BOULDER, Colo. – The Washington State women's basketball team got a double-double from junior Charlisse Leger-Walker at No. 25 Colorado Friday, Feb. 10, but the guard's performance wasn't enough to lift the Cougs past the Buffaloes, as the No.-25-ranked team in the nation handed WSU a 71-68 defeat at the CU Events Center.
Washington State had the ball with a chance to win at No. 25 Colorado, but the Cougars could not get a shot off on their final two possessions, as the Buffaloes brought WSU's historic six-game road winning streak to an end. It was the longest road winning streak in WSU women's basketball history, as the Cougars had not lost on the road since Dec. 11, 2022 at Washington. With the defeat in Boulder, WSU now stands at 16-8 on the year and moves a game below .500 in Pac-12 play at 6-7.
Junior Charlisse Leger-Walker scored a team-high 17 points to go along with a game-high 10 rebounds to collect her first double-double of the 2022-23 season. It is Leger-Walker's fourth career double-double at WSU. The guard from Waikato, New Zealand made three 3-pointers against the Buffaloes, moving her past two legendary Cougs on the program's all-time 3-point field goals made list. Leger-Walker now has 161 career made 3-pointers, passing Lia Galdeira (160; 2012-15) for fourth on the list and tying her with Katie Appleton (2005-09) for third all-time.
Leger-Walker was one of three Cougs to score double-digit points at Colorado. Senior Johanna Teder tallied 13 points, as she matched Leger-Walker with a team-high three 3-point field goals. Teder's performance tonight against the Buffaloes now puts her two 3-pointer behind Sage Romberg (141; 2010-14) for eighth on WSU's all-time 3-point field goals made list. Teder also dished out a career-best six assists in the loss to Colorado.
WSU held an 18-8 advantage in points off the bench and junior Jessica Clarke was a big reason for that. The 6-3 post from North Vancouver, Canada scored 12 points to round out WSU's trio of double-digit scorers. Clarke also pulled down a career-best six rebounds in a career-high 22 minutes off the bench.
Washington State shot 46.4 percent from the field and hit nine 3-point field goals in the game. Conversely, Colorado posted a 51.0 shooting percentage and collected 14 steals to help the No. 25-ranked Buffaloes knock off the Cougars. It was a back-and-forth contest throughout the night at the CU Event Centers, as the game featured 15 lead changes and 10 ties. WSU lead for 24:42 of game time, with its biggest lead of the game coming with 2:10 left to play in the third quarter when the Cougars had a 52-41 advantage.
Washington State held a one-point lead at 68-67 with a minute left in the game after Teder sank her third 3-point field goal of the night. The Cougars got a defensive rebound with 34 seconds left, unfortunately, WSU turned the ball over in transition, giving the ball back to the Buffaloes. Washington State fouled Colorado with 23 seconds left to put the Buffaloes at the line for two shots and CU converted on both charity tosses to take a 69-68 advantage.
The Cougars had the ball with a chance to take the lead, but a pass into the post was knocked away by Colorado, with the Buffaloes coming up with the loose ball. Washington State fouled immediately and sent CU back to the free-throw line with one second left to play. The No. 25-ranked team in the country made both shots at the line to extend its lead to 71-68 with a tick left on the clock. WSU advanced the ball to its side of the court to set up one final play. Colorado was able to sniff out Washington State's inbounds pass, as the Buffaloes stole the ball to seal the three-point victory.
Head Coach Kamie Ethridge on the Decision
"The zone just killed us at the end. We didn't handle their pressure well and this is a hard place to play. They were physical, we threw the ball away, and didn't score enough at the end. It's unfortunate that we played such a good game and couldn't handle the zone well."
Coug Notes
- Washington State falls to 8-2 in true road games this season.
- WSU's six-game road winning streak comes to an end. It was the longest road-winning streak in program history.
- With tonight's loss, Washington State falls to 13-10 in the all-time series against Colorado.
- Washington State's two-game winning streak against the Buffaloes in Boulder also came to an end in Friday's loss. The Cougs are now 3-8 all-time at Colorado.
- Junior
Charlisse Leger-Walker records her fourth career double-double tonight with a 17-point, 10-rebound performance.
- Leger-Walker becomes the fourth WSU player to record a double-double this season, as she joins
Bella Murekatete (5),
Tara Wallack (2), and
Ula Motuga (1).
- With her 17-point performance,
Charlisse Leger-Walker has now scored double-digit points in 64 of her 74 career games played.
- Leger-Walker became the 11th WSU player in program history to score over 1,300 career points, as tonight's performance gives her 1,312 career points.
- Leger-Walker now needs 22 more points to move past Camille Thompson (1,333; 1990-94) for 10th on WSU's all-time scoring list.
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Johanna Teder scored double-digit points for the 12th time this season and for the 30th time in her career.
- Washington State is now 24-6 all-time when
Johanna Teder scores 10-or-more points.
- Junior
Jessica Clarke tallied double-digit points for the fourth time in her WSU career with a 12-point outing.
Up Next
Washington State now heads to Salt Lake City to wrap up its two-game road trip through the mountains, as the Cougars are set to battle No. 7 Utah this Sunday, Feb. 12. Tip-off against the Utes is set for 11 a.m. PT and will air live on Pac-12 Network Mountain.
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