Cougs Score 73-59 Win Over Idaho

MOSCOW, Idaho – The Washington State women's basketball team had four players score double digits against Idaho in the Battle of the Palouse, as the Cougars scored a 73-59 win over the Vandals at Idaho Central Credit Union Arena Sunday, Nov. 21.

Junior Johanna Teder scored a team-high 13 points in her return to the Cougars after missing the first two contests of the regular season while playing for Estonia at the FIBA Women's Eurobasket Qualifiers. Teder hits a team-best three shots from behind the arc and pulled down five rebounds in her return.

With the win, Washington State improves to 3-0 on the year. It marks the third-straight season that WSU has opened a year at 3-0, which is the first time in program history that the Cougars have accomplished the feat.

Teder was one of four Cougs to reach double-digit points against the Vandals, as junior Bella Murekatete, sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker and freshman Tara Wallack each scored 12 points in the win. Murekatete also grabbed 10 rebounds to collect her second-consecutive double-double after she pulled down 15 rebounds and scored 13 points in last Friday's win over Northern Arizona. Meanwhile Wallack's 12-point performance establishes a new career-high in points, as the freshman scored double-digit points for the first time in her WSU career.

Washington State shot an even 50 percent from the field, connecting on 29 of its 58 field goal attempts. The Cougars limited the Vandals to just 32.8 percent from the floor. WSU used its size to gain separation from Idaho, as Washington State outscored the Vandals, 38-16, in points in the paint.

It was a tightly contested contest for the first 24-plus minutes of the game, as the two squads traded the lead on 17 separate occasions and had three ties. The two squads were knotted up at 40-40 with 6:11 left in the third after a pair of Idaho free throws. From that point, Washington State would go on a 22-4 run to take game-high 22-point lead at 66-44 with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The Vandals chipped away at the Cougar lead, but WSU was able to keep Idaho at bay, closing out the contest with a 73-59 win.

WSU women's basketball head coach Kamie Ethridge on the Win
"Credit to Idaho. They are really a hard team to guard and it's not like we practice or see that style too often. I was surprised at how big they were in certain spots. They had a mismatch down in the post with Charlisse playing the four, but she was still able to make the game hard on people. I thought our team adjusted well at half. We decided that we might have to switch some things, but we could still guard them one-on-one. Our offense got going because Bella and our post started to run and were getting easy looks. I thought it was a great second half by Bella for her to get a double-double. Her presence really helped us win this game.

Coug Notes
- Washington State wins its fourth-straight game over the Vandals
- WSU moves to 28-13 all-time against Idaho and 12-6 in games in Moscow. Sunday's contest was the first time the Battle of the Palouse has taken place at ICCU Arena.
- Junior Johanna Teder scored to 13 points to record double-digit points in a game for the fourth time of her career.
- Junior Bella Murekatete posted a double-double in back-to-back games for the first time in her WSU career with a 12-point, 10 rebound performance against the Vandals.
- Sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker extended her double-digit scoring streak to 12 games with a 12-point performance today.
- Freshman Tara Wallack established a new career high in points with 12 against Idaho.

Up Next
Washington State will continue its three-game road trip this Thursday, Nov. 25, when the Cougars travel to the Bahamas to play in the 2021 Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship. WSU will take on Miami (Fla.) this Thursday, Nov. 25, at 1 p.m. PT, before challenging No. 5/4 NC State Saturday, Nov. 27.

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