Cougs Can't Complete Comeback at Utah

SALT LAKE CITY –The Washington State women's basketball team nearly completed an historic comeback at Utah on Sunday, Feb. 6. The Cougars scored 27 points in the fourth quarter to storm back into the contest, but ultimately fell to the Utes, 72-66, in Pac-12 Conference action.

WSU went into the fourth trailing the Utes, 58-39. The Cougars would open the frame on a 12-2 run to cut their deficit to nine points after a 3-point field goal from junior Johanna Teder with 6:22 left to play in the game.

Utah pushed its lead back out to 12 points just a few seconds later, but Washington State once against responded as a 9-2 spurt saw the Cougars pull within five points at 65-60 with 2:29 remaining after a layup from Teder. The Utes were able to convert from the free throw line down the stretch, as Utah hit seven of its 10 free throw attempts over the final two minutes of play to keep the Cougars at arms-length.

Washington State tried to mount one final push on the comeback trail in the final 25 seconds, as a 3-pointer from freshman Tara Wallack and jumper from redshirt fifth-year senior Krystal Leger-Walker made it a six-point contest with 10 seconds remaining. The Cougs would force a turnover on the inbounds after Leger-Walker's jumper but were unable to come away with a shot attempt to seal a six-point loss to the Utes.

With the loss, Washington State's four-game winning streak comes to an end. The Cougars now head back to Pullman from the mountains with a 14-7 overall record and a 6-4 mark in Pac-12 play.

Teder was one of three Cougars to score double-digit points in the loss to the Utes, as the guard from Tartu, Estonia tallied a game-high 16 points. Teder made a game-best three 3-point field goals and dished out a career-high six assists on Sunday.

Sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker, who was fresh off a 30-point outing at Colorado on Friday, registered 15 points, while pulling down five rebounds. Junior Bella Murekatete posted double-digit points for the first time in four games, as she registered 12 points against Utah.

Washington State shot 38.6 percent from the floor in the loss and held a 28-22 edge in points in the paint. The Cougars also forced Utah into 18 turnovers, which resulted in 20 points off turnovers for WSU.

Head coach Kamie Ethridge on the Result
"I think that's a really good Utah team. They are hard to scout in one day. We made some mistakes in the first half. We had a bad offensive mindset and execution in the second quarter. People don't believe you can win or lose a game (that early), but we never got a handle on being a better basketball team until the fourth quarter. I'm proud of how the team competed and came back. Give a lot of credit to Utah, they are really good and hard to guard. We just weren't up to the task today, but we can learn a lot from this game."

Coug Notes
- The Cougars suffer their first loss since Jan. 16, when WSU fell at UCLA, 71-58.
- Washington State falls to 9-20 all-time against Utah, while they move to 5-10 all-time against the Utes in Salt Lake City.
- Junior Johanna Teder's 16-point performance extends her double-digit streak to five games.
- Teder has now led the Cougars in scoring three times this season and five times in her career.
- Sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker's 15-point performance extends her double-digit scoring streak to four games.
- With 15 points against Utah, Charlisse Leger-Walker has now scored double-digit points in 18 games of 21 games this season. For her career, she has scored 10-or-more points in 40 of her career 45 games at WSU.
- Junior Bella Murekatete registered double-digit points for the 11th time this season.
- Freshman Kaia Woods scored her first career point at WSU with a free throw in the second quarter.
Up Next

Washington State returns to Pullman this Wednesday, Feb. 9, to kick-off a five-game homestand to close out the 2021-22 slate of home games at Beasley Coliseum. The Cougars will take on No. 19/22 Oregon for a Wednesday matinee. Tip-off against the Ducks is set for 12 p.m. PT and will air live on the Pac-12 Network.