PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State women's basketball team puts its perfect 2-0 record on the line this Saturday, Dec. 19, as the Cougars host No. 21-ranked Oregon State in Pac-12 Conference action. Tip-off from Beasley Coliseum is set for 12 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network Washington.
WASHINGTON STATE (2-0, 1-0 Pac-12) vs. #21/21 Oregon State (3-2, 1-2 Pac-12) | Saturday, Dec. 19 | 12 p.m. | Beasley Coliseum
Live Stats | WSUCougars.com
Watch | Pac-12 Network Washington (Greg Heister & Alyssa Charlston)
Listen | WSU IMG Radio Network (Steve Grubbs)
WSU Game Notes | Click Here
STARTING FIVE
>> Washington State comes into Saturday's contest boasting a perfect 2-0 overall record. WSU opened the 2020-21 season by collecting a 60-52 win at Washington last Friday to move to 1-0 in Pac-12 Conference play. The Cougars followed that up by knocking off Idaho, 74-55, in WSU's 2020-21 home opener this past Sunday.
>> Washington State jumps back into Pac-12 Conference play after picking up a 19-point victory over Idaho this past Sunday. The Cougs scored 32 points against the Vandals in the third quarter to erase a four-point halftime deficit. The 32-third-quarter-points scored by the Cougs set a program record for most points scored in a third stanza, and was two-points shy of tying WSU's record for most points scored in any quarter. (34 points in the second quarter vs. San Francisco on Nov. 29, 2018)
>> Freshman Charlisse Leger-Walker's historic debut weekend earned her Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors this past Monday, Dec. 14. She becomes the first WSU player in program history garner Pac-12 Freshman of the Week accolades in her first week of action. Leger-Walker averaged a Pac-12 best 24.5 points per game this past week, as she scored a combined 49 points in wins over Washington and Idaho. The 49 points are the most scored by any WSU player in their first two games.
>> Washington State will be taking on its first ranked opponent in the 2020-21 season this Saturday, when the Cougars host No. 21-ranked Oregon State. The Cougs played a school-record 15 games against ranked foes a season ago. The last WSU win over a ranked team came on Jan. 6, 2017, when the Cougs knocked off No. 9/7-ranked UCLA behind a 33-point effort from then-freshman Chanelle Molina.
>> Saturday's matchup between the Cougars and the Beavers will be the 90th all-time meeting between them. OSU holds the all-time series lead, 59-30, and have won each of the last 13 games against WSU. The last Coug win over Oregon State came back on Feb. 15, 2013 with a 51-49 victory in Corvallis to complete WSU's season-sweep against the Beavers.
Leading the Pac
Freshman
Charlisse Leger-Walker enters this week's slate of games leading the Pac-12 in scoring at 24.5 points per game. Her 49 combined points from a week ago are the most points scored by any WSU player through their first two games, and she became the first Cougar to ever win Pac-12 Freshman of the Week in her debut week.
Locking Them Down
Coming into Saturday's contest, Washington State is holding teams to just 53.5 points per game. That currently gives the Cougs the 16th-best scoring defense in NCAA Division I, and third-best in the Pac-12 Conference. WSU is forcing teams into 15.0 turnovers per game, putting them inside the top-100 in turnovers per game in all of NCAA Division I. Freshman Charlisse Leger-Walker currently leads the team in steals at 3.5 swipes per game, a mark that's ranked 25th-best in the country.
All-Around Performance
Freshman Charlisse Leger-Walker filled up the stat sheet in her first weekend in a Washington State uniform, as she helped the Cougars pick up a pair of victories over rivals Washington and Idaho. The 5-10 guard averaged a Pac-12-best 24.5 points per game this past week, and tallied 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.5 steals in her first two games as a Coug.
Protecting the Rim
Washington State has been rejecting shots at a high-rate through its first two games of the 2020-21 season. The Cougars rank inside the top-20 nationally in blocked shots per game, as their 6.0. rejections per game is the 18th-best average in all of NCAA Division I. Freshman Charlisse Leger-Walker paces the Cougs with 2.0 blocks per game, which ranks 49th in NCAA Division I. Sophomore Bella Murekatete follows at 1.5 swats per contest, while junior Shir Levy is posting 1.0 blocks per game.
Scouting the Beavers
Oregon State comes into Pullman looking to break a two-game losing streak that has put them at 3-2 overall. OSU has dropped back-to-back Pac-12 Conference games at home against Utah and No. 7 Oregon, as they stand at 1-2 in league play. The Beavers are currently ranked No. 21 in both the Associate Press and USA Today's WBCA Coaches Polls.
OSU's roster features nine player that are 6-1 or taller, two of which are listed at 6-9. That height advantage has led to some proficient shooting numbers for the Beavers, as they are shooting 44.2% from the field. Their length has also aided in averaging 40.6 rebounds per game. Aleah Goodman, a 5-9 guard, leads the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game. The senior has tallied double-digits in four of her five games, and scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games before being limited to seven points her last time against Oregon.
Freshman Sasha Goforth, a McDonald's All-American, follows Goodman with a 14.2 points per game average, while sophomore Taylor Jones rounds out OSU's trio of double-digit scorers at 13.2 points per contest. As a team, the Beavers are putting up 77.0 points per game. Defensively, teams are shooting 36.5 percent from the floor against Oregon State, while making 36.7% of their shots from behind-the-arc.
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