PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State women's basketball team got back to its winning ways at Beasley Coliseum Sunday, Feb. 5, as the Cougars collected a 70-60 win over California in Pac-12 Conference action.

The Cougars posted the 10-point win over the Golden Bears thanks in large part to junior Charlisse Leger-Walker, who scored double-digit points for the first time in three games with a game-high 25-point effort against California. Leger-Walker shot a blistering 50 percent from the field in Sunday's win over Cal, as the Waikato, New Zealand native went 9-of-18 from the field and connected on four 3-point field goals. Leger-Walker also added a game-high five assists to her stat line against the Golden Bears.

Leger-Walker's 25-point performance moved her past Jazmine Perkins (2008-12) for 11th on Washington State's all-time scoring list, as she now has 1,295 career points. Leger-Walker needs 69 points to move past Camille Thompson (1,333 pts; 1990-94) and enter the top 10 on WSU's all-time scoring list.

With the win, Washington State improves to 16-7 on the year and is now back to an even .500 in Pac-12 play at 6-6. The victory over California snaps a two-game losing streak at Beasley Coliseum for Washington State, as the Cougars are now 7-5 at home this season and 18-7 at Beasley since the start of the 2021-22 season.

Sophomore Tara Wallack also joined Leger-Walker in the double-digit scoring column with a 10-point performance against the Golden Bears. The 6-2 guard from South Surrey, Canada has now registered double-digit points in four of her last five games. Washington State shot 45.8 percent in the game, while California posted a 44.9 percent shooting percentage. The Cougars used its size advantage over the Golden Bears, as WSU outscored Cal 34-24 in points in the paint. WSU was also plus-11 on the glass, as the Cougs held a 34-24 edge in rebounds.

The victory also gives Washington State Women's Basketball Head Coach Kamie Ethridge her 150th career win as an NCAA Division I Head Coach. Ethridge has collected 67 wins during her time as WSU women's basketball head coach, which is the program record for most wins by a WSU head coach through their first five seasons at the helm.

The two teams were deadlocked at 12-12 at the end of the first quarter and California held the lead for the majority of the second quarter, as Washington State trailed by as many as six points in the stanza. Freshman Lauren Glazier gave the Cougars a spark from the bench right before the half, as the 6-4 post player scored six of Washington State's final nine points in the second to pull WSU to within two points of California at the break, as the Golden Bears held a 28-26 lead at halftime.

Leger-Walker got the third quarter started by sinking her fourth 3-point field goal of the game to give Washington State a 29-28 advantage. Leger-Walker's 3-point field goal sparked a 20-7 run for the Cougars, as WSU held a 46-35 lead after a Jessica Clarke layup with 1:55 left in the third quarter.

WSU continued build upon its lead in the fourth quarter, as the Cougars led by as many as 14 points in the final stanza. The Golden Bears would not go down quietly, as California was able to pull to within six points of the Cougs at 65-59 with 39 seconds left to play. WSU converted its shots at the free throw line to keep the Golden Bears at bay, as the Cougars walked away with a 10-point victory.

Head Coach Kamie Ethridge on the Win
"I'm just happy to get a win. It's incredibly hard to win in this league and this was a hard-fought game. Cal just would not give up. I thought we had a great third quarter and got some separation, but it's hard to close out a game. I think especially for our team, there was a little bit of a hangover where they were not able to finish some of the shots they are getting. I think the second half was good on both ends of the floor. It was good to see Charlisse shoot the ball well again, and I'm just happy to get a win in this league."

Coug Notes
- Washington State has now won five-straight games against California. It marks the first time since 1997-99 that the Cougars have won five-straight games against the Golden Bears.
- WSU is now 20-16 all-time at home against California. The 20 home wins against Cal are the most collected by the Cougars against a Pac-12 team in Beasley Coliseum.
- The Cougars are now 18-7 at home since the start of the 2021-22 season.
- WSU Head Coach Kamie Ethridge posts her 150th career win as an NCAA Division I head coach. Coach Ethridge is 150-115 all-time as a head coach with stops at Northern Colorado and Washington State.
- Charlisse Leger-Walker recorded her 32nd career game with 20 or more points, while it is her 63rd career game scoring double-digit points.
- Tara Wallack records double-digit points for the 13th time this season, while it is her 17th career game with 10 or more points.
- Washington State is now 11-2 this season when Wallack scores 10-plus points in a game.
- WSU improves to 16-3 this season when Charlisse Leger-Walker plays in a game.
- Freshman Lauren Glazier scored a career-best six points for the second-straight game this weekend.

Up Next
Washington State heads back out on the road next weekend, as the Cougars make the trip through the Rockies to take on Colorado and No. 7 Utah. The trip begins Friday, Feb. 10, at Colorado with tip-off against the Buffaloes set for 6 p.m. PT. The game at Colorado will air live on the Pac-12 Networks.

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