After escaping Utah Valley 57-54 in the Cougars’ last game in Beasley Coliseum this season, WSU (21-13) now travels to Fargo, North Dakota, for the Women’s National Invitational Tournament Super 16 and the program’s first matchup with North Dakota State (20-11).
Neither forward Tara Wallack nor guard Astera Tuhina could pinpoint where Fargo is.
“I could not tell you,” Wallack said. “All I know is it is going to take awhile to get there.”
The Bison finished third in the Summit League regular season standings with a conference record of 11-5 but lost to Kansas City in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. NDSU sits nine spots behind WSU in the NET rankings at No. 132.
NDSU entered the WNIT tournament in a similar position to WSU, earning an at-large bid and a bye to the second round while falling short in their conference tournament as a No. 3 seed. The Bison then also barely edged their second round opponent, New Mexico State, winning 68-65.
The Bison’s second round game was tightly contested for the majority of the game as neither team had a lead of more than four points in the first half and the Aggies cut an 11-point NDSU lead in the second half to just one with six seconds left. Clutch late-game free throws by sophomore guard Abby Krzewinski sealed the win and a trip to the Super 16 for the Bison.
The Cougars’ trip to Fargo will be for NDSU’s second straight home game. The Bison drew over 1,000 fans in their WNIT opener and could bring a similar atmosphere to what WSU experienced on Monday given the team’s momentum.
NDSU is led by All-Summit League First Team forward Avery Koenen, who is averaging a team-leading 14 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. The sophomore was problem for the Aggies, recording a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Senior forward Abbie Draper, a conference second team selection, forms a formidable All-Summit League frontcourt with Koenen. Draper is the only other player averaging double-digit points with 10.4 points while also averaging 6.6 rebounds.
The Bison have four Abby or Abbie’s on their team, including Krzewinski, Draper, Abby Schulte and Abby Graham. Schulte is one of three starters with the same name, including Krzewinski and Draper.
While WSU did not face the toughest of schedules overall, its non-conference schedule was ranked in the top 25 in strength of schedule and the Cougs were challenged with tight conference contests with Gonzaga and Portland. Utah Valley suffered from a lack of being battle-tested, but NDSU does not carry the same struggles.
NDSU played three NCAA tournament teams and two WBIT teams this season, going 2-5 in those matchups with their wins being against Oral Roberts and Vermont. The Bison only lost by eight on the road against Summit League champion and NCAA tournament 10-seed South Dakota State and six at home against Drake, which earned a WBIT berth.
Even though both teams won by slim margins in the second round, the Cougs will have to clean up mistakes in the fundamental areas to beat the Bison. The Cougs struggled with scoring efficiency in the second round, shooting just 31% from the field and 36% on layups in a low-scoring affair.
WSU came out of the gates slow, but that was due in part to head coach Kamie Ethridge’s decision to try and go to her bench early and give younger players some experience. After struggling early, Ethridge quickly switched back to her trusted starters as guard Eleonora Villa, Tuhina and Wallack all played over 30 minutes.
The Koenen-Draper frontcourt could prove difficult for the Cougs to stop, but the team’s defensive performance in round two should provide a sense of optimism heading into the Super 16. WSU held Utah Valley to 38% from the field and 35% on layups while forcing 15 turnovers.
“The biggest thing that you’d look at this and you just go, man when the games are in the 50s anything can happen and I think that’s the point,” Ethridge said. “We have to find separation probably with the offense. When you look at this stat sheet, it’s not the defense. We held them really good.”
The Cougs also feature two of the West Coast Conference’s top four shot blockers in Wallack (1.9 blocks per game, fourth) and center Alex Covill (2.1 blocks, first), a plus for what projects to be a tough frontcourt matchup.
WSU will go on the road to face NDSU at 5 p.m. Thursday.
