Cougs Going to California this Saturday to take on UC Davis

Dec 3, 2021

DAVIS, Calif. – The Washington State women's basketball team opens a brief two-game road trip this Saturday, Dec. 4, as the Cougars travel down to the Golden State to take on UC Davis. Tip-off from the University Credit Union Center is set for 4 p.m. PT and will stream live on ESPN+.

STARTING FIVE
>> Saturday's contest at UC Davis will mark the first of four non-conference road games the Cougars will play in December. Washington State plays four of its final five non-conference games away from Beasley Coliseum. After Saturday's contest, the Cougs travel to Gonzaga (Dec. 8), BYU (Dec. 18) and Cornell (Dec. 19). The lone home game in that stretch will come on Dec. 12 against Boise State.

>> Washington State will be seeking its first win in program history at UC Davis this Saturday. The Cougars are 2-3 all-time against the Aggies and 0-2 in Davis. WSU has dropped two-straight contest to UC Davis. In the last meeting between the two schools back on Nov. 18, 2018, the Aggies claimed a 75-62 win in Beasley Coliseum.

>> Washington State will be seeking its second-straight 6-1 start to a season this Saturday at UC Davis. The last time WSU began back-to-back seasons with a 6-1 record came during the 1990-91 and 1991-92 campaigns.

>> Saturday's contest will serve as only the sixth true non-conference road game for Washington State under fourth-year head coach Kamie Ethridge. The Cougars are 2-3 all-time in true road games against non-conference foes in the Ethridge era. WSU has won two-straight true road contests against non-Pac-12 opponents after WSU picked up a 73-59 win at Idaho back on Nov. 21.

>> Sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker recorded a season-high 27 points in Thursday's 72-58 win at home over San Francisco. It was Leger-Walker's third 20-point performance of the season, while it was the 15th time in 30-game career that she has scored 20-or-more points in game.

Bouncing Back
The Cougars were able to bounce back from their first loss of the season against then No. 5/4-ranked NC State, as WSU scored a 72-58 win over San Francisco in Beasley Coliseum this past Thursday. Washington State has now won 12 of its last 13 non-conference home games.

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.

Bella Buckets
Junior Bella Murekatete's work on her offensive game in the offseason has shown in the early portion of the season. The 6-3 center is averaging a career-high 13.5 points per game this season, as she has scored double-digits in five of six games. Murekatete is coming off a 16-point performance in Thursday's win against San Francisco.

Getting Everyone Involved
Redshirt fifth-year senior Krystal Leger-Walker enters the weekend second in the Pac-12 in assists at 5.0 per game. Leger-Walker has dished out five-or-more assists in three of her six games played this season, which includes a five-assist effort in Thursday's win over San Francisco.

Knocking Down the Freebies
Junior Johanna Teder went 7-of-9 from the free throw line in Thursday's win against San Francisco. The seven free throws made against the Dons is a single-game personal-best for the guard from Estonia.

Getting Hot from Deep
Sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker tied her career-high in 3-point field goals made in a single game in Thursday's win against San Francisco, as she hit five shots from behind the arc.

Scouting the Aggies
UC Davis comes into Saturday's contest fresh-off a 64-57 upset win at No. 18/16 Oregon this past Wednesday. The Aggies currently stand at 4-2 on the year and have won three-straight games. UC Davis has played in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments after winning back-to-back Big West Conference titles. The Aggies earned a No. 12 seed in last season's NCAA Tournament and fell to No. 5 Missouri State, 70-51, in the first round.

Senior guard Cierra Hall leads UC Davis in both scoring (12.2 ppg) and rebounding (8.3 rpg) through six games this season. Hall has scored double-digits in all but one game this year and is coming off a 13-point performance in the upset win over Oregon. Sophomore Evanne Turner is also averaging double-digits at 10.3 points per game, while redshirt senior Sage Stobbart comes into the game on a three-game double-digit scoring streak.

UC Davis is averaging 61.0 points per game through six contest this season. The Aggies are shooting 39.8 percent from the floor, while connecting on 34.8 percent of their shots from behind the arc. UC Davis is averaging 8.1 3-point field goals made per game. Defensively, the Aggies are giving up 55.5 points per game to their opposition. Teams are shooting 32.6 percent from the floor against UC Davis, while limiting teams to 26.5 percent from behind the arc.

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