PULLMAN — Bella Murekatete hit a jumper with three seconds left and Washington State earned a 63-61 quarterfinal victory over Toledo in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament on Thursday night.
The Cougars (21-14) will play Illinois at 2 p.m. Pacific in Monday’s semifinals in Indianapolis.
The Rockets (28-6) had one last shot to tie but Quinesha Lockett’s driving layup bounced off the rim.
Toledo led by as many as 10 points in the third quarter but Washington State rallied in the final minutes, taking its only lead in the fourth quarter on Murekatete’s basket.
Eleonora Villa led the Cougars with 15 points. Tara Wallack had 14 and Murekatete had 11 points and nine rebounds. Beyonce Bea had 12 rebounds.
Toledo was led by Sammi Mikonowicz’s 18 points. Hannah Noveroske had 18 points and Lockett scored 12.
The Rockets shot 27 of 58 (46.6%) from the floor but had a tough time handling WSU’s size as the Cougars outrebounded UT 37-25.
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