Cougs Return to Beasley This Thursday for a Matinee Against USF

PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State women's basketball team returns to Beasley Coliseum this Thursday, Dec. 2, as the Cougars host San Francisco. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. PT and will stream live on Pac-12 Plus.

WASHINGTON STATE (RV) (4-1, 0-0 Pac-12) vs. San Francisco (4-3, 0-0 WCC) | Thursday, Dec. 2  | 12 p.m. | Beasley Coliseum
  Live Stats | WSUCougars.com
  Watch | Pac-12 Plus (Trevor Williams)
  Game Notes | WSUCougars.com

STARTING FIVE
>> Washington State returns to Pullman after going 2-1 on the Cougar's first road trip of the season. WSU defeated Idaho (73-59) in Moscow back on Nov. 21 before they headed down to the Bahamas, where the Cougs knocked off Miami (62-47) on Nov. 25 before losing to No. 5/4-ranked NC State (62-34) on Nov. 27. Four of the Cougars next five games following the San Francisco contest will be on the road.

>> The Cougars are 11-4 at home against non-conference opponents under head coach Kamie Ethridge. Washington State enters Thursday's contest against San Francisco riding a five-game winning streak at home against non-conference foes. WSU has also won 11 of its last 12 games against non-conference teams in Beasley.

>> Thursday's matchup will be the 10th all-time meeting against Washington State and San Francisco. The Cougars hold a 7-2 record against the Dons in the all-time series. WSU has won each of the last seven contests against USF, a streak that began in 1983.

>> Washington State looks to stay hot in the month of December. The Cougars closed out November with a 4-1 overall record. The .800 winning percentage the Cougars posted in the previous month marks the program's highest winning percentage in November since 2015, when they went 5-1 (.833) in the month.

>> WSU comes into Thursday's contest against San Francisco with the second-fewest turnovers as a team in the Pac-12. The Cougars have only committed a total of 80 miscues this season, which also the 64th-lowest total in NCAA Division I.

A Force Down Low
Junior Bella Murekatete enters this week's slate of games second in the Pac-12 in both rebounds and blocks per game. The 6-3 center from Rwanda is currently averaging 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per game. Her 18 total blocks are the ninth-most in the NCAA, while her 5.0 swats per game is the fifth-highest average in the nation.

Dishing It Out
Redshirt fifth-year senior Krystal Leger-Walker has handed out at least one assist in every game she has played for the Cougars. In fact, Leger-Walker has collected at least one assist in 44-straight games, which dates back to her time at Northern Colorado.

Receiving Votes
Washington State once again received votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today/WBCA polls. The Cougars picked up five votes in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll, while they earned two votes in the AP top-25 poll. WSU has received votes each week so far this season.

Looking to Start a New Streak
Sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker's double-digit scoring streak was snapped at 13 games in her last outing against NC State. It was just the third game in her career that Leger-Walker had scored under 10 points in a game.

Count On Grace
Junior Grace Sarver currently leads the team in most consecutive games played, as the Seattle, Washington native has played in 43-straight games for Washington State.

Scouting the Dons
San Francisco comes into Pullman sporting a 4-3 record overall. USF will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak, as they've dropped back-to-back contests against Drake (84-60) and Nevada (73-67).

The Dons are led by redshirt sophomore Ioanna Krimili, who averages a team-best 18.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. The 5-10 guard from Greece has scored double-digits in six of her team's seven game this season and is coming off a career-best 34-point performance against Nevada. Junior Jasmine Gayles is San Francisco's other double-digit scorer, as the Seattle native brings 11.7 points per game off the bench.

As a team, San Francisco is averaging 65.3 points per game. The Dons are shooting 40.3 percent from the floor, while they are connecting on 30.5 percent of their shots from behind the arc. Defensively, USF is giving up 65.0 points per game to its opposition, while teams are shooting 38.1 percent from the floor against the Dons.

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