Cougs Challenge Eastern Washington to Close 2020

Dec 21, 2020

PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State women's basketball team concludes its four-game homestand this Tuesday, Dec. 22, when the Cougars play host to Eastern Washington. Tip-off against the Eagles is set for 12 p.m. PT and will be streamed live on Pac-12 Plus.

STARTING FIVE
>> Washington State takes on Eastern Washington just a little less than 24-hours after tipping off against No. 7/8-ranked Oregon. The Cougars will be looking to get back onto the winning side of the scoreboard Tuesday morning, after the Ducks handed WSU its first loss of the season, 69-65, yesterday afternoon in Beasley Coliseum.

>> Despite the loss to Oregon, Washington State will be seeking to collect its fourth win in five games this season when they host Eastern Washington. WSU is off to a 3-1, or better, start for the fifth time over the past seven seasons.

>> Kamie Ethridge will be taking on the Eagles for the first time as head coach at Washington State, but it won't be her first time going head-to-head with Eastern Washington and its long-time head coach Wendy Schuller. Ethridge, who took on EWU six times as head coach at Northern Colorado, went an even 3-3 against her former Big Sky foe. Ethridge won the last two meetings against Schuller's Eagles in her final year at UNC.

>> Tuesday's game against Eastern Washington is the final contest in WSU's current four-game homestand to close out 2020. Washington State has picked up wins over Idaho and Oregon State to open its extended stay in Beasley Coliseum, but needs a victory over Eastern Washington to secure a winning record for the homestand.

>> Tuesday's contest will be the 38th all-time meeting between the Cougars and the Eagles. It will be the first time the two schools separated by 70 miles have played one another since being paired up in the first round of the 2015 WNIT. Washington State leads the series over Eastern Washington, 26-11, with the Cougs winning the last regular season meeting, 70-59, in Cheney.

Balanced Scoring Attack
Washington State had a season-high four players record double-digit points in Monday's contest against No. 8-ranked Oregon. Charlisse Leger-Walker paced the group with 20 points, while junior Ula Motuga and freshman Jessica Clarke each tallied 11 points. Redshirt senior Krystal Leger-Walker rounded out the quartet by scoring 10 points against the Ducks.

Fantastic Freshman
Freshman Charlisse Leger-Walker continues to be one of the top freshmen in the country during the early portion of the 2020-21 season. The 5-10 guard's 20.5 ppg is the fourth-highest scoring average for a freshman in all of NCAA Division I. Leger-Walker recorded her third 20-point performance through her first four games at Washington State in Monday's loss to No. 8 Oregon, scoring a team-best 20 points.

Following Their Shots
Washington State has been hitting the offensive glass at a high-rate this season, as the Cougars tallied 60 offensive boards through their first four games. WSU grabbed 15 offensive boards against Oregon on Monday, which led to 10 second-chance points. Freshman Charlisse Leger-Walker entered the week ranked 25th in NCAA Division I in offensive rebounds at 4.3 boards per game.

Another Breakout Performance
Freshman Jessica Clarke broke out for a career-high 11 points and five rebounds in Monday's loss to Oregon. The 6-3 center got her afternoon started with a 3-point field goal from the wing, and provided the Cougs with clutch buckets throughout the second half of Monday's game against Oregon. Clarke's effort follows up another breakout performance from one of the newest Cougs, as sophomore Johanna Teder scored a career-high 20 points in Saturday's upset win over then-No. 21-ranked Oregon State.

Scouting the Eagles
Eastern Washington comes into Tuesday's contest boasting a 1-5 overall record and a 0-2 mark in Big Sky Conference play. The Eagles have yet to win a game against an NCAA Division I opponent, as their lone win came against the College of Idaho back on Dec. 17.

Freshman Aaliyah Alexander paces a quartet of double-digit scorers for EWU at 13.5 points per game. She is followed closely by sophomore Kennedy Dickie, who's putting up 13.2 points per contest. The duo has scored double-figures in each of their last three contests. Sophomores Jenna Dick and Alexyss Newman round out the group of double-digits scorers, as each player is averaging 11.0 points per contest.

As a team, Eastern Washington is averaging 63.5 points per game, while they are shooting 39.4% from the floor. The Eagles have had a hard time hanging onto the ball this season, averaging 21.7 turnovers per game. Defensively, EWU is giving up 74.8 points per game, with teams connecting on 45.2% of their shots from the field.

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