SALT LAKE CITY – The Washington State women's basketball team concludes its road trip through the Rocky Mountains this Sunday, Feb. 12, as the Cougars take on No. 7 Utah in Pac-12 Conference action. Tip-off against the Utes is set for 11 a.m. PT and will air live on Pac-12 Network Mountain.
WASHINGTON STATE (16-8, 6-7 Pac-12) at No. 7/7 Utah (21-2, 11-2 Pac-12) | Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023 | 11:00 a.m. PT | Jon M. Huntsman Center
Live Stats | Click Here
Watch | Pac-12 Network Mountain (Elise Woodward and Krista Blunk)
Listen | Click Here (Steve Grubbs)
Game Notes | Click Here
Starting Five
>> Washington State will look for a split on its road trip through the mountains, as the Cougars suffered a 71-68 setback at No. 25 Colorado this past Friday. WSU is 16-8 overall on the year and stands at 6-7 in Pac-12 play.
>> >> This year's 16-8 start match the Cougars with the 1990-91 team for the best start to a season in the NCAA era through 24 games. The 16 wins tie the 2022-23 team with the 1976-77, 1994-95, and 2016-17 squads for the fifth-most wins in a single season in program history.
>> Despite the loss its last time out, Washington State still holds an 8-2 record in true road games this season. The 8-2 start on the road for the Cougars this season is the best 10-game start on the road in program history. WSU has won six of its last seven road games, as the Cougar's historic six-game road winning streak came to an end Friday at Colorado. It was the longest road-winning streak in program history.
>> Washington State comes into Sunday's matchup at Utah looking to end a three-game losing streak to the Utes. Utah defeated the Cougs 71-66 in Beasley Coliseum on Dec. 30. The Cougars played that game without their Naismith Trophy Finalist Charlisse Leger-Walker. Utah leads the all-time series 22-9.
>> WSU is 5-10 all-time against the Utes in Salt Lake City. The last Cougar win at Utah came on Jan. 1, 2021, with a 79-74 victory.
Game Coverage
Sunday's game will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Network Mountain with Elise Woodward and Krista Blunk calling the game. Fans can listen to Steve Grubbs call all the action locally at 1150 AM or anywhere at WSUCougars.com.
NET Ranking
Washington State holds a NET ranking of 48 entering Sunday's game at No. 7 Utah.
Ula Logs the Third-Most Minutes in Program History
This past Friday, fifth-year senior Ula Motuga played 33 to up her career total to 3,563 minutes played, moving her past Katie Appleton (3,535; 2005-09) for third on WSU's all-time minutes played list. Motuga needs to play 80 more minutes to pass Jonni Gray (3,643; 1985-89) for second on the list. Borislava Hristova holds the program record for minutes played at 3,960 minutes.
Motuga is Rocketing Up the Lists
Not only is Ula Motuga moving up Washington State's career minutes played list, but she is also rocketing up the program's all-time starts and games played list. Motuga is currently tied for seventh in both career starts (107) and games played (125). Motuga needs to start in five more games to move past Sage Romberg (129; 2010-14) for the program record for career starts.
Bella's 100 Career Starts
Senior Bella Murekatete needs one more start to log 100 career starts at Washington State. Murekatete is currently 10th in program history with 99 career starts. When she hits the mark, Murekatete will become the 10th WSU player in program history to start in at least 100 career games.
Bella Closing in on 1,000 Career Points
Senior Bella Murekatete is 31 points away from 1,000 career points. She will be the 22nd WSU women's basketball player to record 1,000 points during their Cougar career. Earlier this season, Charlisse Leger-Walker became the 21st WSU player to record 1,000 career points, doing so in a school-record 57 career games.
Charlisse Moving Up the Scoring List
Junior Charlisse Leger-Walker is only 22 points away from moving into the top 10 on WSU's all-time scoring list. Leger-Walker currently has 1,312 career points, which is the 11th-most in program history. Camille Thompson (1990-94) currently sits 10th on the list with 1,333 career points.
Charlisse, Johanna, and the 3-Point List
Junior Charlisse Leger-Walker and senior Johanna Teder have each broken into the program's top 10 in 3-point field goals made this season. Leger-Walker is currently tied for third with Katie Appleton (2005-09) with 161 made 3-pointers, while Teder is ninth on the list with 139 career made 3-point field goals.
Scouting the Utes
Utah comes into Sunday's matchup as one of the hottest teams in the nation, as the Utes are 21-2 overall and are riding a six-game winning streak. Utah is 11-2 in Pac-12 play, picking up a 92-69 win over Washington at home this past Friday. The Utes are No. 7 in both the Associated Press and WBCA/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Junior Alissa Pili leads the Utes in scoring at 20.7 points per game, while her 5.8 caroms per contest also pace Utah. Sophomores Gianna Kneepkens and Jenna Johnson follow Pili at 15.0 points and 11.3 points per game respectively. Fellow sophomore Kennady McQueen is close to averaging double-digit points at 9.8 points per contest.
The Utes lead the Pac-12 in scoring at 85.2 points per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the floor. Utah has been deadly from behind the arc this season, as the No. 7-ranked team in the nation has sunk a league-best 204 3-pointers. Defensively, Utah is allowing 64.4 points per game. Teams are shooting 40.6 percent against the Utes this season.
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