Cougs Looking for a Log Jam this Friday in Beasley

PULLMAN, Wash. – A new season has arrived for the Washington State women's basketball team, as the Cougars kick-off the 2021-22 season this Tuesday, Nov. 9, when WSU takes on San Jose State. Tip-off from Beasley Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. PT and will be streamed live on WSUCougars.com.

WASHINGTON STATE (RV) (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) vs. Northern Arizona (0-0, 0-0 Big Sky) | Friday, Nov. 12 | 7 p.m. | Beasley Coliseum
  Live Stats | WSUCougars.com
  Watch | Pac-12 Plus (Steve Grubbs)
  Listen | WSU IMG Radio Network (Steve Grubbs)
  Game Notes | WSUCougars.com

STARTING FIVE
>> The Cougars head into Friday's contest against the Lumberjacks fresh off an 86-56 win over San Jose State in Beasley this past Tuesday, Nov. 9. Junior Bella Murekatete and sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker led the charge for WSU in the season opener, as each player recorded 22 points in the win over the Spartans.

>> Washington State shot 55.2 percent from the floor in the win over San Jose State. That is the seventh-highest field goal percentage posted by the Cougars under head coach Kamie Ethridge. While the 86 points scored were the fifth-most points scored by Washington State in a season-opener in program history.

>> Junior Bella Murekatete and sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker each scored 22 points in the season-opening win over SJSU. It marks the first time since Feb. 7, 2020 that the Cougs had two players score 20-or-more points in the same game. Ula Motuga scored a career-high 25 points, while Charlisse Leger-Walker tallied 24 points in a 71-61 loss to USC in Beasley Coliseum.

>> Washington State will be seeking its third-straight 2-0 start to a season under head coach Kamie Ethridge this Friday when they take on Northern Arizona.

>> Friday's contest will mark the first matchup between Washington State and Northern Arizona.

New Year, New Career High
Juniors Bella Murekatete and Grace Sarver's hard work in the offseason was on display in the first game of the 2021-22 season, as each player registered a career-high in points. Murekatete collected the first 20-point performance of her career with a 22-point effort in the season opener, while Sarver matched her career-best performance with nine points off the bench.

They Come from a Land Down Under
Senior Ula Motuga and junior Emma Nankervis had a nose for the boards in Tuesday's season-opening win. The Aussie forwards had nine rebounds each against San Jose State, while Nankervis blocked a pair of shots. Motuga shot an impressive 83.3 percent from the floor en route to an 11-point performance.

Getting Everyone Involved
After one game of the season its no surprise to WSU's Leger-Walker sister duo lead the Pac-12 Conference in assists. Fifth-year senior Krystal Leger-Walker currently leads the conference in assists with eight, while sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker handed out six assists.

Playing Well at Home
Washington State will be seeking its fifth-straight win at home over a non-conference opponent this Friday when they host Northern Arizona. The Cougars are 8-1 in their last nine home games against non-conference opponents. WSU is 11-4 all-time in non-conference home games in the Ethridge Era.

Add Her to the List
Sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker was added to a pair of National Player of the Year watch list this past Tuesday, Nov. 9, as the guard from New Zealand was put on the John R. Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy watch lists. Leger-Walker becomes the first player in program history to be added to the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy watch lists.

A Strong Debut
Freshman Tara Wallack made the most of her collegiate debut this past Tuesday against San Jose State The 6-2 guard from Canada made the first start of her career in her debut and responded with nine points and five rebounds in team-high 35 minutes of action.

Scouting the Lumberjacks
Friday will serve as the first game of the season for Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks went 15-14 a season ago and an even 10-10 in Big Sky Conference play. NAU earned a bid into the Women's Basketball Invitational last season, where they won a pair of games over Florida International and Stetson.

NAU returns eight of their top nine from last season, while Lauren Orndoff and Nina Radford return after missing all of the 2020-21 season. Eight different players on the roster started a game for Northern Arizona during their careers, with Orndoff and Radford started all 31 games during their most recent season on the court in 2019-20. Fifth-year senior Khiarica Rasheed returns a team-best 13.3 points from last season, while Regan Schenck, who shot 43.8 percent from behind the arc in 2020-21, brings back 11.4 points.

The Lumberjacks averaged 71.7 points per game last season, while allowing teams to score 70.1 points per contest against them. NAU shot 42.5 percent from the field a season ago, while the opposition shot 43.7 percent against them.

For more information on the Washington State women's basketball team, follow @WSUCougarWBB on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.