WSU women’s basketball (11-2, 0-1 Pac-12) wraps their 2023 nonconference schedule with a trip to Auburn, Alabama to face the SEC’s Auburn Tigers (9-2) at noon, Wednesday at Neville Arena.
Unofficially, the Cougs are the No. 28 team in the nation after receiving 29 AP Top 25 votes in the prior week’s poll. The Cougs are 11-2, with wins over now-No. 20 Gonzaga 77-72 (OT), Nov. 9 in Pullman and Maryland (8-3) 87-67, Nov. 23 in Cancun but their two losses, 59-48 to Receiving Votes Green Bay (8-3) in Cancun and 60-55 to now- No. 23 UW (11-0) in Pullman, have dropped them out of the Top 25.
Auburn is off to a strong start to the season following wins over Rutgers (6-8) and Clemson (7-5). The Cougars are the second Pac-12 school Auburn has faced this year. In a Tiger vs. Bear brawl that would make most Wizard of Oz characters wince, California (9-2) beat Auburn 67-53, Nov. 17 on the Tigers’ home court.
Head coach Johnnie Harris is in her third year at the helm. In her second year, she led the Tigers to their first postseason win in seven years with a first-round WNIT win over Tulane. In the top-heavy SEC, home to No. 1-ranked South Carolina (10-0) and the reigning National Champions and current No. 7 LSU (11-1), Auburn is well on its way to taking the next step as a program, especially with inter-power five transfers joining their team.
Sitting on the other bench Wednesday afternoon will be WSU head coach Kamie Ethridge. In her sixth year at WSU, Ethridge seeks to extend a program-record streak of three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. The Cougs have been one and done in the last three years, failing to win an NCAA tournament game, but captured the program’s first Conference Championship in March when Ethridge’s Cougs won four games in five days in Las Vegas.
The Cougs come to Auburn following a 95-48 win over Houston in Pullman. All-Conference guard Charlisse Leger-Walker tallied her second career triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Junior Tara Wallack and freshman Jenna Villa scored career-highs with 21 and 18 points respectively. Villa’s 18-point four-3-pointer performance earned her Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors.
All-conference center Bella Murekatete leads the team in scoring and rebounds with 14.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Murekatete recorded her fourth double-double of the year with 10 points and 14 rebounds versus Houston.
Auburn’s statistical leaders are graduate guard Honesty Scott-Grayson (15.7 points per game), senior Oklahoma State transfer Taylen Collins (6.8 rebounds per game) and Alabama graduate transfer JaMya Mingo-Young (4.0 assists per game).
WSU has the scoring advantage over Auburn, 76.4 to Auburn’s 69.3 points per game while Auburn has the defensive advantage on paper, holding opponents to 51.5 to WSU’s 55.4 points allowed per game.
Ethridge said her team has failed to maintain a competitive mindset at times this season and that has cost them their two losses.
To combat this, Ethridge said she has had to be on edge during the week following the Cougars’ loss to UW.
“Coach E’s Grinch side comes out,” Leger-Walker said. “She pushed us really hard in practice this week.”
Ethridge said she hopes her team can learn to create their own edge in games without solely relying on the external motivation of her and her staff.
“I thought we prepared well for Houston this week, bounced back from UW and it’s everything we need and now we turn around and have a little success and how do we respond when we have to go on the road and play a Power Five at their place,” Ethridge said.
WSU plays Auburn at noon, Wednesday. Coug fans can watch on SEC Network +.
