Cougs Seek to Halt the Hurricanes in the Bahamas this Thursday

NASSAU, Bahamas – The Washington State women's basketball teams looks for its fourth-straight victory to open the 2021-22 season this Thursday, Nov. 25, as the Cougars take on Miami (Fla.) in the first of two games at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship in Nassau, Bahamas. Tip-off against the Hurricanes is set for 1 p.m. PT and will stream live on FloHoops.com.

WASHINGTON STATE (RV) (3-0, 0-0 Pac-12) vs. Miami (Fla.) (4-0, 0-0 ACC) | Thursday, Nov. 25 | 1 p.m. PT | Nassau, Bahamas | Baha Mar Convention Center
  Live Stats | StatBroadcast
  Watch | FloHoops.com (Paid Subscription Requried)
  Listen | No Radio
  Game Notes | WSUCougars.com

STARTING FIVE
>> The Cougars will be seeking their second 4-0 start in the last three seasons this Thursday when they take on Miami. Washington State has opened a season at 4-0 only five times in program history, with the last coming during the 2019-20 season. WSU's best start to open a season came back during the 1978-79 campaign when they went 10-0 to open the year.

>> Thursday's contest against Miami will be the first of two games for WSU at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship in Nassau, Bahamas. Washington State will take on No. 5/4 NC State this Saturday, Nov. 27, at 3 p.m. PT. Both games will be streamed on FloHoops.com for a fee.

>> The Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship marks the second time in program history that the Cougars have played regular season contests in the Bahamas. The Cougs also participated at the 2007 Junkanoo Jam in Freeport, Grand Bahamas. WSU will be seeking its first win in the Bahamas in program history, as they lost to NC State (77-51) and Alabama (66-37) back in 2007.

>> Thursday's matchup against the Cougars and the Hurricanes will mark the second time the two schools have met on the hardwood. The two teams last met in 2019 at the Miami Holiday Classic. The Hurricanes pulled out the 74-68 win over Washington State in Coral Gables, Florida in the lone meeting.

>> Washington State is in the midst of their first road trip of the season. The Cougars opened the three-game excursion this past Sunday with a 73-59 win at Idaho. Washington State will play six of its next eight games away from Pullman.

Bella's Bringing It
Junior Bella Murekatete has been one of the most improved players in the Pac-12 this season, as the 6-3 center from Rwanda enters this week's set of games averaging a double-double at 15.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Murekatete has collected a double-double in each of the last two games. She pulled down 15 rebounds and scored 13 points against Northern Arizona, then went on to put up 12 points and 10 rebounds at Idaho. She is the first WSU player since Borislava Hristova to record a double-double in back-to-back games, as Hristova accomplished the feat at UCLA and at Southern Cal back during the 2018-19 campaign.

Welcome Back
Junior Johanna Teder made an immediate impact in her return to the Cougars this past Sunday against Idaho. The guard had been away from the team for the first two games of the season while playing for Estonia at the FIBA Eurobasket Qualifiers. Teder scored a team-high 13 points and hit a trio of shots from behind the arc in her first game back with WSU.

Pac-12 Leaders
Washington State heads into this week's slate of games with the Pac-12's leader in both assists and rebounds. Redshirt fifth-year senior Krystal Leger-Walker currently leads the Pac-12 at 5.7 assists per game, while junior Bella Murekatete paces the conference in rebounds at 10.7 boards per game.

Extending Her Streak
Sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker's 12-point performance at Idaho extends her current double-digit scoring streak to 12 games. Leger-Walker has scored 10-or-more points in 25 of her 27 career games with Washington State.

Taking Care of the Ball
Washington State currently has the fewest turnovers in the Pac-12 with 39. That total is also the 14th-fewest number of turnovers committed by a team this season in the NCAA.

Scouting the Hurricanes
Like Washington State, Miami comes to the Bahamas with a perfect record intact at 4-0. Thursday's contest will mark the Hurricane's first game outside of Coral Gables, as Miami has opened the season with home wins against Jackson State (72-67), Bethune-Cookman (55-43), Stetson (54-39) and Florida Atlantic (56-46).

Kelsey Marshall is the lone double-digit scorer for the Hurricanes at 12.8 points per game. Marshall is shooting 34.0 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from behind the arc. She has also hit a team-high 11 3-pointers through four games. Mykea Gray averages 8.5 points per game, while Lola Pendande is putting up 8.0 points per contest.

Miami is averaging 59.3 points per game this season, while shooting 33.9 percent from the floor as a team. The Hurricanes have only scored more than 56 points in a game once this season, which game in the season-opening win over Jackson State, 72-67. Miami has been forcing teams to turn the ball over, as opponents are averaging 20.8 turnovers per game. Teams are shooting 31.3 percent from the floor against Miami, while connecting on 27.1 percent of their 3-point field goals.

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