PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State University women's basketball team got a pair of double-doubles from redshirt senior Borislava Hristova and freshman Bella Murekatete en route to an 87-59 victory over UC Irvine on Sunday afternoon in Beasley Coliseum.
It was the freshman stealing the show on Sunday afternoon, as Murekatete recorded her first career double-double in just her third career start. The Ngoma Huye, Rwanda posted a personal-best 15 points and 13 rebounds in a career-high 20 minutes played against the Anteaters.
Murekatete shot an even 50% from the floor, connecting on six of her 12 shot attempts from the field, to help WSU post a 52.2% field goal percentage. The hot-shooting hand allowed the Cougars to post a season-high in points on the year.
The win moved Washington State to 6-4 on the year, while they improve to 5-1 at Beasley Coliseum this season.
Not to be outdone, Hrisitova recorded 19 points and 10 caroms to mark the first time since March 26, 2017 that the Cougars had two players post a double-double in the same game. It is the second double-double in the last three games for the Varna, Bulgarian native, while it is her ninth career double-double.
The duo paced a quartet of double-digit scorers for Washington State on Sunday. Redshirt junior Jovana Subasic set her career high in points with 19 off the bench, while redshirt sophomore Johanna Muzet chipped in a season-best 10 points in a reserve role.
Washington State put on one of its most dominating defensive performances of the year against UCI by limiting the Anteaters to just 29.2% from the floor and forcing them into 14 turnovers.
The Cougars started on fire from the floor, as they connected on five of their first seven shot attempts of the game en route to a 61.1% shooting percentage in the frame and a nine-point lead after 10 minutes of play. The hot start allowed WSU to stay ahead for nearly the entire game, as they lead for all but 49 seconds on Sunday. Washington State extended its lead out to a game-high 28 points with their final bucket of the game from sophomore Ula Motuga.
WSU will now head across the country to partake in the Miami Holiday Classic on Dec. 20-21 at the University of Miami. The Cougars open play against Southern on Friday, Dec. 20, at 11:15 a.m. PT and conclude with a game against the host Hurricanes on Saturday, Dec. 21, at 8 a.m. PT.
COUG QUOTES
Head coach Kamie Ethridge on the win: "I'm really excited about this team and the growth I feel like we made. You're seeing real tangible growth out there. We were able to get the ball up the court a lot faster and put a little more pressure on their transition defense. We played a team that had some matchup issues with us and we were able to take advantage of that. We had some phenomenal individual performances from Bella and Bobi and it's exciting to see that. Overall, I'm happy with the entire team."
Coach Ethridge on Murekatete's first double-double: "It's exciting to see Bella score and impact the game the way she did. I hope this is a confidence builder for her and it makes her hungrier. She has a double-double in just 20 minutes of play, so it's exciting to see that growth. She is a great personality and I'm thankful to have her in our program."
COUG NOTES
- Today's double-doubles from Borislava Hristova and Bella Murekatete marks the first time two Cougs have reached the feat in the same game since March 26, 2017. Caila Hailey (10 pts, 10 reb) and Pinelopi Pavlopoulou (13 pts, 11 reb) each recorded a double-double in a Cougar victory at Iowa in the quarterfinals of the WNIT.
- Freshman Bella Murekatete set career-high in points (15), rebounds (13), field goals made (6), field goals attempted (12) against the Anteaters on Sunday. She also tied her career-best in blocks (2) and minutes played (20).
- Senior Borislava Hristova recorded her third double-double of the 2019-20 season and the ninth of her career. She also extends her double-digit scoring streak to four games with her 19-point effort.
- With 19 points tonight, Borislava Hristova now has 1,892 career points. She is now 76 points away from breaking the WSU all-time scoring record.
- Redshirt junior Jovana Subasic scored a career-high 19 points to extend her double-digit scoring streak to three games.
