Cougars Pick Up a 68-55 win over Utah

Full Game Replay | Game Highlights | Coach Ethridge Postgame Interview | Krystal Leger-Walker Postgame Interview | Boxscore

PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State women's basketball team had three players record double-digit points against Utah on Sunday, Feb. 21, as the Cougars snapped their four-game losing streak with a 68-55 win over the Utes inside Beasley Coliseum.

Freshman Charlisse Leger-Walker paced WSU's trio of double-digit scorers, as the Waikato, New Zealand native tallied 22 points in the victory. It marks Leger-Walker's third-straight game with 20-or-more points, while she has scored eclipsed the 20-point plateau in five of her last six games.

Sophomore Bella Murekatete collected 12 points, while fellow sophomore Johanna Teder posted 11 points in the win. Teder hit a trio of 3-point field goals against the Utes, while Murekatete matched the younger Leger-Walker sister for the team lead in rebounds with six caroms.

The victory pushed Washington State's overall record to an even 10-10 on the year, while the Cougars stand at 8-10 in Pac-12 play. For the Utes, they fall to 5-15 overall and 4-15 in Pac-12 contests.

Redshirt senior Krystal Leger-Walker matched her career-high in assists with 11 helpers on Sunday. Leger-Walker was also one of three WSU players to collect two steals, as the Cougar defense forced Utah into 18 turnovers, which led to 25 Cougar points.

The Cougars were efficient from the floor against the Utes, as they shot 42.1 percent (24-of-57) in the win. Washington State hit 10 3-point field goals on Sunday, which extends its streak of five-or-more 3-point field goals made to 12 games. Charlisse Leger-Walker and Teder hit seven of the team's 10 shots from behind the arc, as Leger-Walker made a team-high four shots from behind the arc.

Washington State came out of the gate on fire against the Utes, as the Cougars scored a season-best 26 first-quarter points to take a 12-point lead over Utah at 26-14 after 10 minutes of play. WSU pushed its lead to 15 points at the break, before taking a 20-point lead at 48-28 midway through the third quarter. Washington State led by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter before settling for the 13-point victory over the Utes.

Washington State closes out the 2020-21 regular season next Sunday, Feb. 28, as the Cougars end the year with a Boeing Apple Cup matchup against Washington. Tip-off against the Huskies is set for 1 p.m. PT and will air live on Pac-12 Washington.

Cougs Quotes
Coach Ethridge on Today's Win: "It just feels good (to win). It feels like we got reintroduced to the team we got use to seeing a lot of in January. We just hit a little bit of a wall, and it wasn't any one thing we could point to. It felt like something was missing, but we really hammered home that we haven't had the same kind of energy from top-to-bottom, both individually and collectively as a team. I wish I saw it a little bit sooner, but I loved the attention to detail that we had today. I loved the command of our defensive effort, and you saw a different Bella in the post. She was a big presence for us today. Across the board, I thought our team was dedicated and committed to being successful today."

Coug Notes

• With the win, Washington State collects its first season sweep over Utah since the 2014-15 season.
• Washington State improves to 8-19 all-time against Utah.
• Freshman Charlisse Leger-Walker's 20-point performance marks 12th time this season she has scored 20-or-more points in a game. She is now tied with Marcia Miles for the sixth most 20-point games in a single-season at Washington State.
• The Cougars made seven 3-point field goals on Friday against Colorado, which now makes for 11-straight games with five-or-more 3-pointers.
• Krystal Leger-Walker's 11 assists against Utah ties her for the 11th-most assists in a single-game in WSU history.
• Sunday marked the first time in the last eight games that Washington State has had three players score 10-or-more points in the same game.
• Bella Murekatete's 12-point performance against Utah marks her ninth career game with double-digit points.
• With 11 points, Johanna Teder recorded her third career game with 10-or-more points.