HOUSTON – The Washington State women's basketball team concludes its Texas two-step this Wednesday, Dec. 21, as the Cougars are set to take on Houston. Tip-off is set for 10:30 a.m. PT and will be streamed on ESPN+.
WASHINGTON STATE (9-2, 0-1 Pac-12) at Houston (3-9, 0-0 American) | Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022 | 10:30 a.m. PT | Fertitta Center
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Watch | ESPN+
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Game Notes | Click Here
Starting Five
>> Washington State closes out the non-conference portion of the 2022-23 schedule this Wednesday at Houston. The Cougars are 9-1 this season against teams outside of the Pac-12 Conference. WSU is 32-16 against non-conference opponents under Kamie Ethridge and an even more impressive 18-4 over the last three seasons against teams outside of the Pac-12.
>> WSU will be looking for its third win in five days coming into Wednesday's contest. The Cougars opened the stretch with a win at home against Jackson State (83-56) then collected a victory at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (75-49) on Monday.
>> The Cougars bring a 9-2 overall record into Wednesday's game against Houston. It is tied for the best 11-game start in the NCAA era. It is the fifth time that WSU has opened a campaign at 9-2 in the NCAA era (post 1982). The 1978-79 team holds the program record for the best 11-game start to a season, beginning the year at 10-1 en route to a school-record 21-win season.
>> Washington State and Houston will be meeting for the second time on the hardwood. WSU won the only previous meeting between the two schools, collecting an 86-72 win at Houston.
>> WSU Women's Basketball Head Coach Kamie Ethridge collected her 60th win at Washington State this past Monday with a victory at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Ethridge's 60 wins are the second-most wins for a fifth-year coach at WSU, trailing only Sue Durrant's school-record 61 wins.
Game Coverage
Wednesday's game at Houston will stream live at 10:30 a.m. PT on ESPN+. Fans can also listen to Steve Grubbs call all the action on WSUCougars.com or locally on 1150 AM.
Among the Nation's Best
Junior Charlisse Leger-Walker has been one of the most prolific scorers in the nation this season, as she is currently ninth in the nation in scoring at 22.0 points per game. Her 242 points score this season is also the 10th-most scored by a player in NCAA Division I this season. Both marks currently lead the Pac-12.
20-Point Duo
Junior Charlisse Leger-Walker and sophomore Tara Wallack each scored 20 points in Monday's win at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. It is the second time this season that the pair have scored 20 or more points each in a game, as they previously accomplished the feat against Prairie View A&M in Beasley Coliseum back on Nov. 13.
Finding Her Groove
Freshman Kyra Gardner is coming off her best game as a Coug, as she scored a career-high 10 points against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 18 minutes off the bench. Gardner has now scored a total of 19 points over her last two contests.
Knocking Down the 3-Pointers
Washington State has collected 10 3-point field goals in back-to-back games coming into Wednesday's contest at Houston. The Cougars have made 10 or more shots from behind the arc in four games this season.
Moving Up the Lists
Charlisse Leger-Walker moved into 13th on WSU's all-time scoring list in Monday's win at TAMU-CC, 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.
She also moved past three players on WSU's all-time 3-point list in the win over the Islanders, as she moved past Sage Romberg (141 3PM), Joanna Smith (143 3PM), and Jazmine Perkins (144 3PM). Leger-Walker is now fifth all-time in program history in made 3-pointers with 145.
Scouting Houston
Houston comes into the game against Washington State fresh off a 93-89 overtime win over UT San Antonio on Monday. UH is 3-9 on the year and 3-2 at the Fertitta Center.
Junior Laila Blair leads the team in scoring at 15.1 points per game. Blair has scored double-digit points in 11-straight games coming into Wednesday's game. Senior Tiara Young is also averaging double figures in the scoring column at 13.1 points per contest.
Houston is averaging 68.2 points per game this season while shooting 35.8 percent from the floor. Teams are putting up 69.3 points per game, while the opposition is shooting 42.2 percent against Houston.
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