CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Washington State women's basketball team hits the road to close out the non-conference portion of the 2022-23 schedule, as the Cougars open a two-game road trip in the Lone Star State this Monday, Dec. 19, when WSU takes on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Tip-off against the Islanders is set for 5 p.m. PT and will stream live on ESPN+.
WASHINGTON STATE (8-2, 0-1 Pac-12) at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (5-5, 0-0 Southland) | Monday, Dec. 19, 2022 | 5 p.m. PT | Dugan Wellness Center
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Starting Five
>> Washington State is in the midst of a three-game, five-day stretch to close out the non-conference portion of the 2022-23 schedule. The Cougars began the stretch at home on Sunday with an 83-56 win over Jackson State. After Monday's game at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Cougars will close out non-conference play at Houston on Wednesday, Dec. 21.
>> WSU will make its longest scheduled trip of the season this Monday when the Cougars travel 2,114 miles to take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. It will also be the first meeting between Washington State and TAMU-CC.
>> The Cougars will be seeking their ninth win of the season after picking up an 83-56 win over Jackson State on Sunday to move to 8-2 on the year, which ties for the best start to a season in the NCAA era in program history. It is also the sixth time that the Cougars have opened a campaign at 8-2 in the NCAA era (post 1982). The 1978-79 team holds the program record for the best 10-game start to a season, beginning the year at 10-0 en route to a school-record 21-win season.
>> Washington State will be playing in its first game in Texas since the 2021 NCAA Tournament, when WSU took on South Florida in Austin, Texas in the first round of March Madness. WSU Women's Basketball Head Coach Kamie Ethridge has deep ties to the Lone Star State, having been born and raised in Lubbock, Texas. Ethridge went to the University of Texas, where she won an NCAA National Championship in 1984 as the starting point guard of the NCAA's first-ever undefeated women's basketball team.
>> Junior Charlisse Leger-Walker comes into Monday's game at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a tie for 14th on WSU's all-time scoring list with Alexys Swedlund at 1,157 career points. Leger-Walker needs only four more points to move past Cassandra Overby (1,160 pts; 1980-84) for 13th. She is 32 points away from passing April Cook (1,188 pts; 2008-12) for 12th on WSU's all-time scoring list.
Game Coverage
Monday's game at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will stream live at 5 p.m. PT on ESPN+. Fans can also listen to Steve Grubbs call all the action on WSUCougars.com or locally on 1150 AM.
Closing Out the Non-Conference Strong
Washington State is looking to put the finishing touches on a strong non-conference portion of its 2022-23 schedule. The Cougars head into Monday's game at TAMU-CC at 8-1 against non-Pac-12 teams this season. WSU is 31-16 against non-conference opponents under Kamie Ethridge and an even more impressive 17-4 over the last three seasons against teams outside of the Pac-12.
Collecting the Double-Doubles
Senior Bella Murekatete recorded her fourth double-double of the season in Saturday's win over Jackson State, as she scored 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. It is Murekatete's ninth career double-double at Washington State, which is the 13th-most collected in program history.
Another 20-Point Performance
Junior Charlisse Leger-Walker scored 20 points in the win over Jackson State. It is her 29th career game with 20 or more points, while it is her 56th career game at WSU scoring 10-plus points. Leger-Walker has scored 10 or more points in 87.5 percent of her 64 career games at Washington State.
Knocking Down the 3-Pointers
Washington State collected 10 3-point field goals in Saturday's win over Jackson State. It marks the third time that WSU has connected on 10 or more shots from behind the arc and was just one 3-pointer shy of the team-best of 11 3-pointers hit against LMU and Montana.
Ironwoman
Senior Grace Sarver has a Ripken-like streak of consecutive games played. Sarver has played in 79 straight games as Cougar dating back to the 2019-20 season. Sarver is one of three WSU players that has played in every game over the last two-plus seasons.
Scouting the Islanders
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi comes into Monday's contest on a three-game winning streak that has seen the Islanders even up their record at 5-5. TAMU-CC is a perfect 4-0 at the Dugan Wellness Center this season.
Redshirt senior Makinna Serrata is Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's lone double-digit scorer, as the 6-0 guard is averaging 11.3 points per game. Serrata has scored double-digit points in four-straight games and in six of her last seven games. Senior Alecia Westbrook is nearly averaging a double-double, as the 6-1 post player is putting up 8.8 points and pulling down a team-best 9.5 rebounds per game. Westbrook has two double-doubles on the year and has collected double-digit caroms in five games this season.
The Islanders are averaging 59.5 points through 10 games this season. TAMU-CC is shooting 38.1 percent from the floor on the season while connecting on 31.1 percent from behind the arc. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi has been tough to score on this year, as they are holding teams to 55.4 points per game. Teams are shooting 36.6 percent from the floor against the Islanders while posting a 25.0 clip on 3-point shots.
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