PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State women's basketball team had four players score double-digits, while locking down Oregon State (RV) for 40 minutes, en route to a 58-51 win over the Beavers in Beasley Coliseum Wednesday, Jan. 26.
The Cougars had four of their five starters eclipse the double-digit plateau in Wednesday's win over OSU. Junior Johanna Teder paced the way for WSU with 17 points. Redshirt fifth year senior Krystal Leger-Walker and junior Bella Murekatete each had 11 points and senior Ula Motuga tallied 10 points. The lone Washington State starter not to score double-digit was leading scorer Charlisse Leger-Walker, who chipped in nine points.
With the victory, the Cougs have now won three-straight games over Oregon State for the first time since the 2011-12 and 2012-13 campaigns. The win also pushes WSU's overall record to 11-6 on the year, while the Cougars improve to an even 3-3 in Pac-12 play.
Washington State led for 37:25 of game time in Wednesday's victory. WSU closed the opening quarter on a 10-2 run to take a 12-6 lead at the end of the frame. Washington State held a 25-19 lead at the break, but Oregon State opened third quarter with six-straight points to pull even at 25-all. The Cougars responded with a 6-0 run of its own to retake a six-point lead at 31-25 with 7:14 left to play in the frame. Washington State would never relinquish the lead from that point, as the Cougars led by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter before capturing a seven-point victory.
WSU limited the Beavers to just an 8.3 percent shooting performance from behind the arc, as the Cougars limited OSU to just 1-of-12 on 3-point field goals. Conversely, Washington State went 8-of-20 (.400) from behind the arc. The elder Leger-Walker sister and Teder each sank a team-best three shots from deep in the win. The Cougs held Oregon State to its second-lowest point total of the season, while the 51 points are the fewest scored by the Beavers in a loss this season.
Head Coach Kamie Ethridge on the Win
"Just thought it was a great 40-minute game from us. Obviously had some highs and lows in it. That is a good Oregon State team that has a lot of weapons and versatility. I thought we managed the game incredibly well. It's so exhausting to get a win. I know our team is exhausted, but I thought they were so good on the defensive end. That carried us, and of course making shots was a big factor. You hold that team to 51 points; you've got to talk mostly about how good the defense was."
Coug Notes
- Ula Motuga has now scored double-digits in each of her last three games, while she has hit at least two 3-point field goals in each of her last three games.
- Washington State improves to 6-1 at Beasley Coliseum this season. WSU has won eight of its last nine home games dating back to last season.
- With her 17-point performance against OSU, junior Johanna Teder is now averaging 13.0 points per game against the Beavers in her career. She scored 20 points against Oregon State in last season's win in Beasley.
- Teder's five assists also ties her career high for most assists in a game, which she has done on three separate occasions.
- Krystal Leger-Walker handed out a game-high six assists to extend her consecutive game assists streak to 82 games.
- Junior Grace Sarver appeared in her 54-straight games for the Cougars, all off the bench. It is WSU's longest active consecutive games played streak.
Up Next
Washington State will be back in action this Friday, Jan. 28, when they host Washington for the first of two Boeing Apple Cup Series games this weekend. Tip-off against the Huskies from Beasley Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. PT and will air live on Pac-12 Network Washington.
