21WBBLegerWalkerCharlisseIdaho2
55
Idaho UI 2-2,2-0 Big Sky
74
Winner Washington St. WSU 2-0,1-0 Pac-12
Idaho UI
2-2,2-0 Big Sky
55
Final
74
Washington St. WSU
2-0,1-0 Pac-12
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Idaho UI 9 18 14 14 55
Washington St. WSU 9 14 32 19 74

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Washington State Athletic Communications

Cougs Score 32 Points in the Third Quarter to Lock Up the Vandals

GAME HIGHLIGHTS | COACH ETHRIDGE PRESS CONFERENCE | C. LEGER-WALKER PRESS CONFERENCE

PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State women's basketball team scored a program-record 32 points in the third quarter to collect a come-from-behind 74-55 victory over the University of Idaho in the Battle of the Palouse at Beasley Coliseum Sunday, Dec. 13.

The Cougars went into the halftime break trailing the Vandals, 27-23. That deficit would soon be a distant memory, as WSU outscored Idaho in the third quarter, 32-14, to take a double-digit lead the Cougs would never relinquish. The 32 points scored in the third stanza marks a new program-high for points scored in the third quarter, topping the 29-point performance at Oregon on Dec. 30, 2016 in the third frame.

With the win, Washington State improves to 2-0 on the year, while Idaho falls to an even 2-2. WSU is off to its second-straight 2-0 start to open a season, as last year's Cougar squad began the season 4-0.

The record-setting scoring performance in the third quarter was led by freshman Charlisse Leger-Walker, who scored 18 of her career-high 29 points in the frame. The 29-point effort is the fourth-most points scored in a game by a WSU freshman. The guard was just five points shy of breaking the WSU freshman single-game scoring record of 33 points, set first by Lia Galidera at Minnesota on Nov. 11, 2012 in her debut game at WSU, and matched by Chanelle Molina on Jan. 6, 2017 in an upset win over No. 9/7-ranked UCLA.

The Washington State defense locked up the Vandals all evening, as they forced Idaho into 14 turnovers, which turned into 25 WSU points. The Cougars were particularly effective guarding the 3-point line against Idaho, a team known for its long-distance shooting. WSU held the UI to just 7-of-28 - 25% - from behind the arc on the night.

Sophomore Bella Murekatete, who played her prep ball in Idaho, tied her career-high in points on Sunday with a 15-point performance against the Vandals. The 6-3 center also pulled down a season-best eight rebounds, as she helped the Cougars outrebound an Idaho team that was leading NCAA Division I in rebounds coming into Sunday's contest, 51-38.

WSU's lead grew to as high as 22 points in the fourth quarter before claiming the 19-point victory in its 2020-21 home opener.
Coug Quotes
Coach Ethridge on the Win: "I'm really pleased with how we adjusted in the second half. We talked about it after the game, if we took the first half from Friday and the second half from tonight that we would have a complete game. Unfortunately, they don't let you do that. We've got to figure out how to start off well, like we did at Washington, then adjust well and comeback with a great mindset-effort. Again, I like this team. I think they have a high (basketball) IQ and toughness to them."

Head Coach Kamie Ethridge on the Third Quarter: "I thought we were very flat in the first half. We had a pretty rough travel day yesterday getting back from Seattle, but I thought our players tried really hard to get themselves ready to come out with the energy we needed. We went back to the basics in the second half. (Idaho) plays a scheme that we hadn't seen in a long time, their under-arm screens shook our guards and caused them to miss a few shots. So, it was really good to get into halftime and adjust and simplify what we wanted to do. Obviously, we put Charlisse in good spots on the floor and she had great success in the third quarter."

Charlisse Leger-Walker on her third-quarter performance: "At halftime, we talked about coming out with more energy, because we were quite flat going into the first two quarters. I knew I had to hit the (offensive) boards harder and not force too much, and that allowed me to get into the flow of the game and get some easy points."
Coug Notes
  • WSU now holds a 27-13 advantage over their Gem State neighbor. Sunday's Battle of the Palouse was the 40th all-time meeting between Washington State and Idaho, but the first time the two schools separated by eight miles tipped off on the hardwood in 12 years.
  • Charlisse Leger-Walker's 29-point performance tonight is the fourth-most points scored by a freshman in WSU history. The guard from New Zealand is in elite company, as only Lia Galdeira (33 pts), Chanelle Molina (33 pts) and Borislava Hristova (30 pts) are the only three freshmen in program history to have scored more points than Leger-Walker in a single game.
  • Sophomore Bella Murekatete tied her career-high in points tonight with 15, matching her career-best effort on Dec. 15, 2019 against UC Davis. It was also her fifth career double-digit scoring game.
  • Murekatete also dished out a career-best four assists against the Vandals.
  • Freshman Charlisse Leger-Walker filled up the stat sheet once again for the Cougs, as the guard collected a career-high 29 points and eight rebounds to go along with a career-best five assists.
Up Next
The Cougars will continue their four-game home stand next Saturday, Dec. 19, when they jump back into Pac-12 Conference action against No. 15/16-ranked Oregon State. Tip-off against the Beavers is set for 12 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network. For more information on the Washington State women's basketball team, follow WSUCougarWBB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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