PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State women's basketball team used an efficient shooting performance on Sunday, Jan. 8, to defeat the rival Washington Huskies, 66-52, in the second and final Boeing Apple Cup Series game of the 2022-23 season.
The Cougars shot over 50 percent in a game for the fourth time this season, as Washington State posted a 53.6 shooting percentage to avenge a loss to the Huskies earlier this season in Seattle. The Cougars were just as impressive on the defensive side of the ball, as WSU limited Washington to 33.3 percent from the floor and an even better 17.6 percent on 3-point shots. Washington State also forced UW into 15 turnovers, which led to 18 points off turnovers for the Cougs.
With the win, Washington State picks up its first Pac-12 Conference win of the season, as the Cougars now stand at 1-3 in Conference play and 11-4 overall on the year.
Junior Charlisse Leger-Walker, who rejoined the team after a two-game absence due to a family matter in her native New Zealand, did not miss a step in her return to the Cougs, as she scored a game-high 26 points against the Huskies. Leger-Walker scored 22 of her 26 points over the final two quarters of play to help Washington State secure the Apple Cup victory. The guard shot a blistering 64.7 percent from the floor in the win, as she connected on 11 of her 17 shot attempts. Leger-Walker also led the Cougars with four assists and two steals.
Leger-Walker was one of two Cougs to score 20 points in Sunday's win over Washington, as senior Bella Murekatete registered 20 points to go along with a game-high eight rebounds. Like Leger-Walker, Murekatete had an efficient afternoon on the offensive end as she shot 62.5 percent from the floor, hitting 10 of her 16 field goal attempts. The 6-3 post from Rwanda also added three blocks to her ledger, one shy of Tara Wallack's team-best four blocks.
Fifth-year senior Ula Motuga rounded out the trio of double-digit scorers for the Cougars, as the Logan, Australia native chipped in 11 points while hitting five of her six shot attempts from the floor.
The Cougars and Huskies were knotted at 14-all after 10 minutes of play. Washington State scored the first seven points of the second quarter to take a 21-14 lead after a Leger-Walker floater with 7:20 left to play in the stanza. The Cougs built a double-digit lead later in the second, as Wallack's fast-break layup gave WSU a 29-18 lead with 3:03 remaining before halftime. Washington would chip away at the WSU lead with the Cougars taking a 31-24 lead into the locker room.
The margin stayed at seven at the end of the third quarter, as Washington State took a 46-39 advantage into the game's final frame. WSU captured a double-digit lead for good at after a Leger-Walker basket made it an 11-point ballgame at 59-48 with 5:25 left to play in the game. The Cougars led by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter before capturing a 14-point victory over the Huskies.
Washington State scored 50 of its 66 points in the paint in Sunday's win against Washington, as the Cougars outscored the Huskies 50-26 in points in the paint. WSU was in full command for nearly the entire contest, as the Cougs led for 30:50 of game time.
WSU Head Coach Kamie Ethridge on the Win
"Super happy for this team. I've been kind of rubbing it in their faces about being 0-3 (in Pac-12 play). I've been brutal in practice trying to get this team to handle adversity a little bit better than we did this past weekend. I think this week was a big step for us, we responded great after the loss to Colorado. We had a good scout going into UW, a team that beat us a month ago. It was a big statement game for us and I liked our response and how we came out playing. The defensive end was awesome the entire game and we're still a work in progress offensively. I think we can get better there.
Coug Notes
- The Cougars collect their ninth win over Washington over the last 12 games against the Huskies.
- Washington State moves to 8-2 all-time against Washington under head coach Kamie Ethridge.
- WSU has now won three-straight games at home against UW, which marks the first time in program history that Washington State has won three-consecutive home games against Washington in program history. The Cougars are now 9-36 all-time against the Huskies in Pullman.
- With her 26-point performance against UW this afternoon, Charlisse Leger-Walker has now scored 66 points against the Huskies in two games this season. Leger-Walker had a 40-point performance back at Washington back on Dec. 11.
- Leger-Walker records her 31st career game with 20 or more points, while it is her eighth 20-plus point scoring performance of the season. It is also Leger-Walker's 59th career game at WSU with at least 10 points in a game.
- Leger-Walker's four assists mark the 12th time this season that the guard has dished out three or more assists, while it is the eighth time this year that she has led the team in assists.
- Murekatete posted her fourth 20-point game of the season, while it is the fifth time in her WSU that the 6-3 post player has scored 20 or more points in a game. It is also Murekatete's 42nd career game scoring double-digit points.
- Murekatete has now led the Cougars in rebounding in 32 games during her WSU career.
- Murekatete's three blocks against Washington now give the post player at least two blocks in three of her last five games.
- Motuga's 11-point performance marks her 34th game at WSU scoring 10 or more points.
Up Next
Washington State will now hit the road for a brief two-game trip through the Beaver State. The road trip begins next Friday, Jan. 13, at Oregon State. Tip-off against OSU is set for 7 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Networks.
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