Following the Cougars’ 73-61 loss to No. 20 Utah, Sunday, junior guard Tara Wallack spoke candidly to the media about what life without Charlisse Leger-Walker, the program’s star of four years, is like.
“Whoever’s on the court, either it’s coming from the point guard or it’s coming from me, or whoever is the oldest needs to step up and communicate more,” Wallack said. “Since we lost our biggest leader, biggest communicator, so I think it’s just a learning experience now and moving forward, how to play without Charlisse and how, who’s going to step up and be a leader.”
Heach coach Kamie Ethridge said she appreciates Wallack’s expectations for herself.
“These guys are older they understand what’s expected of them you know, Tara just understands she’s got to produce for us. AT understands she’s got to be the leader on the court for the most part. And now I think it’s key for us to get a little bit more stability from our postgame and that starts with Bella [Murekatete],” Ethridge said.
The Pac-12 visitors gave WSU women’s basketball a cruel sense of what life without Leger-Walker will be like, at least for the near future.
WSU women’s basketball (15-8, 4-6 Pac-12) lost to No. 4 Colorado (19-3, 9-2), 63-57, Friday and No. 20 Utah (17-6, 7-4), Sunday over the weekend in Beasley Coliseum.
The Cougs led both games in the fourth quarter before failing to survive final surges from two top 25 teams that they beat in Las Vegas in March 2023 on their way to the Pac-12 Championship. Colorado and Utah took advantage of the Cougars’ defensive emphasis on the paint by letting their 3-point shots reign. Frida Foreman sank six 3-pointers for the Buffs while the Utes combined for 13 3-pointers.
The next challenge for Wazzu is a reunion with Cal, another program the Cougs sent packing in Las Vegas on their way to their first Conference Championship.
The Cougars’ first meeting with Cal of 2024 led them to overtime in Berkley, in which their inability to grab a defensive rebound cost them the game.
Cal jumped out to an early 7-point lead over WSU in the first quarter. WSU did not lead until the 6:08 mark of the third quarter. Wazzu kept the lead for the next 10 minutes.
WSU outscored Cal 7-6 in the final 6:08 of regulation. The Cougs propelled themselves to overtime thanks to Leger-Walker’s game-tying 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining in regulation.
With nine seconds left in overtime, Wallack blocked a shot, but the Cougs failed to secure the rebound and the Golden Bears cashed in with their 10th and 11th second-chance points compared to WSU’s six.
Fifth-year head coach Charmin Smith’s Cal Golden Bears win over Wazzu remains their most prolific win of the season. Every win matters as the Cougs continue to play without Leger-Walker in a Pac-12 Conference chock-full of tournament teams and five top-25 teams. Cal, on WSU’s home floor, is a team the Cougs should take care of. The Bears got the best of Wazzu on their home floor, but WSU needs to protect its home court with the possibility of reaching a fourth-straight NCAA Tournament.
Graduate transfer Ioanna Krimili has stepped up to lead the Golden Bears in scoring (16.7 points per game). She also sports a 43.3% 3-point clip. SEC transfer Marta Suárez posts 12.4 points per game and paces the team in rebounds with 6.4 per game.
With all eyes on Sin City for Super Bowl, Sunday, the Cougars will provide an intriguing pregame show at 1 p.m. Sunday as they host No. 6 Stanford (20-3, 9-2).
When Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer walks into Beasley Coliseum, she will be doing for the first time as the winningest coach in college basketball history (men’s and women’s).
Stanford’s 65-56 win over Oregon State Jan. 21 Maples Pavillion gave VanDerveer her 1,203rd career coaching victory, surpassing former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski for the most in college basketball history.
Ethridge said VanDerveer has greatly inspired her and is a fan of what Ethridge and her staff are building at WSU.
“She cares about the success of other coaches and she’s really been someone that I could count on,” Ethridge said. “She’s even at times, told me some things that maybe I should be doing in the most positive way.”
That said, Ethridge said the Cougars’ goal remains to find a way to beat VanDreveer’s team come Sunday.
“Our job is to somehow try to find a way to compete and be in that game late in the game and maybe pull out a win,” Ethridge said.
Wazzu played well against the Cardinal, Jan. 5 but lost 74-65 in a game in which they led as late as 5:27 to go in the third quarter before Stanford rallied to build a double-digit lead. The Cougs clawed back to within 4 points with 1:25 to go but the Cardinal put the game away.
Leger-Walker began the new year right for Wazzu with 22 points and five 3-pointers. The Cardinal will not have to deal with Leger-Walker on the court, Sunday, but they will have to deal with sophomore guard Astera Tuhina who missed the Cougars and Cardinal’s first meeting because of injury.
AT is back on the court and clicking for the Cougs. In her return to the court against Colorado and Utah, she played 23 and 29 minutes and posted 15 and 7 points respectively.
Bella Murekatete, WSU senior center and the Cougars’ leading scorer (13.5 points per game) dropped 13 on Stanford in January while freshman Jenna Villa was the only other Coug to cross double-figures last time out versus the Cardinal.
Stanford is headlined by Cameron Brink, the two-time All-American and the nation’s block leader (3.5 per game). Brink is second on the team in scoring (17.6) but paces the Cardinal in rebounds (11.9).
Junior Kiki Iriafen is having a break-out year for the Cardinal. She leads the Cardinal in scoring with 18.8 points per game after averaging 4.2 and 6.7 points in her freshman and sophomore sessions respectively. She has started each of Stanford’s 23 games and accumulated 432 points to her name in 2023–24. Iriafen is on pace to nearly triple her point production from her sophomore season.
Stanford runs their offense through Brink and Iriafen, with the duo making plenty of opportunities for one another.
“They’ve got some stars and they’ve got some breakout stars. So just great. Great, great recruiting,” Ethridge said.
WSU hosts Cal at 7 p.m. Friday and at 1 p.m. Sunday at Beasley Coliseum. Fans can watch Friday’s game on Pac-12 Washington and Sunday’s on Pac-12 Network or in the stands at Beasley Coliseum.
