PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State women's basketball team put on an offensive clinic in its 2022-23 season opener, as the Cougars scored the fourth-most points in a game under Head Coach Kamie Ethridge en route to a 93-41 victory over Loyola Marymount at Beasley Coliseum Monday, November 7.
All 12 WSU players that were active scored in the victory, with four recording double-digit points. The Cougars shot 58.6% from the field, which is the ninth-highest team field goal percentage in a game in program history. Washington State hit 11 3-point field goals in the victory over the Lions, as the Cougs shot 52.4% from behind the arc.
Washington State got out of the gates fast against Loyola Marymount and never slowed down. The Cougar led for 39:32 of game time and used a 20-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to collect the 52-point win over the Lions. It is the largest margin of victory for the Cougars in the Ethridge Era.
Senior Bella Murekatete led a quartet of double-digit scorers for Washington State, as the 6-3 post tallied a game-high 18 points, while shooting 61.5% from the field. Murekatete hit eight of her 13 shots from the field, adding a game-high two blocks and five rebounds to her stat line.
All-Pac-12 guard Charlisse Leger-Walker recorded her 48th career game with double digit points, as she registered 16 points in the win against LMU. Leger-Walker dished out six assists while tying for the team lead in rebounds with fifth-year senior Ula Motuga, as each had seven caroms. Motuga hit a career-high five 3-point field goals in the win en route to a 15-point performance. Sophomore Tara Wallack rounded out the double-digit scoring for Washington State, as she scored 11 points in her 11th career start as a Coug.
Washington State debuted three of its four freshmen in the game against LMU, with Asteria Tuhina, Kyra Gardner, and Lauren Glazier played in their first official game as Cougs. All three found the scoring ledger in their debut, paced by Tuhina's seven-point, eight-assist effort. Tuhina's eight assists are the most collected by a WSU freshman in their debut game. The eight assists is also tied for the 11th-most collected by a Cougar freshman in a game.
Head Coach Kamie Ethridge on the Win
"I'm really relieved. Going into your first game, all you have is nerves. You always wonder what team will show up. I was so happy for our team to get this win. I thought we followed the scout well and were prepared for what they were going to do. The greatest thing to see is the growth of our players. I think they are significantly better than they were a year ago. Our new players won't be hidden for very long. I think you'll see this is a class that could be great for us moving forward. This kind of validates the work our kids have put in during the offseason, and games like this will make them hungry to get back into the gym and get back to work."
Coug Notes
- The Cougars move to 3-0 all-time against Loyola Marymount and pick up their first win over the Lions since Nov. 11, 2016
- Washington State wins its season opener for the fourth-straight season. The Cougars are 4-1 all-time in season openers under Kamie Ethridge
- The 93 points scored in the win over LMU are the fourth-most points WSU scored in a game in the Ethridge Era
- It is the seventh time that Washington State has scored 90-plus points in a game under Head Coach Kamie Ethridge
- WSU has now won eight-straight non-conference games at Beasley Coliseum
- The Cougars improve to 15-4 in non-conference home games under Coach Ethridge
- The eight assists dished out by freshman Astera Tuhina sets a new WSU freshman record for most assists in a debut game
- Junior Charlisse Leger-Walker recorded her 48th career game with 10-or-more points, while it is her 36th career game with 15-or-more points
- Leger-Walker is now 49 points away from 1,000 points in her collegiate career
- Fifth-year senior Ula Motuga hit a career-high five 3-point field goals in the win over LMU
- The 20-0 run is the longest consecutive scoring streak for WSU in the Ethridge Era
- Senior Bella Murekatete recorded her 32nd career game with 10-or-more points
- Fifth-year senior Ula Motuga scored double-digit points for the 24th time in her WSU career
- It is the fifth time that sophomore Tara Wallack has scored 10-plus points in a game
Next Up
Washington State will head to the Bay Area this Friday, Nov. 11, as the Cougars are set to take on the University of San Francisco. Tip-off against the Dons is set for 1 p.m. PT and will stream live on WCCSports.com.
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