PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State women's basketball team continues its brief two-game Pac-12 Conference homestand this Sunday, Jan. 22, as the Cougars will host No. 9/13-ranked UCLA. Tip-off from Beasley Coliseum is set for 12 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Network Los Angeles.
WASHINGTON STATE (13-5, 3-4 Pac-12) vs. No. 9/13 UCLA (16-3, 5-2 Pac-12) | Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023 | 12:00 p.m. PT | Beasley Coliseum
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Watch | Pac-12 Network Los Angeles (Greg Heister and Stephanie Hawk Freeman)
Listen | Click Here (Steve Grubbs)
Game Notes | Click Here
Starting Five
>> The Cougs come into Sunday's matchup against the Bruins looking to get back on the winning side of the ledger, as Washington State dropped a 51-44 decision to Southern California. WSU is 13-5 on the year and stands at 3-4 in Pac-12 play.
>> Washington State has been tough to beat at Beasley Court over the last couple of seasons, as Washington State is 17-5 at home since the start of the 2021-22 season. The Cougars have been even better at Beasley of last, as WSU has won 10 of its last 13 home games.
>> WSU will be looking to make it two-straight wins over UCLA this Sunday, as the Cougars defeated UCLA, 66-65, in Beasley Coliseum back on Feb. 11, 2022. The Cougs have only beaten the Bruins in consecutive games once in program history, having picked up back-to-back victories over UCLA between the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons.
>> The series between the Cougars and the Bruins dates back to Jan. 31, 1987. UCLA leads the all-time series 59-10, though Washington State has won two of the last three meetings against the Bruins. All 10 WSU wins in the series have come in Pullman.
>> Washington State is off to one of its best starts to a season in program history, as the Cougars stand at 13-5 overall through 18 games this season. WSU's 13-5 record is tied with the 1995-96 squad for the best game start to a season through 18 games in program history.
Game Coverage
Sunday's game between Washington State and UCLA will be broadcast live from Beasley on Pac-12 Network Los Angeles with Greg Heister and Stephanie Hawk Freeman on the call. Fans can also listen to Steve Grubbs call all the action locally on 1150 AM or anywhere on WSUCougars.com.
Post Presence
Senior Bella Murekatete heads into Sunday's game on a six-game double-digit scoring streak. It ties her career-long double-digit scoring streak, matching a six-game stretch earlier this season where she scored 10 or more points.
Bringing the Defense
Washington State held a Pac-12 opponent under 60 points for the seventh time under head coach Kamie Ethridge in Friday's loss against Southern California. The Cougars are 5-2 under Ethridge when they hold a foe to under 60 points.
WSU ranks 65th nationally in defensive field goal percentage, as WSU is allowing teams to shoot just 37.4 percent from the floor. The Cougars are giving up 60.7 points per game this season, which is the 93rd-best scoring defense in NCAA Division I.
An Effective Starting Lineup
Washington State is 13-2 this season when starting the combination of Charlisse Leger-Walker, Johanna Teder, Ula Motuga, Tara Wallack, and Bella Murekatete.
Moving Up the Block List
Senior Bella Murekatete needs only four more blocks to move past Maria Kostourkova (2015-19) for fourth on WSU's all-time block list. Murekatete currently has 132 career blocks, while her career 1.3 blocks per game average are third-best in program history.
Ula's Racking Up the Playing Time
Fifth-year senior Ula Motuga enters the weekend sitting inside the program's top 10 in both minutes played and career starts. Motuga's 3,384 career minutes is the fifth-most in program history, while her 98 career starts rank 10th in Washington State women's basketball history. Motuga needs to play 12 more minutes to pass Chanelle Molina (2016-20) for fourth on WSU's minutes played list.
Lending a Hand
Washington State ranks 48th in the nation in assists per game at 15.9. Charlisse Leger-Walker's 4.9 assists per game are the 42nd-most in NCAA Division I.
Scouting the Bruins
UCLA comes into Beasley Coliseum ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 13 in the WBCA/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Bruins are 16-3 overall on the year and are 5-2 in Pac-12 games. UCLA has won three of its last four games, with the lone loss in that stretch coming to then-second-ranked Stanford.
Senior Charisma Osborne leads the Bruins in scoring at 16.8 points per game. The guard is shooting 39.8 percent from the floor and comes into Beasley on a three-game double-digit scoring streak. Osborne also leads the Bruins in rebounding at 5.8 rebounds per game. Freshman Kiki Rice is second on the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game. The 5-11 guard is shooting a team-best 47.2 percent from the field. UCLA also has four players averaging 6.2 points or better per game this season.
UCLA is averaging 71.4 points per game while shooting 40.1 percent from the floor. The Bruins are hitting just 29.5 percent from behind the arc. Teams are putting up 60.1 points per game against UCLA. Opponents are shooting 36.9 percent from the field while teams are shooting 30.4 percent on 3-point field goals.
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