Cougs score a comeback win against San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO – The Washington State women's basketball team (RV) completed one of the biggest comebacks in program history on Friday, Nov. 11, as the Cougars rallied from a 15-point deficit at San Francisco to score a 69-63 victory over the Dons to move to 2-0 on the year.
Washington State trailed San Francisco by 15 points heading into halftime, as the Dons held a 38-23 advantage. The Cougars were able to lock down USF defensively over the final two frames of play, as WSU held San Francisco to just a 27.3 percent shooting percentage in the third and fourth quarters. The Cougars used a 20-4 run that expanded through the final two-quarters of play to turn a 12-point deficit into a 10-point advantage for Washington State.
Junior Charlisse Leger-Walker hit a reverse layup with 6:44 remaining to give WSU a 51-50 lead the Cougars would never relinquish. The 15-point comeback is tied fourth-largest comeback victory in program history.
With the win, Washington State improves to 2-0. It is the fourth-straight season that the Cougars have opened a campaign winning back-to-back games. It marks the first time in program history that WSU has opened four-straight seasons with a perfect 2-0 record.
Leger-Walker scored a career-high 35 points in the victory, as she is now just 14 points shy from joining the 1,000-point club. Leger-Walker hit 11-of-26 of her shots from the field. The guard was efficient over the last two quarters of play, as she scored 26 of her career-high 35 points in the third and fourth quarters, while she shot a blistering 72.7 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes of play.
Senior Bella Murekatete battled through foul trouble throughout the afternoon against the Dons, but she came up big in the comeback effort, scoring 14 of her 16 points in the second half. The Cougars shot a blistering 55.2 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes of play. Washington State shot 38.5 percent from the floor against the Dons on Sunday, while limiting USF to a 34.4 shooting percentage.
Coach Ethridge on the Comeback Win over San Francisco
"I thought it was a gritty performance in the second half. Credit to San Francisco, they are a hard team to play and a hard to prepare for. We had to regroup and it was really good to see our team respond the way they did. I thought it was a dominating second half for us. A lot of good and bad. We have some issues we can clean up. But this is why you play these kinds of teams, it helps you prepare for things that can happen later in the season.
Coug Notes
- With the win, Washington State has now won nine-straight games against San Francisco. It is the longest current winning streak for the Cougars against an opponent
- The 35-point performance for Charlisse Leger-Walker marks a new career high in points for the guard
- Leger-Walker's 35-point effort marks the second time in her career she has scored 30-or-more points, while it is the 24th time in her career she has scored 20-or-more points in a game
- Senior Bella Murekatete scored double-digit points for the 33rd time in her WSU career with a 16-point effort
- WSU improves to 2-0 for the fourth-straight season, marking the first time in program history that the Cougars have begun four-consecutive seasons at 2-0
Next Up
Washington State returns to action this Sunday, Nov. 13, as the Cougars return to Beasley Coliseum to take on Prairie View A&M as part of the Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series. Tip-off against the Panthers is set for 12 p.m. PT and will air live on Pac-12 Network Washington.
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