TUCSON, Ariz. – The Washington State women's basketball team will be seeking a rare sweep in the desert this Sunday, Jan. 29, as the Cougars face off against No. 19/14 Arizona. Tip-off against the Wildcats is set for 11 a.m. PT and will broadcast live on Pac-12 Network Arizona.
WASHINGTON STATE (14-6, 4-5 Pac-12) at No. 19/14 Arizona (16-4, 6-3 Pac-12) | Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023 | 11:00 a.m. PT | McKale Center
Live Stats | Click Here
Watch | Pac-12 Network Arizona (Brian Webber and Charli Turner Thorne)
Listen | Click Here (Steve Grubbs)
Game Notes | Click Here
Starting Five
>> Washington State comes into Sunday's fresh off a 61-57 win at Arizona State Friday, Jan. 27. The victory over the Sun Devils improves WSU's record to 14-6, while the Cougs are 4-5 in Pac-12 Conference play.
>> Washington State will be seeking back-to-back wins in the Grand Canyon state this Sunday. The last time WSU swept the Arizona road trip came during the 2012-13 season. The Cougars will also be searching for their first win at the McKale Center since picking up a 78-60 victory over the Wildcats back on Feb. 2, 2018.
>> Sunday's matchup will be the 72 all-time meeting between Washington State and Arizona. The Wildcats lead the all-time series 40-31, though the Cougars won the last game between the two, as Washington State picked up a 72-67 victory over Arizona on Feb. 20, 2022, in Beasley Coliseum. WSU is 3-5 against Arizona under Kamie Ethridge.
>> With Friday's win at Arizona State, the Cougars improved to 7-1 in true road games this season and secures a winning record on the road for WSU this season. Coupled with last season's 7-6 record on the road, Washington State has collected back-to-back winning seasons on the road for the first time since the 1977-78 and 1978-79 campaigns.
>> Washington State is looking for its second win over a top-25 opponent this season when the Cougars take on No. 19/14 Arizona. The Cougs knocked off No. 21/18 Oregon 85-84 in overtime in Matthew Knight Arena back on Jan. 15. The last time WSU posted multiple wins over top-25 foes came during the 2020-21 campaign when the Cougars collected three wins over ranked teams. WSU has posted five wins over top-25 teams under Kamie Ethridge.
Game Coverage
Sunday's game will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Network Arizona with Ben Webber and Charli Turner Throne on the call. Fans can listen to Steve Grubbs call all the action locally at 1150 AM or at WSUCougars.com.
NET Ranking
Washington State heads into this week's slate of games with a NET ranking of 44. The NET is an evaluation tool used by the NCAA Selection Committee to help determine at-large bids and tournament seeding.
A Hot Start
Through 20 games this season, Washington State holds a 14-6 overall record. It is the program's best record through the first 20 games of a season in the NCAA era since the 1995-96 campaign, which also started 14-6.
Road Warriors
Washington State holds a 7-1 record in true road games this season and has won five-straight games on the road. WSU will be seeking its first six-game road winning streak since the 1981-82 campaign.
Charlisse's Scoring Streak
Junior Charlisse Leger-Walker heads into Sunday having scored double-digit points in each of the last 17 games she has played in. Her 17-game double-digit scoring streak is the longest of her career and it is tied for the ninth-longest scoring streak in program history with Lia Galderia.
Johanna is Moving Up the 3-Pointers Made List
Senior Johanna Teder moved into a tie for ninth on WSU's all-time made 3-pointers in Friday's win at Arizona State. Teder has hit 133 3-point field goals during her Washington State career, which ties her with Heather Norman (1988-92). She needs to make nine more 3-pointers to move past Sage Romberg (2010-14) for eighth all-time.
100th Career Start for Ula
Fifth-year senior Ula Motuga became the ninth Cougar to start in 100 games in their career with her last start in Friday's win at Arizona State. Motuga needs to start two more games to move past Sage Romberg (2010-14) for eighth all-time.
Moving Up the Block List
Senior Bella Murekatete needs only three more blocks to move past Maria Kostourkova (135; 2015-19) for fourth on WSU's all-time block list. Murekatete currently has 133 career blocks, while her career 1.3 blocks per game average are third-best in program history with Bianca McCall (2002-04) and Carly Noyes (2010-13).
Scouting the Wildcats
The Wildcats come into Sunday's matchup ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 14 in the WBCA/USA Today Coaches Poll. Arizona is 16-4 on the year and 6-3 in the Pac-12. UA has won two-straight games coming into Sunday's contest against WSU.
Fifth-year seniors Cate Reese and Shaina Pellington lead the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game. Fifth-year senior Jade Loville is also averaging double figures at 12.1 points per game, while senior Esmery Martinez rounds out Arizona's quartet of double-digit scorers at 11.1 points per game. Martinez also leads the Wildcats in rebounding at 8.9 caroms per game.
Arizona is averaging 77.5 points per game this season, while the Wildcats are shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 36.6 from behind the arc. Teams are averaging 62.7 points per game against Arizona and are shooting 41.1 percent from the field. The opposition is also posting a 30.9 shooting percentage from behind the arc.
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