Washington State Wins School’s First Basketball Title Since 1941

The Cougars earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament with the win.

The Washington State women’s basketball team made history with its Pac-12 tournament title on Sunday by defeating No. 16 UCLA, 65–61.

For starters, it was the first conference championship game for the school’s women’s team. The Cougars also became the first No. 7 team to reach the championship game in Pac-12 history. 

The Washington State men’s team has won a conference title before—but it was 82 years ago—during the 1940–41 season. So, the women’s team ended a long drought for the school on Sunday.

After losing twice to No. 4 Utah and No. 21 Colorado in the regular season, Washington State took down both teams in the Pac-12 tournament. The Cougars beat Utah, 66–58, in the quarterfinals, and then won, 61–49, over Colorado in the semifinals. 

Washington State joined the list of conference champions which have earned automatic bids to the NCAA tournament.