CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Washington State women's basketball team kicked off its two-game road trip to the Lone Star State with a convincing 75-49 victory at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Monday, Dec. 19.

The Cougars put together a complete performance against the Islanders, as Washington State shot 46 percent from the floor while also holding TAMU-CC under 50 points. It is the third time this season that WSU has held an opponent to under 50 points in a game.

Washington State got a pair of 20-point performances from junior Charlisse Leger-Walker and sophomore Tara Wallack, as the duo led a quartet of double-digit scorers for the Cougs. Leger-Walker continued her blistering-hot shooting of late, as the guard from Waikato, New Zealand shot 53.8 percent from the floor, connecting on 7-of-13 from the field. It is Leger-Walker's fifth-straight game shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.

Wallack was even more efficient, as the sophomore shot a scorching 75 percent against TAMU-CC hitting nine of her 12 shot attempts. The 20-point performance for Wallack ties a career-best in points, as she scored 20 points against Prairie View A&M back on Nov. 11. Wallack was one of three WSU players to pull down seven rebounds, matching Leger-Walker and fifth-year senior Ula Motuga for the team lead.

Motuga and freshman Kyra Gardner joined Leger-Walker and Wallack in the double-digit scoring column against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Motuga scored 12 points, while Gardner had a career night with personal-best 10 points.

With the win, the Cougars improve to 9-2, which is tied for the best 11-game start to a season in program history in the NCAA era. WSU has opened a year at 9-2 in five previous seasons, with the most recent coming during the 2015-16 campaign.  

WSU held an eight-point lead at the break, as Washington State held a 39-31 lead going into the locker room. The Cougars turned up the defensive pressure over the final two quarters of play, as WSU held Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to just 4-of-22 from the floor over the final 20 minutes of play. The Cougars led by as many as 29 points in the second half before settling for the 26-point victory over the Islanders.

Washington State had a total of 22 assists on its 29 shots made from the field. Leger-Walker paced the team with six assists, while senior Johanna Teder handed out five helpers.

Coach Ethridge on the Win
"It was a well-rounded team effort. I didn't love our first half, I thought we were a little soft in the post. I really loved our team's response coming out of halftime. I thought Ula and Tara did a great job, obviously, Charlisse had a great game, but it was great to have four players score double digits. A road win is big, no matter whom you're playing. This was a good response from us."

Coug Notes
- Washington State picks up a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the first matchup between the two schools.
- Washington State improves to 4-1 on the road this season.
- Charlisse Leger-Walker moved past three players on WSU's all-time 3-point list this evening, as she moved past Sage Romberg (141 3PM), Joanna Smith (143 3PM), and Jazmine Perkins (144 3PM), as Leger-Walker is now fifth all-time in program history in made 3-pointers with 145.
- Leger-Walker also moved into 13th on WSU's all-time scoring list tonight, passing Cassandra Overby (1,160). Leger-Walker, who has 1,177 career points, is now 112 points away from passing Jazmine Perkins (1,288 pts) for 12th.
- Leger-Walker's 20-point performance against TAMU-CC is the 30th time in her WSU career that she has scored 20 or more points. It is the 57th time she has scored 10 or more points in a game.
- Ula Motuga recorded her 31st career game with double-digit points with a 12-point effort tonight.
- Tara Wallack recorded double-digit points for the 10th time in her career.

Next Up
Washington State concludes its Texas two-step this Wednesday, Dec. 21, when the Cougars travel to Houston. Tip-off against UH is set for 10:30 a.m. PT and will stream live on ESPN+.

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