The WSU women’s basketball team heads to Los Angeles to play against the USC Trojans at 7 p.m. Friday in Galen Center. 

This is WSU’s fourth Pac-12 matchup of the season. Friday’s game would be the fifth Pac-12 contest, but WSU’s contest against Arizona State was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Sun Devils program. 

This will be the 46th matchup between WSU and USC. The Cougars have a difficult time securing wins against the Trojans, with an 8-37 overall record against USC.

In their last matchup, the Cougars lost to USC, 81-71. Despite the loss, WSU’s Charlisse Leger-Walker and Ula Motuga had stellar 20-point games. 

WSU’s most recent outing resulted in a loss to No. 7 Arizona, 60-52. Despite the loss, the Cougars showed fight and resilience against the Wildcats, which should transition against USC. 

Krystal Leger-Walker seems to be getting better each game as of late. In the loss against the Wildcats, she scored a team-high 12 points, earned nine rebounds and six assists, almost securing a triple-double. 

Bella Murekatete showed improvement against Arizona, scoring 11 points. Murkatete’s outing in Tucson was her first time scoring in double-digits since December 12 against Boise State. Murkatete is essential close to the rim, ranking in the top-10 in rebounds and blocks per game for the Pac-12.

Charlisse had a slow game against Arizona, scoring seven points. Despite a low-scoring outing for Charlisse’s standards, her baskets helped keep the Cougs in the game.

Going into the contest, the Cougars rank above USC in points scored in the Pac-12. USC is currently 8-4 and 1-1 in conference play, ranking fourth in the Pac-12. WSU is currently 9-5 and 1-2 in conference play, ranking sixth in the conference.

Last Sunday, USC upset the Wildcats, with guard Alyson Miura scoring a team-high 15 points. Freshman forward Rayah Marshall earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Week because of her crucial blocks. USC is ranked first in the Pac-12 in blocks per game. Jordan Sanders is the leading scorer for the Trojans, averaging 11.9 points per game.

The Cougs are set to take the court at 7 p.m. Friday in Galen Center. Fans can catch the game on the Pac-12 Network.