Washington State University Athletics
No. 24 Cougars Close Perfect Opening Week with 64-47 win over Idaho State
November 12, 2023 | Women's Basketball
PULLMAN, Wash. (November 12, 2023) – Washington State Women's Basketball closed the opening week of the 2023-24 season with a dominating 64-47 victory over Idaho State at Beasley Coliseum Sunday afternoon.
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The Cougars opened the season with a win over Cal Poly Monday and beat Gonzaga in overtime Thursday knocking off the Bengals to start 3-0 for the fifth consecutive season. Senior center Bella Murekatete scored a game-high 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds, recorded three steals and blocked two shots while junior guard Tara Wallack scored 10 points and matched a career-high with five assists. Freshman guard Eleonor Villa scored 12 points and made a pair of steals while freshman center Alex Covill grabbed eight rebounds and blocked four shots, tied for the second-most by a freshman in WSU single-game history.
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Senior guard Charlisse Leger-Walker finished with six points, six rebounds, three assists and a block while surpassing the 1,500 career-point milestone, the seventh Cougar to reach the mark.
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WSU used a 9-0 run in the first quarter to build an early lead and used an impressive defensive effort in the second quarter, outscoring ISU 15-4, to take a 38-17 advantage into halftime. The Cougars shot 50 percent in the third quarter as Villa scored seven of her 12 points in the second half as ten players played nine-plus minutes for Washington State.
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INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Charlisse Leger-Walker
Scored six points to push her career point total to 1,503, passing Jonni Gray for sixth in WSU career scoring
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Bella Murekatete
Made career start No. 112, 4th-most in WSU history
Blocked two shots to push career total to 153, third-most in WSU history and five away from Carly Noyes' school record of 158
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Tara Wallack
Matched career-high with five assists
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Cia Eklof
Made her collegiate debut, took one shot, grabbed two rebounds and recorded one assist
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Beyonce Bea
Scored eight points and recorded five rebounds
Pushed career point total to 1,963 and career rebounds to 911, appeared in her 119th career game
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UP NEXT
WSU opens a five-game road stretch with a Tuesday matchup at Montana with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m. (Pacific Time).
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The Cougars opened the season with a win over Cal Poly Monday and beat Gonzaga in overtime Thursday knocking off the Bengals to start 3-0 for the fifth consecutive season. Senior center Bella Murekatete scored a game-high 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds, recorded three steals and blocked two shots while junior guard Tara Wallack scored 10 points and matched a career-high with five assists. Freshman guard Eleonor Villa scored 12 points and made a pair of steals while freshman center Alex Covill grabbed eight rebounds and blocked four shots, tied for the second-most by a freshman in WSU single-game history.
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Senior guard Charlisse Leger-Walker finished with six points, six rebounds, three assists and a block while surpassing the 1,500 career-point milestone, the seventh Cougar to reach the mark.
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WSU used a 9-0 run in the first quarter to build an early lead and used an impressive defensive effort in the second quarter, outscoring ISU 15-4, to take a 38-17 advantage into halftime. The Cougars shot 50 percent in the third quarter as Villa scored seven of her 12 points in the second half as ten players played nine-plus minutes for Washington State.
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INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Charlisse Leger-Walker
Scored six points to push her career point total to 1,503, passing Jonni Gray for sixth in WSU career scoring
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Bella Murekatete
Made career start No. 112, 4th-most in WSU history
Blocked two shots to push career total to 153, third-most in WSU history and five away from Carly Noyes' school record of 158
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Tara Wallack
Matched career-high with five assists
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Cia Eklof
Made her collegiate debut, took one shot, grabbed two rebounds and recorded one assist
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Beyonce Bea
Scored eight points and recorded five rebounds
Pushed career point total to 1,963 and career rebounds to 911, appeared in her 119th career game
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UP NEXT
WSU opens a five-game road stretch with a Tuesday matchup at Montana with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m. (Pacific Time).
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Team Stats
ISU
WSU
FG%
.258
.407
3FG%
.250
.174
FT%
.786
.706
RB
44
44
TO
16
14
STL
6
9
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
WSU WBB: "Cougs Forever" | Kamie Ethridge/Laurie Koehn/Villa/Abraham Portland Postgame | 3/7/26
Saturday, March 07
WSU WBB: "Found a Way to Win" | Kamie Ethridge/Laurie Koehn/Villa/Koorits Pacific Postgame | 3/6/26
Friday, March 06
WSU WBB: WCC Tournament Second Round Highlights vs. Pacific | 3/6/26
Friday, March 06
WSU WBB: "Come Hungry" | Kamie Ethridge/Laurie Koehn/Covill/Villa Seattle U Postgame | 3/5/26
Thursday, March 05


















