BOULDER, Colo. – The Washington State women's basketball team sets off for the Rocky Mountains this weekend, as the Cougars open a two-game Pac-12 Conference road trip this Friday, Feb. 10, at Colorado. Tip-off against the Buffaloes is set for 6 p.m. PT and will air live on Pac-12 Network Washington.
WASHINGTON STATE (16-7, 6-6 Pac-12) at No. 25/25 Colorado (18-5, 9-3 Pac-12) | Friday, Feb. 10, 2023 | 6:00 p.m. PT | CU Events Center
Live Stats | Click Here
Watch | Pac-12 Network Washington (Thad Anderson and Maylana Martin Douglas)
Listen | Click Here (Steve Grubbs)
Game Notes | Click Here
Starting Five
>> Washington State got back into the win column its last time out, as the Cougars collected a 70-60 victory over California this past Sunday at Beasley Coliseum. WSU heads back out on the road sporting a 16-7 overall record, while the Cougs are an even .500 in Pac-12 play with a 6-6 record.
>> WSU is off to its best start to a season in the NCAA era, as the Cougars are 16-7 through 23 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 head into the weekend looking to extend its historic road winning streak, as Washington State comes into Boulder having won six-straight road games. The six-game road winning streak is the longest road winning streak in program history. WSU is 8-1 in true road games this season, which is a program record for the best start on the road through the first nine games played.
>> The Cougs and the Buffaloes will be meeting for the 23rd time on the hardwood this Friday in Boulder. Washington State leads the all-time series against Colorado, 13-9. The Buffaloes defeated Washington State earlier this season, collecting a 65-54 win in Beasley Coliseum back on Jan. 1. The Cougars played that game without their Naismith Trophy Finalist Charlisse Leger-Walker.
>> The Cougars are 3-7 all-time in Boulder, though WSU has won each of the last two games against Colorado played at the CU Events Center. Washington State will be seeking its first three-game winning streak in Boulder in program history this Friday.
Game Coverage
Friday's game will air live on Pac-12 Network Washington with Thad Anderson and Maylana Martin Douglas. Fans can listen to Steve Grubbs call all the action locally at 1150 AM or anywhere at WSUCougars.com.
NET Ranking
Washington State enters this weekend's set of Pac-12 games with a NET ranking of 44.
Road Warriors
Washington State is 8-1 in true road games this season, which marks the best start on the road for the Cougars in program history. The eight road wins are the fourth most collected in a season in program history, while it is the most road wins for WSU in a season since winning 10 true road games during the 2014-15 campaign.
End the Year with a Tough Stretch
There are six regular season games left for Washington State to play this season and five of those six games come against teams that are either ranked or are receiving votes in both the Associated Press and WBCA/USA Today Coaches Polls. The Cougars will face a pair of ranked teams on the road this weekend in No. 25-ranked Colorado this Friday in Boulder, followed by a matchup at No. 7-ranked Utah this Sunday. After the road trip through the Rockies, the Cougars return home for the final time this year to take on Oregon (RV) and Oregon State. WSU wraps up the 2022-23 regular season in Los Angeles taking on No. 18/17 UCLA and Southern Cal (RV).
Charlisse Added to the Naismith Trophy Midseason Watch List
This past Tuesday, Feb. 7, junior Charlisse Leger-Walker was selected as one of 30 midseason finalists for the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy, which goes out annually to the top women's college basketball player. She is the first WSU women's basketball player to be named a midseason finalist for the Naismith Trophy.
It is the second midseason watch list that Leger-Walker has been named to over the last week, as she was also named a midseason top-10 finalist for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.
Cougs vs. Ranked Teams
Washington State will be seeking its third road win over a ranked team when they face No. 25 Colorado at the CU Events Center. WSU has defeated a top-25 team on the road in each of its last two road trips, winning at No. 21/18 Oregon on Jan. 15 and at No. 19/14 Arizona back on Jan. 29. WSU is 2-3 against ranked teams this season. Washington State has defeated six ranked teams under Kamie Ethridge, with three of those teams being ranked inside the top-10.
Bella Closing in on 1,000 Career Points
Senior Bella Murekatete is 39 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.
Bella Boards
Bella Murekatete enters the weekend needing four rebounds to pass Jeanne Eggart for seventh on WSU's all-time rebounding list. Murekatete is currently sixth in program history in rebounds with 649 career caroms.
Scouting the Buffaloes
Colorado comes into Friday's matchup ranked No. 25 in both the Associated Press Poll and the WBCA/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Buffaloes have won two-straight games after sweeping their road trip through Oregon last weekend to improve their record to 18-5 overall and 9-3 in Pac-12 play.
CU features a quartet of double-digit scorers, led by senior Quay Miller's 14.3 points per game. Miller also leads the team in rebounding at 8.5 rebounds per game and has collected five double-doubles this season. Sophomore Aaronette Vonleh follows Miller at 12.1 points per contest, while junior Frida Forman is putting up 11.3 points per game. Senior Jaylyn Sherrod rounds out the group with her 10.5 points per game average. Sherrod also leads the Pac-12 in assists at 5.3 helpers per game.
The Buffaloes average 70.3 points per contest, while shooting 44.6 percent from the field. Teams are putting up 57.7 points per game against Colorado this season, while the No. 25-ranked team in the nation is holding the opposition to 36.8 percent from the field.
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