LAS VEGAS – The Washington State women's basketball team is heading to the Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament Championship game for the first time in program history, as the Cougars knocked off No. 3-seeded Colorado, 61-49, in the Pac-12 Semifinals, Friday, March 3.

Washington State got out to a quick start to open the Pac-12 Semifinals, as the Cougars began the game on a 9-2 run and never looked back. WSU led for 36:54 of game time and never let Colorado take the lead in the contest. The Cougar defense once again provided the spark Washington State needed to get to the Pac-12 Championship game, as WSU held the Buffaloes to 37.0 percent from the field and limited CU to 22.2 percent from behind the arc. The Cougs also forced Colorado into 14 turnovers and collected nine steals on the night.

The victory improves Washington State to 22-10 overall this season. The 22 wins set a school record for most wins in a single season, surpassing previous record of 21 wins set by the 1978-79 team that stood for 44 seasons.

The Cougars had a trio of players reach double-digits in the scoring column, led by junior Charlisse Leger-Walker's 15-point performance. It is Leger-Walker's third-straight double-digit scoring performance at this year's Pac-12 Tournament. Senior Bella Murekatete also continued her heater in Vegas, as she scored 15 points and pulled down a team-best eight rebounds. Freshman Astera Tuhina added 10 points off the bench to help the Cougs post an 18-7 advantage in points off the bench.

Washington State shot 46.9 percent from the field and hit six 3-pointers in the game. Senior Ula Motuga once again led the charge for the Cougs from behind the arc, as she a game-high three 3-point field goals.

WSU took a 27-16 lead into the locker room, as Washington State shot a blistering 57.1 percent over the first two quarters of play. The Cougars took a 14-point lead after Leger-Walker opened the third quarter with a 3-point field goal. The Cougs took a game-high 16-point lead at the 8:02 mark of the third after Murekatete put in a couple of layups to take a 34-18 advantage. The double-digit lead would not stand for long, as Colorado was able to end the stanza on a 20-4 run to tie the game at 45-45 heading into the fourth quarter.

Washington State retook the lead on its first shot of the fourth quarter, as Tuhina sank a 3-pointer to give the Cougs a 41-38 lead. That shot would spark a 12-3 run to give the Cougars a 50-41 lead with 4:16 left in the game. Washington State shot a blistering 50 percent in the decisive fourth quarter. WSU was able to convert at the free throw line to close out the game and collect a 12-point win over Colorado to advance to the Pac-12 Women's Basketball Championship game for the first time in school history.

Washington State Women's Basketball Head Coach Kamie Ethridge on the Win
"Just obviously can't even express how thrilled I am for our program and for these players and everybody that's involved with our program. We have worked a long time to put ourselves in a position to advance, and to do it to the championship is really exciting. I saw some announcers and they were like, my gosh, what would y'all do if y'all won, and it's kind of laughable, but when it's unexpected it's really refreshing to see just players just have so much joy in doing something that, again, people don't expect. And also you know it's fun to watch 'em go, we expect it now and we need to do that in the future. So really proud and excited for them and what's to come. Certainly was very impressed with Colorado and JR and her staff and what they do. They just make the game so hard and make you pay for mistakes. I thought they were just as tough as they could be against us and really wish them very much, I hope they have a great tournament run just like everyone in the PAC."

Coug Notes

• 1st Pac-12 title game appearance in program history
• Highest seed to ever make the Pac-12 Tournament title game
• Previous high was the #6 seed, which happened twice previously USC in 2009 & Utah in 2022
• New single-season program record for wins
• 5th win over an AP-ranked opponent this season, now the most single-season wins over AP-ranked opponents in a single season (previous was 4 in 2013-14)
• 11th all-time Pac-12 Tournament win, 8 of their 11 all-time Pac-12 Tournament wins have come when they are the #7 seed (8-4 record as the #7 seed all time)
• Had gone winless in each of the 1st 10 Pac-12 tournaments
• 2nd time in this tournament winning a game 61-49 (beat Cal by that score in 1st round)
• 4-1 all-time in the Pac-12 tournament when holding an opponent under 50 PT
• Outscored Colorado 23-11 in the 4th quarter. Tied at 38 after 3 quarters
• WSU Never trailed in the game
• Charlisse Leger-Walker has scored at least 15 PT in each of this Pac-12 Tournament (17.7 PPG)
• Bella Murekatete has scored at least 12 PT in her last 4 Pac-12 Tournament games
• Astera Tuhina 8th career game in double figures

Up Next
The Cougars will now take on No. 5-seed UCLA in the Pac-12 title game. The Cougars collected its first-ever win over the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion, just nine days ago. The 2023 Pac-12 Women's Basketball Championship will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 2 p.m. PT.

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