BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) — Astera Tuhina scored 18 points, Bella Murekatete added 15 and No. 21 Washington State beat South Dakota State 69-64 on Tuesday night to end the Jackrabbits' 16-game home win streak.
Washington State led 48-38 with 38 seconds left in the third quarter, but the Cougars didn’t make another field goal until the 4:44 mark of the fourth. South Dakota State scored nine unanswered points to get within 52-51, but Tuhina and Tara Wallack scored on back-to-back possessions to give the Cougars a five-point lead.
Eleonora Villa extended Washington State’s lead to 60-53 after making a 3-pointer with 2:44 left. Tuhina added a jumper from the right wing with 40 seconds remaining to make it 64-58.
Tuhina, Villa and Charlisse Leger-Walker each went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line in the final 36 seconds left to keep South Dakota State in it. The Jackrabbits were within 67-64 with 10.6 seconds left after two free throws by Paige Meyer. But Tuhina made two free throws to seal it.
Villa finished with 13 points for Washington State (10-1), which is off to its best start since the 1978-79 season. Leger-Walker, averaging 13.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists, had four points, four rebounds and four assists.
Murekatete scored 11 points in the first half to help Washington State take a 30-24 lead into the break. She was 5 of 6 from the field, but the rest of her teammates combined to go 8 for 21.
Meyer scored 12 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter for South Dakota State (4-3), which entered with the seventh-longest active home winning streak in the nation. Brooklyn Meyer added 16 points and Madison Mathiowetz had 12.
The Cougars were SDSU’s second ranked opponent of the year as the Jackrabbits fell to No. 1 South Carolina in November.
Washington State opens its Pac-12 schedule on Sunday against Washington before two final non-conference matchups with Houston and Auburn.
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