LOS ANGELES – The No. 25-ranked Washington State women's basketball team hits the road this weekend and heads towards the glitz and glamor of Los Angeles, as the Cougars open a weekend stay in the City of Angels Friday, Jan. 15, afternoon against Southern Cal. Tip-off from the Galen Center is set for 4:30 p.m. PT and will air live on Pac-12 Washington.
No. 25 WASHINGTON STATE (7-1, 5-1 Pac-12) vs. SOUTHERN CAL (5-5, 3-5 Pac-12) | Friday, Jan. 15, 2021 | 4:30 p.m. PT | Galen Center
Live Stats | WSUCougars.com
Watch | Pac-12 Network Washington (Anne-Marie Anderson and Maylana Martin)
Listen | WSU IMG Radio (Steve Grubbs)
Game Notes | Click Here
STARTING FIVE
>> Friday's contest will be a historic one for the Cougars, as it will mark the first game Washington State has played as a ranked team in program history. The Cougs came in at No. 25 in this week's Associated Press Poll to earn the program's first ranking. WSU made its debut in the AP top 25 after knocking off then-No. 7/10 Arizona in overtime, 71-69, this past Sunday in Beasley Coliseum.
>> Washington State enters Friday with a 7-1 overall record and a 5-1 mark in Pac-12 play. The 7-1 start ties for the program's best start in the NCAA era through eight games. WSU has begun the year at 7-1 on five previous occasions, with the most recent occurrence taking place during the 2015-16 season. The Cougs opened three-straight seasons at 7-1 from 1989-90 to 1991-92, then again during 1994-95 season. Prior to joining the NCAA, WSU started a year at 7-1, or better, in six different seasons from 1970-1986.
>> Friday's contest against Southern Cal kicks off a four-game Pac-12 road trip for Washington State. After Friday's game against the Trojans, WSU will round out the weekend at No. 8/8 UCLA on Sunday, Jan. 17, before heading to No. 10/10 Oregon next Friday, Jan. 22. WSU closes out the trip next Sunday, Jan. 24, at Oregon State.
>> Washington State will be looking to snap a six-game skid against the Trojans this Friday. USC has swept the season series in each of the last three seasons. WSU's last win in the series game back on Jan. 8, 2017, when the Cougars collected a 74-57 victory in Pullman. Washington State's last win over the Trojans in the Galen Center came on Jan. 31, 2014 with a 79-75 victory.
>> WSU will be seeking its fourth-straight Pac-12 road win on Friday against the Trojans, a feat that has never been accomplished in program history. Washington State has collected three-consecutive road wins against league foes this season coming into Friday's contest after picking up wins at Washington (60-52; Dec. 10), at Utah (79-74: Jan. 1) and at Colorado (Jan. 3, 76-63).
And the Award Goes To…
It's been quite the week for the Washington State women's basketball team in terms of National recognition, as the Cougars were named National Team of the Week by both the NCAA and U.S. Basketball Writers Association. WSU earned the honor after collecting a 71-69 win in overtime against then-No. 7/10-ranked Arizona on Sunday, which helped the team make its first appearance in the AP top 25 in program history on Monday.
Freshman Charlisse Leger-Walker's heroics against the Wildcats also earned her the USBWA Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week Award, making her the first WSU player in program history to earn the distinction.
Historic Pac-12 Freshman of the Week
This past Monday, the Pac-12 Conference named Charlisse Leger-Walker Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for the third-straight week, making her the fourth player in conference history to achieve the feat. It is also the fourth Pac-12 Freshman of the Week award for Leger-Walker this season, which is a program record for most freshman of the week honors by a single WSU player.
Point Production
Redshirt senior Krystal Leger-Walker filled up the stat sheet in Sunday's wins 71-69 overtime over Arizona, as the point guard scored 14 points and dished out nine assists. Leger-Walker accounted for 52.1% of WSU point total in the win over the Wildcats. In addition to her 14-point performance, Leger-Walker's nine assists led to 23 points for the Cougars in the win.
Taking Steps Forward
Washington State enters this week's slate of Pac-12 games in second place in the conference standings, at 5-1. No. 1-ranked Stanford and the Cougs are the only two teams in the Pac-12 to have lost two-or-fewer games this season. The 5-1 start for Washington State in league play ties for the best start in Pac-12 play in program history, matching the 5-1 mark set by the 2013-14 squad. No WSU team in program history has ever started a season to a 6-1 in Pac-12 play.
Defense Travels
Washington State is hoping the old adage, defense travels anywhere, holds true over the next couple of weeks, as the Cougars open a four-game Pac-12 road trip this Friday. WSU is currently third the league in steals per game at 9.9 swipes per contest. Freshman Charlisse Leger-Walker leads the Pac-12 in steals per game at 3.25.
The defensive pressure has allowed the Cougs to boast one of the top defensive scoring teams in the nation this season, as WSU's 61.1 points per game allowed to the opposition ranks 80th in all of NCAA Division I.
Scouting the Trojans
Southern California comes into Friday's contest with a bit of momentum, as they have won back-to-back home contests against Utah (60-59) and Colorado (56-52) to pull to an even .500 on the year at 5-5, while improving its Pac-12 record to 3-5 along the way.
Sophomore Endyia Rogers leads the Trojans in scoring at 16.7 points per game. The guard is currently riding a six-game double-digit scoring streak after posting 12 points and five assists in the win over Colorado on Monday. Rogers has scored double-digits in all but one game this season. Graduate transfer Jordan Sanders is USC's only other double-digit scorer, as she is averaging 14.7 points per game in her first season at Southern Cal.
As a team, the Trojans are averaging 66.5 points per game, while shooting 44.6% from the floor. USC has found ample success behind the 3-point line this season, as they are connecting on 38.3% of their attempts from behind the arc. Four Trojans have made 10-or-more 3-point field goals this season. Defensively, USC is giving up 67.1 points per game, while teams are shooting 39.9% from the floor against them.
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