Washington State women handle Pacific 73-62 in WCC Tournament quarterfinals

LAS VEGAS – Good basketball teams benefit from many things.

Success many times begins with quality play from a point guard. While it’s greatly appreciated when they create for others, it’s a double-edged sword when they can create for themselves.

Washington State junior Astera Tuhina was on point Sunday afternoon.

With her father and sister on hand from Kosovo, Tuhina doled out six assists and scored a team-high 18 points to lead the Cougars to a 73-62 win over the Pacific Tigers in a West Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinal at the Orleans Arena.

Washington State (20-12) meets No. 2-seeded Portland (28-3), winner of 12 straight, in the semifinals Monday. Tipoff is at 2 p.m.

Tuhina left the postgame news conference before WSU coach Kamie Ethridge heaped considerable praise on her.

“I should have said this in front of her,” Ethridge said. “She really is the key to our team. When she plays well, we play well – and that’s all the pressure in the world on a point guard. … I think the secret weapon is her dad and sister flew in from Kosovo. It’s the first time they’ve seen her in a long time.”

A flagrant foul was called on Pacific a minute into the game. Ethridge didn’t hesitate on who she wanted to shoot the two free throws.

“We intentionally put (Tuhina) on the free-throw line … and it was just like ‘let’s get her going, let’s let her see the ball go through the basket.’ She was so ready and obviously when she can make shots like that, it’s big for us.”

It was evident early that Tuhina needed to be in the middle of the action – especially when her sidekick, sophomore guard Eleonora Villa, left the game with two fouls not to return in the first half just 5 minutes, 22 seconds into the first quarter.

Tuhina made two big 3-pointers in a first half where the Cougars were careless with the ball, committing 10 turnovers, seven in the second quarter. She hit a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with three seconds left in the second, pulling WSU within 37-35.

WSU owned the second half, opening a 69-56 lead with 2:23 remaining.

With about 90 seconds to go, Ethridge pulled Tuhina after she had played 34 :12.

Pacific’s Anaya James, who torched WSU for 30 points, hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 69-60 and the Cougs appeared on the brink of committing a turnover against pressure when Ethridge sprinted down the sideline to get a timeout.

WSU regrouped and finished off Pacific (15-18).

The Cougars’ depth came through. WSU’s bench outscored the Tigers 22-4. The big lift came from junior Kyra Gardner, who had 10 points and five rebounds in 16 minutes.

Freshman post Dayana Mendes, whose game has grown measurably as the Cougs played eight games without post Alex Covill, had 15 points, four rebounds, two steals and two assists.

Villa, who took one shot and had no points in the first half, had seven in the second half. Lone senior Tara Wallack was her usually steady self, getting five rebounds, four assists and two steals to go with eight points.

Ethridge praised her team for staying in the hunt against Pacific in the first half.

“They (the Tigers) were so comfortable in their shots they were taking, making really hard shots,” Ethridge said. “Just us hanging on a little bit felt pretty good at halftime.”

Wallack also noted her team’s second-half effort.

“We talked at half about everyone’s kind of trying to do too much,” Wallack said. “So the second half we really just said move the ball, cut and that’s where the easy baskets come. Everyone just took that to heart and applied that to the second half. I think we played our best possible in the second half.”

Tuhina said she noticed the Tigers were going under screens and many times not guarding the ball off screens.

“So I felt comfortable shooting and once you make a couple you keep shooting,” Tuhina said. “Just proud of my team for getting me open.”

The task WSU faces against Portland is difficult. The Pilots, who start five seniors, swept the Cougars in conference play.

“You really have to score points,” Ethridge said. “You’re just not going to stop them. They have too many weapons. They’ve hurt us on the boards … they get a lot of hustle plays.”