Women’s basketball rolls by Bears
Cougs grab momentum ahead of meeting with No. 2 Stanford
WSU guard Charlisse Leger-Walker (5, right) shoots a three-pointer during a college basketball game against the University of San Francisco in Beasley Coliseum, Dec. 3, 2021.
January 1, 2022
The Cougars ended 2021 with a blowout victory against the California Bears, 69-42, improving their record to 9-3.
WSU extended their win streak to eight games at Beasley Coliseum. This was the 74th all-time meeting between the Cougars and Golden Bears. The Cougs did not get the chance to play against Cal last season due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Cougars’ past losses to BYU and Stony Brook seemed to be fuel against Cal in Pac-12 play as the Cougars dominated on all ends. WSU shot 48 percent behind the arc and dominated on points in the paint with 26 compared to the Bears’ 18. However, there were three Cougars that stood out and scored in double-digits.
Tara Wallack, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Johanna Teder all scored in double digits to help the Cougars secure the win. Leger-Walker was the leading scorer for the Cougars as she posted 22 against the Golden Bears. She proved efficient in shooting as she shot 8-14 in field goals.
Leger-Walker currently is ranked inside the top-five in the conference in field goals made (3rd; 64), points scored (2nd; 189), free throws made (4th; 35), points per game (2nd; 17.2), steals (2nd; 25) and three-point field goals made (3rd; 26). Wallack was second in points for the Cougars as she scored 12, shooting 5-11 in field goals.
Teder scored 10 for the Cougars shooting 4-7 in field goals to help assist the Cougars. Krystal Leger-Walk led the team with six assists. She helped move the ball and carried the momentum on the offensive end. However, the highlight for the Cougars in this game has to be on the defensive end.
WSU has been playing stellar defense all season and head into league play with the 65th-best-scoring defense in the nation. It showed in Sunday’s game. In the first half, the Golden Bears were limited to just 14 points and ended the night only scoring 42, which is currently a season-low for the Golden Bears.
“Just extremely happy to get a win,” head coach Kamie Ethridge said. “I mean we sat on a bad two-game losing streak over the break so no one has any fun when that happens. I liked how our kids responded, scouted and in most ways, executed.”
The Cougars are back in action on Sunday against the second-ranked team in the nation, Stanford, to start off the 2022 year.
