It is a moment head coach Kamie Ethridge and her team have been waiting for: the chance to put on their 2023 Pac-12 Championship rings and raise the championship banner at Beasley Coliseum.
The Cougs (1-0) will share this proud moment in front of their fans prior to their 7 p.m. game against Gonzaga (1-0).
However, once the ceremony is over, Ethridge said she wants her team to focus on the task in front of them: beating the Zags.
“We want to celebrate that team, that moment, that Pac-12 championship,” Ethridge said. “You know, they’re going to be getting their rings, which they’ve never gotten before and then it’s over and we shouldn’t talk about that anymore and it’s all about what we do that night.”
Ethridge said she is excited to celebrate last year’s team with several departing seniors back in town to receive their rings. She also sees the ceremony as a chance to further inspire the freshmen.
“I want the freshmen to aspire to get the last Pac-12 championship because like why not? And obviously, we have big goals for this team this year,” Ethridge said.
WSU won the Pac-12 Championship for the first time in program history but fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year.
While Gonzaga’s men’s team frequently grabs the headlines, their women’s team is impressive in their own right. Under head coach Lisa Fortier, Gonzaga women’s basketball made the postseason in eight of her nine seasons, with the pandemic-affected 2020 season being the only year she missed the postseason.
WSU is 6-10 all-time versus the Zags, with their 2-point Dec. 8 2021 win being their most recent. Leger-Walker scored 14, Murekatete scored 9 and Wallack scored 8 as the Cougs overcame a 9-point second-quarter deficit to beat Gonzaga, 51-49. Ethridge’s Cougs faced the Zags in 2018 and 2019, losing by an identical 76-53 final.
If the Cougs want to go further in the big dance, a win over a frequent tournament team like Gonzaga in the second game would be an essential test.
Wazzu
WSU started the season 1-0 following Monday’s 78-61 win over Cal Poly. Wazzu accomplished one of Ethrige’s goals of having five players in double digits, but star senior Charlisse Leger-Walker was not one of them.
The Pac-12’s second-leading scorer from last season scored just 6 points but generated a plus/minus of 17 as she snagged nine assists, eight rebounds and three steals.
Bella Murekatete is the Cougs’ leading scorer after one game, as she overcame a quiet, foul-plagued first half to make each of her six shots from the floor on her way to 18 points.
In year two on the Palouse, Astera Tuhina let it rain with three 3-pointers while freshman Jenna Villa from Arlington, Washington, scored each of her 12 points via four 3-pointers in her WSU debut.
Washougal, Washington’s Beyonce Bea looked right at home in her introduction to the Pullman side of the Palouse. The Idaho graduate transfer almost posted a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds to go along with five blocks.
Junior Tara Wallack scored 11 points but drew three personal fouls. She cashed in on two free throws on the Cougars’ opening possession to secure the first points of the Cougars’ young season.
Zaga
Gonzaga arrives in Pullman having beaten the Montana Grizzlies 83-70. Four Zags scored in double figures, including Kaylynne Truong, the reigning West Coast Conference player of the year who scored 19 points (7-for-10, 3-for-4 from the 3-point line). Senior forward Yvonne Ejim posted 17 points, 8 rebounds and five assists and fifth year Eliza Hollingsworth scored 16 points and paced the Zags with nine rebounds and two steals.
Gonzaga grabbed the lead early on versus the Grizz and did not let it go, putting the game out of reach with 30 points in the fourth quarter.
Last season, the Zags lost the West Coast Conference Championship to University of Portland and lost in the first round to eighth-seed Ole Miss.
“It’s good for us to play Top 10, Top 15, Top 25 teams,” Ethridge said. “We need to challenge ourselves.”
WSU will raise the Pac-12 Championship banner and receive their championship rings prior to their 7 p.m. Thursday game against Gonzaga at Beasley Coliseum.
