PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State women's basketball team is set to honor three seniors who will be playing in their final game at Beasley Coliseum this Sunday, Feb. 19, as the Cougars close out the 2022-23 home portion of its schedule against Oregon State. Tip-off against the Beavers is set for 12 p.m. PT and will air live on Pac-12 Network Washington.
WASHINGTON STATE (17-9, 7-8 Pac-12) vs. Oregon State (11-15, 3-12 Pac-12) | Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023 | 12:00 p.m. PT | Beasley Coliseum
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Watch | Pac-12 Network Washington (Greg Heister and Stephanie Hawk Freeman)
Listen | Click Here (Steve Grubbs)
Game Notes | Click Here
Starting Five
>> It's Senior Day at Beasley Coliseum this Sunday, as the Cougars will take Friel Court for the final time during the regular season. WSU will be honoring its seniors, Ula Motuga, Emma Nankervis, and Grace Sarver. This year's senior class has helped elevate the Cougs to new heights, as they've ended the program's 30-year NCAA Tournament drought, set numerous program records, defeated ranked teams, and earned back-to-back at-large berths into the NCAA Tournament, with their sights on a third -straight this season. This senior class will leave Pullman as the winningest class in program history, as they've totaled 62 wins during their time at WSU.
>> Washington State comes into Sunday's game fresh off a 64-57 home win over Oregon this past Friday. The win improved the Cougars to 17-9 on the year and pulled WSU to within a game above .500 in Pac-12 Conference Play at 7-8.
>> The Cougars are 8-5 in Beasley Coliseum this season. Friday's win over the Ducks secured a winning record at home for WSU this season, making it the third-straight year that Washington State has posted a winning record at home. The last time WSU posted a winning record at home in three-consecutive campaigns came between 1989-92 seasons.
>> Friday's matchup will be the 94th meeting between Washington State and Oregon State. It is the second-longest-running annual series for the Cougars against one team, as the first game was played back on Feb. 7, 1975. The Beavers hold the all-time series lead at 59-34, though Washington State has each of the last four games. WSU will be seeking its first five-game winning streak against Oregon State since the 1975-79 seasons.
>> This year's 17-9 start for the Cougars marks the best start to a season in the NCAA era through 26 games. The 17 wins also tie the 2022-23 team with the 1989-90, 1995-96, 2013-14, and 2014-15 squads for the third-most wins in a single season in program history.
Game Coverage
Sunday's game will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Network Washington with Greg Heister and Stephanie Hawk Freeman calling the action. Fans can listen to Steve Grubbs call the game locally at 1150 AM or anywhere at WSUCougars.com.
NET Ranking
Washington State heads into the weekend sporting a NET ranking of 42. 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.
Bella Scores her 1,000th Career Point
Bella Murekatete became the 22nd member of Washington State's 1,000-point club this past Friday with a 17-point performance against Oregon. Murekatete heads into Sunday's game against Oregon State with 1,004 career points which is the 21st-most points scored in program history and needs 12 points to pass Linda Wulff (1,015; 1981-85) for 20th on the list.
Ula Rack Up the Wins
Fifth-year senior Ula Motuga has become Washington State's all-time winningest player this season, as she has collected 62 total wins over five seasons with the Cougars. Motuga is currently utilizing her NCAA Eligibility Relief season due to the shortened 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ironwoman
Senior Grace Sarver has a Ripken-like streak of consecutive games played. Sarver has played in 95-straight games as Cougar dating back to the 2019-20 season. Sarver is one of three WSU players that has played in every game over the last two-plus seasons.
The Teder Effect
Johanna Teder scored 13 points in Friday's win over Oregon. The Cougars are 25-6 all-time when Teder scored 10 or more points in a game.
Scouting the Beavers
Oregon State heads into Pullman sporting an 11-15 overall record and a 3-12 mark in Pac-12 games. The Beavers have lost seven-straight games and have only won once in their last 10 games. Oregon State holds a NET ranking of 54 heading into Sunday's contest.
Junior Talia von Oelhoffen leads the team in scoring at 13.7 points per game, while freshman Raegan Beers is putting up 12.8 points per contest. Beers also leads the team in rebounding at 8.6 record per game. Freshman Timea Gardiner, who made her season debut against the Cougars in Corvallis, is putting up 8.8 points per game through her first 10 contests.
The Beavers are putting up 67.6 points per game and are shooting 42.1 percent from the field. OSU is hitting 29.7 percent of its shots from behind the arc. The opposition is putting up 64.9 points per contest this season, while teams are shooting 37.3 percent from the field against Oregon State.
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