, who lives with Tuhina, chimed in on the moment.
“That’s my roommate!” she said.
The next two possessions would feature a defensive masterclass as Wallack swatted a layup by Utah Valley guard Thalia White and Covill followed suit on the next possession after a breakaway layup out of a timeout by guard Eleonora Villa.
With the all-around effort, the Cougs would go on to secure the 57-54 victory to advance to the Super 16 to face North Dakota State in Fargo, North Dakota.
After committing to give her young core and bench a chance to gain experience last week, WSU head coach Kamie Ethridge upheld her commitment early on. 11 different Cougs got minutes in a tightly contested game, five different players scored the Cougs’ 10 points in the first quarter and players like guards Kyra Gardner and Jean Chiu saw action much earlier than normal.
While not the only factor, both teams struggled to score early on with the lineup shifts. The Cougs missed their first 10 three-pointers and the scored was tied 10-10 after the first quarter.
Things picked up slightly in the second quarter, but the first-half was still a low-scoring affair at 26-22 in favor of the Wolverines. An 8-0 run early in the quarter and consistent physicality in the paint helped UVU stay in front for most of the quarter and into the break.
WSU would get a much needed boost of energy halfway through the third quarter to keep the game from slipping away with a 13-2 run led by Gardner. After missing a golden layup opportunity earlier in the quarter, Gardner punctuated the end of the run with back-to-back three-pointers tie it up at 35.
UVU would score the last five points of the quarter, but the teams entered the fourth tied at 40.
Tuhina and Wallack said the team had a reality check at halftime that a loss meant there season was over, with Tuhina’s message being focused on the freshmen.
“I had to tell the [freshmen] in the locker room in the first half: ‘This is it, if we don’t go out there and beat them we’re going home and it’s over, it’s right now,'” Tuhina said. “Those 20 minutes we had to push through, so I think it’s a great experience for them just learning how to win those big moments when the ball doesn’t go in the way you want, to just keep shooting and gaining confidence.”
The fourth quarter remained close as neither team could pull away. A clutch shot down the stretch was needed to make a difference and WSU got that with Tuhina’s shot that beat the buzzer.
The shot was a full-circle moment for Tuhina and the team: the home opener started with a Tuhina game-winner against Eastern Washington and the last home game was ultimately decided by a Tuhina three.
Ethridge said it is comforting to have a player like Tuhina who wants to be in the big moments, but there is more to appreciate from Tuhina’s game than her clutch factor.
“We just don’t operate as good when she’s not on the floor,” Ethridge said. “Game in, game out, the entire time she’s by far the smartest player and she brings a lot of comfort to the team when she’s on the floor.”
The Cougs delivered the win in front of 1,853 fans, the largest crowd in Beasley Coliseum at a women’s basketball game this season and fitting for Wallack’s final home game.
“I think senior night there’s a lot of emotions,” Wallack said. “I was crying a lot and it was good not to cry this time. I’m so happy we got to win the last game in Beasley and I’m just happy there’s no other words I can say but happiness and just grateful for the people who showed up, this crowd was amazing having to play in front.”
Wallack said it was probably one of the best crowds she’s had at WSU.
The senior and Canadian native also received a standing ovation for becoming the team’s all-time leader in minutes played at 3,977. Her coach also furthered her spot in the record books, moving to one win shy of 200 career wins as head coach.
WSU managed to pull off the win with late game heroics despite struggling to score for much of the game. The Cougs shot 31% from the field and went 8-22 on layups, missing several opportunities to break the game open off of great feeds from Wallack and Tuhina.
Guard Eleonora Villa was the other bright spot for the Cougs, scoring a team-high 15 points while making a trio of three-pointers. Mendes had a near double-double, scoring nine points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
UVU also struggled from the field, shooting just 38% overall but White led the way for UVU, scoring 12 points while forward Danja Stafford recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds
The energy post-game for the Cougs was full of positive energy as Wallack and Tuhina entered the post-game press conference laughing. Happiness took over as the dominant emotion as Wallack said the word “happy” nine times in the press conference.
“I just couldn’t be happier,” Wallack said. “I’m smiling so hard right now.”
WSU will face NDSU Thursday on the road for a chance to make it to the Great 8 to extend Wallack’s career a bit longer and give Ethridge her 200th win.
