Cougs End Their Run In The Bahamas with a Loss to No. 5/4 NC State

NASSAU, Bahamas – The Washington State women's basketball team ended its stay at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship in Nassau, Bahamas with a 62-34 loss to No. 5/4 North Carolina State on Saturday, Nov. 27.

Freshman Tara Wallack led the Cougars in scoring for the first time in her career, as the South Surrey, Canada native scored seven points against the Wolfpack. Junior Bella Murekatete was one of three players to score six points, while she led the team in rebounds with eight. Junior Johanna Teder and sophomore Jessica Clarke matched Murekatete in the scoring column with six points each.

With the loss, Washington State falls to 4-1 on the year. The Cougars leave the Bahamas with a 1-1 record, as they knocked off Miami, 62-47, this past Thursday, Nov. 25. Meanwhile, No. 5/4 North Carolina State improves to 6-1 on the year.

Washington State couldn't get into an offensive rhythm against the Wolfpack, as the Cougars shot 25.5 percent from the floor on Saturday. Conversely, WSU caused fits for the No. 5/4-ranked team in the country, as the Cougars limited NC State to a season-low 36.1 shooting percentage.

The Cougars were facing a six-point deficit at the end of the first quarter at 11-5. NC State pushed its advantage to double digits late in the second quarter, as the Wolfpack took a 30-16 lead into halftime. WSU was able to cut its deficit to 11 points with 3:55 remaining in the third quarter before NC State put the game out of reach with a 21-0 run that extended into the middle of the fourth quarter.
WSU head coach Kamie Ethridge on Today's Result
"Obviously we played a really great team. NC State is an awesome team with so many weapons. They make you pay for mistakes that you make. I loved our competitiveness in the first two quarters. We didn't shoot the ball well and our execution wasn't great. We played a fantastic team and we'll learn from it. We went toe-to-toe with them in the first half and we've got to find ways to put points on the board against a really great defense. It was something we haven't really seen this year. Games like this will make us better through the course of the year."
Coug Notes

• Washington State suffers its first loss of the season. WSU opened the 2021-22 season at 4-0 for the second time over the last three seasons.
• Sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker's 13-game double-digit scoring streak came to an end.
• Junior Ula Motuga's 59-game consecutive games started streak came to an end, as she returned from injury and came off the bench for the first time since her freshman season.
• Redshirt fifth-year senior Krystal Leger-Walker dished out a game-high four assists.
• Freshman Tara Wallack led the team in scoring for the first time in her WSU career.