PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State women's basketball team looks to get back on the winning path this Friday, Feb. 17, as the Cougars welcome Oregon into Beasley Coliseum to open the final weekend at home during the 2022-23 season. Tip-off against the Ducks is set for 7 p.m. PT and will air live on Pac-12 Network Oregon.
WASHINGTON STATE (16-9, 6-8 Pac-12) vs. Oregon (14-11, 5-9 Pac-12) | Friday, Feb. 17, 2023 | 7:00 p.m. PT | Beasley Coliseum
Live Stats | Click Here
Watch | Pac-12 Network Oregon (Greg Heister and Stephanie Hawk Freeman)
Listen | Click Here (Steve Grubbs)
Game Notes | Click Here
Starting Five
>> Washington State returns to Beasley Coliseum looking to shake a two-game losing streak that has put the Cougars at 16-9 overall and 6-8 in Pac-12 Conference play this season. Friday's contest against Oregon will be the first of two games at Beasley Coliseum this weekend. WSU will also host Oregon State this Sunday for Senior Day.
>> The Cougars will look to end the 2022-23 home slate on a high note, as Washington State will look to secure a winning record at home for the third-straight season. WSU is 7-5 inside Beasley Coliseum this season and can secure a winning record at home with a win this weekend. The last time WSU posted a winning record at home in three-consecutive campaigns came between 1989-92 seasons.
>> This year's 16-9 start matches the Cougars with the 1990-91 team for the best start to a season in the NCAA era through 25 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.
>> The Cougars and the Ducks will match up for the 93rd time. The 93 games against Oregon are tied with Oregon State for the second-longest series running against WSU. The Ducks lead the all-time series 72-20, though Washington State claimed an 85-84 overtime victory in Eugene in the last meeting between the two back on Jan. 15.
>> Washington State will be seeking a multi-game season sweep against Oregon for the first time since the 2000-01 campaign. The Cougars knocked off the Ducks in dramatic fashion earlier this season at Matthew Knight Arena, as WSU came away with an 85-84 win in overtime to snap its eight-game losing streak to Oregon. Washington State did defeat Oregon in the only matchup between the two during the 2016-17 season.
Game Coverage
This Friday's game between Washington State and Oregon will air live on Pac-12 Network Oregon with Greg Heister and Stephanie Hawk Freeman on the call. Fans can listen to Steve Grubbs call all the action locally at 1150 AM or anywhere at WSUCougars.com.
NET Ranking
Washington State heads into the weekend sporting a NET ranking of 46. The NET ranking is an evaluation tool used by the NCAA Selection Committee to determine at-large bids and tournament seedings. Last season, the Cougars ended the season with a NET ranking of 58 and earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament for a second-straight season. WSU was a No. 8 seed in last season's NCAA Tournament.
A Hot Start
Through 25 games this season, Washington State holds a 16-9 overall record. It is tied for the program's best record through the first 25 games of a season since the 1990-91 NCAA Tournament team.
Ula's Logs the Third-Most Minutes in Program History
Fifth-year senior Ula Motuga enters the weekend with the third-most minutes played in program history at 3,596 minutes. Motuga needs to play 39 minutes to move past Jonni Gray (3,643; 1985-89) for second on the list. Borislava Hristova holds the program record for minutes played at 3,960 minutes.
Bella Closing in on 1,000 Career Points
Senior Bella Murekatete is 13 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 five points away from moving into the top 10 on WSU's all-time scoring list. Leger-Walker currently has 1,329 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.
An Effective Starting Lineup
Washington State is 16-5 this season when starting Charlisse Leger-Walker, Johanna Teder, Tara Wallack, Ula Motuga, and Bella Murekatete.
Scouting the Ducks
Oregon comes into Beasley Coliseum on a five-game losing streak, while the Ducks have lost eight of its last 10 games. The Ducks are 14-11 overall this season and 5-9 in Pac-12 play.
Senior Endiya Rogers leads a quartet of double-digit scorers at 16.2 points per game. Rogers scored 33 points in the 85-84 overtime loss to the Cougars at Matthew Knight Arena earlier this season. Freshman Grace VanSlooten follows Rogers at 14.5 points per contest, while junior Te-Hina PaoPao is putting up 11.2 points per game. Freshman Chance Gray rounds out the group of double-digit scorers for the Ducks, as she is scoring 10.8 points per game.
Oregon is averaging 76.2 points per game this season while shooting 43.5 percent from the field. The Ducks are also connecting on 35.6 percent of their shots from behind the arc. Defensively, Oregon is giving up 64.7 points per contest. Teams are shooting 39.4 percent from the field against the Ducks this season, while the opposition is averaging 32.1 percent on 3-point field goal attempts.
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