PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State women's basketball team looks to get back on the winning path this Sunday, Feb. 5, when the Cougars host California. Tip-off against the Golden Bears is set for 12 p.m. PT and will air live on Pac-12 Network Washington.
WASHINGTON STATE (15-7, 5-6 Pac-12) vs. California (11-11, 2-9 Pac-12) | Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023 | 12:00 p.m. PT | Beasley Coliseum
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Watch | Pac-12 Network Washington (Greg Heister and Angela Taylor)
Listen | Click Here (Steve Grubbs)
Game Notes | Click Here
Starting Five
>> Washington State seeks a split in this weekend's set of Pac-12 games when California comes to Beasley this Sunday. The Cougars were handed a 71-38 loss at home Friday to No. 2-ranked Stanford. WSU holds a 15-7 record through 22 regular season games this season, while the Cougs are 5-6 in Pac-12 Conference games.
>> This season's 15-7 start ties the Cougs with the 1995-96 squad for the best start to a season during the NCAA era (Post 1982). Overall, this season's start is tied for the third-best record through 22 games in program history, only trailing the 1978-79 (18-3) and 1977-78 (17-4) teams.
>> Washington State Women's Basketball Head Coach Kamie Ethridge goes into Sunday looking for her 150th career win as a head coach at the NCAA Division I level. Ethridge currently holds a career head coaching record of 149-115, with 66 of those wins coming at Washington State. Ethridge's 66 wins at WSU are the most wins collected by a Cougar women's basketball head coach during their first five years at the helm.
>> WSU and Cal will be meeting for the 76th time on the hardwood this Sunday. California holds the advantage in the all-time series, 48-27, though Washington State is 19-16 against the Golden Bears in Pullman. California is one of the two Pac-12 schools (Colorado) that the Cougars have a winning record against at home in the all-time series.
>> The Cougars have won each of the last four games against Cal heading into Sunday's matchup. The last time Washington State won five-straight games against the Golden Bears came between 1997-99 when the Cougars collected five consecutive wins over California.
Game Coverage
Sunday's game will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Network Washington with Greg Heister and Angela Taylor. Fans can listen to Steve Grubbs call all the action locally at 1150 AM or anywhere on WSUCougars.com.
NET Ranking
Washington State heads into Sunday's game with a NET ranking of 44.
Looking for a Win
Washington State will be looking to end a rare, elongated losing streak at Beasley Coliseum, as the Cougars have lost three-straight games at home. Washington State is 6-5 at home this season, while the Cougars are 17-7 at Beasley since the start of the 2021-22 season.
An Elite Scorer
Junior Charlisse Leger-Walker is one of four NCAA Division I players, and the only Power 5 Conference player, to have recorded both a 35-point and 40-point scoring game this season. Leger-Walker first tallied 35 points at San Francisco on Nov. 11, then went out to score 40 points at Washington exactly a month later on Dec. 11.
Bella is Moving Up the Block and Rebound List
Bella Murekatete enters Sunday tied with Maria Kostourkova (2015-19) for fourth on WSU's all-time block list with 135. She needs 13 more blocks to move past Holly Zapel (1981-85) for third on the blocks list. Murekatete is also eighth on Washington State's all-time rebounding list and only needs seven rebounds to move past Jeanne Eggart (1977-82) for seventh.
Ula Enters the Top 10 Rebounds List
This past Friday, fifth year Senior Ula Motuga moved into a tie for 10th on WSU's all-time rebounds list with Karen Brown (1978-83). Motuga heads into Sunday's game with 629 career rebounds and needs only three rebounds to move past Maria Kostourkova (2015-19) for ninth.
Scouting the Golden Bears
California comes into Sunday's game with an 11-11 overall record and a 2-9 mark in Pac-12 games. The Golden Bears come to Beasley Coliseum off a 70-54 loss at Washington. Cal has lost nine of its last 11 games and has a NET ranking of 83.
Sophomore Jayda Curry leads the Golden Bears in scoring at 14.1 points per game. Curry is one of four Cal players that average double-digit points this season. Redshirt sophomore Kemery Martin is putting up 10.7 points per game, while senior Evelien Lutje Schipholt is putting up 10.3 points per contest. Senior Leilani McIntosh rounds out the quartet at an even 10.0 points per game.
California is averaging 69.3 points per game this season while shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from behind the arc. Teams are putting up 67.1 points per contest against the Golden Bears. Cal is holding teams to 41.9 percent from the field and 34.8 percent on 3-point field goals.
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