The WSU Women’s Basketball team is set to host the Washington Huskies at 7 p.m. Friday in Beasley Coliseum.

This will be the 45th matchup between the in-state rivals, with the Cougars having only won nine games all-time against the Huskies. 

Friday’s game will be the Cougs’ seventh conference game of the season. So far, the Cougs are 3-3 against conference opponents. Their last conference win came Wednesday against the Oregon State Beavers, 58-51.

The last time the Cougars and Huskies met was February 2021, when the Cougs earned a 61-52 victory. Johanna Teder led the way with 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists. 

In the Cougars’ most recent contest against the Beavers, WSU’s defense shined and the team scored when needed to earn a tough win.

Teder continues to lead the Cougars in scoring as of late. Teder also seems to have dialed in her three-point shot, scoring three buckets from deep on Wednesday. 

Bella Murekatete has shown tremendous heart throughout conference play. Murekatete takes her shots when open, going 5-8 for 11 points with six rebounds against the Beavers. She currently sits ninth in the Pac-12 for rebounding at 124 total, or 7.29 rebounds per game. 

Krystal Leger-Walker seemed to bounce back after a tough scoring game earlier in January where she went scoreless from the field. Krystal returned to normal against the Beavers, racking up 11 points, six rebounds and six assists. Krystal is currently second in the Pac-12 for assists with 81, averaging 4.76 assists per game. 

Another Coug to watch out for on Friday is Ula Motuga. Motuga is averaging 7.9 points, and 6.6 rebounds per game this season. Motuga is also shooting 50.7% from the field this season, which is the highest percentage of her career on the Palouse. Motuga currently sits in first place in the Pac-12 for three-point field goal percentage, shooting 51% from three on 31 total attempts.

The Cougars are currently fifth in the Pac-12 standings with a 3-3 record, while the Huskies sit in last place with a conference record of 0-4. 

Charlisse Leger-Walker currently sits fourth in the conference in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game. Charlisse is also ninth in the conference for field goal percentage at .365%. Look for the Leger-Walker sisters to score double-digits on Friday against the Huskies. 

In Washington’s most recent outing, they lost 47-41 to the Beavers. The Huskies were led by Nancy Mulkey with 12 points and six rebounds. Mulkey sits in first place in the conference for blocked shots with 39 on the season and 3.25 blocks per game. 

If the Cougs want to come away with a win, they need to score the basketball, attack the glass and share the ball to get the Husky defense moving and out of their comfort zone. Washington currently sits last in the Pac-12 in scoring and has the lowest scoring margin in the conference. 

The Apple Cup is set to start at 7 p.m. Friday in Beasley Coliseum. The teams then travel across the state to play the second game of the series at noon on Sunday in Alaska Airlines Arena.