Gonzaga vs WSU Lady Cougars Wbb

[ZagDad84]

Game Preview from GoZags:

RV/RV WBB Hosts RV/RV Washington State on Wednesday
The Zags are coming off a 54-47 win over Wyoming

RV/RV Gonzaga (7-1, 0-0 WCC) vs. RV/RV Washington State (6-1)
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 8 | 6 P.M. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER | SPOKANE
TELEVISION: SWX
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | 94.1 AM or 790 AM KJRB

THE TIP OFF
- The Gonzaga Bulldogs host Washington State University on December 8.
- Gonzaga is coming off a 54-47 win over Wyoming. The Zags forced 20 turnovers against the Cowgirls as three Bulldogs scored in double figures including senior Melody Kempton (13), junior Kaylynne Truong (11) and sophomore Yvonne Ejim (10).
- Prior to returning home, GU had dominant performance at the Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Zags were crowned the champions of the tournament after defeating Utah, Eastern Illinois and Hawaii. The average margin of victory for Gonzaga was 19.3 points. Junior Kaylynne Truong was named the tournament MVP and senior Melody Kempton was named to the All-Tournament team.
- GU is forcing an average of 14.5 turnovers per game and a total of 116 so far this season.
- The Zags are averaging 38.8 rebounds a game and a 11.7 rebound margin, which ranks 20th in the nation.
- Offensively, Gonzaga averages 69.4 points per game.
- WSU is 6-1 on the year and is receiving votes in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll.
- GU will be the second WCC the Cougs have played this season as WSU beat San Francisco, 72-58 on Dec. 2.
- Gonzaga has four more non-conference games before starting WCC play on December 30 at home against San Francisco.
- WSU is the third Pac-12 team the Bulldogs have faced this year. GU fell to No. 7/2 Stanford 66-62 at home and defeated Utah 89-71 in Honolulu, HI.
- The Bulldogs will face six teams that were part of the 2021 NCAA Tournament during the 2021-22 campaign.
- Last season, the Zags advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth-straight year under head coach Lisa Fortier.
- Gonzaga returns two starters and seven letterwinners from last season's squad that claimed the Zags' fifth consecutive West Coast Conference regular season title.
-The Zags won their ninth WCC Tournament Title in 2021 with a thrilling victory over BYU in the championship game.

SCOUTING THE COUGS
- Washington State is 6-1 with its lone loss coming against No. 5/4 NC State, 62-34, in Nassau, Bahamas.
- WSU is coming off a 71-49 win over UC Davis, a team that GU plays on Dec. 19.
- The Cougs are averaging 65.7 points a game with a 10.7 scoring margin.
- Charlissee Leger-Walker leads the team in scoring with 16 ppg, which ranks fourth in the Pac-12 conference.
- Bella Murekatete pulls in a team-high of 8.9 rebounds per game and ranks fourth in the Pac-12. She has also recorded 18 blocks so far this season and averages 2.6 a game, second in the Pac-12.
- Gonzaga has not lost to WSU since 2016, when the Zags fell 55-48 on the road.
- The two teams have competed against each other every year since 2011.
- WSU is one of the six teams GU is facing that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

SERIES INFO: 29 all-time meetings, WSU leads 11-18
STREAK: Gonzaga - 4
FIRST MEETING: WSU defeated Gonzaga 74-61 at Pullman in 1984.
LAST MEETING: The Zags won 76-53 in 2020 in Pullman. Last time the Cougs came to the Kennel, GU won 76-53 in 2019.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Zags have historically played very well at their home court in The Kennel. Including this season so far, the Bulldogs have been 39-2 since 2018. Their lone losses include the No. 7/2 matchup against Stanford this year and against BYU in 2019.

Link: https://gozags.com/news/2021/12/6/wo...wednesday.aspx

ZagDad

[ZagDad84]

Game Preview from WSU Athletic Department:

Cougs Look to Cage the Bulldogs this Wednesday in Spokane

SPOKANE, Wash. – The Washington State women's basketball team is set to make the 75-mile trip north to Spokane this Wednesday, Dec. 8, as the Cougars are set to take on Gonzaga at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. PT and will air locally on SWX and also stream live on WCCSports.com.

WASHINGTON STATE (RV) (6-1, 0-0 Pac-12) at Gonzaga (RV) (7-1, 0-0 West Coast) | Wednesday, Dec. 8 | 6 p.m. | McCarthey Athletic Center
Live Stats | Stat Broadcast
Watch | SWX (Locally) | WCCSports.com (Stream) (Greg Heister and Stephanie Hawk-Freeman)
Listen | WSU IMG Radio Network (Steve Grubbs)
Game Notes | WSUCougars.com

STARTING FIVE
Washington State heads up US 195 to Spokane sporting a 6-1 overall record. The Cougars have won back-to-back contests after collecting a win at home over San Francisco (72-58) followed by a victory at UC Davis (71-49). The Cougars are off to a 6-1 start for the second-straight season, which marks the first time since the 1990-91 and 1991-92 campaigns that Washington State has begun two-consecutive seasons with a 6-1 record.

The Cougars will be seeking their third-straight win in a true road game this season. WSU is a perfect 2-0 in true road games in 2021-22 after picking win wins at Idaho (73-59) and at UC Davis (71-49). Washington State is an even 3-3 all-time against non-conference foes in true road games under head coach Kamie Ethridge. It's been almost two-full calendar years since WSU's last non-conference loss on the road, which came back on Dec. 21, 2019, at Miami.

WSU will be looking to snap a four-game losing steak to Gonzaga this Wednesday. The Cougars last victory over the Bulldogs came back on Dec. 8, 2015, when Washington State picked up a 55-48 win over the Zags in Beasley Coliseum. The Cougs lead the all-time series 20-11 and are 8-6 all-time against GU in Spokane. WSU's last win at the McCarthey Athletic Center came back during the 2014-15 season, when the Cougars left the Kennel with a 59-58 win on Dec. 8, 2015.

Junior Bella Murekatete and sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker come into Wednesday's matchup having scored double-digits in back-to-back games. Murekatete led the Cougars in scoring in last Saturday's win at UC Davis with 14 points, while Leger-Walker chipped in 13 points against the Aggies. Prior to that, Leger-Walker scored a season-high 27 points in last Thursday's home win over San Francisco and Murekatete tallied 16 points against the Dons.

The Cougars have been proficient at protecting the rim this season, as WSU enters the week ranked 14th in the nation in blocked shots per game at 6.1. Junior Bella Murekatete paces the way for the Cougars at 2.57 blocks per game, which is the 25th-highest per game average in the country.

Locking Up Foes
Washington State has been holding teams to 55.0 points per game this season. That ranks as the 55th-best scoring defense in NCAA Division I entering the week. WSU has held teams under 60 points in all but one game this season. The Cougars have also been limiting teams to a 35.5 percent success rate from the floor, which is the 62nd-best defensive field goal percentage in the nation.

Krystal Clear Vision
Redshirt fifth-year senior Krystal Leger-Walker is currently second in the Pac-12 Conference in assists per game at 5.0. That is also the 47th-best average in NCAA Division I. Leger-Walker has handed out five-or-more assists in four of her seven games played this season.

Receiving Votes
Washington State picked up four votes in this week's AP Top 25 Poll. WSU has received votes in every AP poll this season but have yet to break into the top-25. The USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll had not been release at the time of print. The NCAA also released the first NET rankings for the 2021-22 season this week, with the Cougars coming in at No. 63 in the country. NET is system used to determined teams for the NCAA Tournament.

Doubly Dependable
Sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker has scored 10-or-more points in 28 of her career 31 games played. The guard has scored double figures in back-to-back games coming into Wednesday's matchup against Gonzaga, which includes a season-high 27-point performance in a win over San Francisco last Wednesday.

Scouting the Bulldogs
Gonzaga comes into its matchup against Washington State with a 7-1 overall record on the year. The Bulldogs have won four-straight games heading into Wednesday's game. Like the Cougars, GU received votes in this week's AP Top-25 poll, picking up 15 votes.

The Zags have six players averaging eight-or-more points per game this season. Junior guard Kayleigh Truong paces the Bulldogs at 12.0 points per game, while her twin sister Kaylynne Truong follows at 11.8 points per game. Senior Melody Kempton also averages double-digit points for Gonzaga, chipping in 10.9 points per contest. Kaylynne Truong has made a team-best 16 3-point field goals, while redshirt senior Cierra Walker is right behind her with 15 made 3-pointers this season.

As a team, Gonzaga is averaging 69.38 points per game. The Bulldogs are shooting 46.0 percent from the floor as a team, while connecting on 38.2 percent of their shots from behind the arc. Defensively, GU is giving up 54.0 points per game. Teams are shooting 38.0 percent against Gonzaga, while the Bulldogs are limiting teams to just 28.5 3-point field goal percentage.

Follow Us
For more information on the Washington State women's basketball team, follow @WSUCougarWBB on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Link with highlight videos of WSU versus UC Davis and USF: https://wsucougars.com/news/2021/12/...n-spokane.aspx

ZagDad

[ZagDad84]

Game Preview and Matchup Statistics From ESPN:

Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Washington State Cougars December 8 Preview, Game Time, Matchup Statistics
Data Skrive

The Gonzaga Bulldogs (7-1) look to build on a four-game win streak when they host the Washington State Cougars (6-1) at 9:00 PM ET on Wednesday, December 8, 2021.

Melody Kempton's 13 points led Gonzaga to a 54-47 win over Wyoming on Friday in the team's last outing.

Bella Murekatete's 14 points helped lead Washington State to a 71-49 win against UC Davis in the team's last game on Saturday.

Gonzaga Team Stats
Gonzaga enters the matchup averaging 69 points per game, 14.2 more than the 54.8 Washington State allows per contest. The Bulldogs are 5-0 in games where they put up more than 55 points.

The Bulldogs have connected on more three-pointers than their opponents this season, making 6.7 shots per game from deep while holding opponents to 5.1 makes per game. When Gonzaga hits its average from three-point range this season, the Bulldogs have gone 2-0.

Washington State Team Stats
The Cougars average more points per game, 62.3, than the 55 Gonzaga gives up. When Washington State gets to the 55-point mark, it is 3-0 on the year.

The Cougars made an average of 40.1 percent of their field goals while holding opponents to 35.7 percent shooting from the field over the course of the season. When Washington State goes over its season average, the Cougars are 4-0 in the 2021-22 campaign.

You can read the rest of the article here: https://www.espn.com/womens-college-...meId=401376901

ZagDad

[ZagDad84]

Pre-game preview from Spokesman-Review:

Gonzaga, Washington State Women’s Nonconference Matchup Could Hold Importance Later in the Season
By Jim Allen
[email protected]
(509) 459-5437

It’s only early December, but it’s hard to downplay the importance of Wednesday night’s nonconference women’s game between Gonzaga and visiting Washington State.

While regional bragging rights are more important to fans, the coaches are all about the here-and-now of early-season improvement heading into conference play.

“I think every coach is looking for consistency right now,” WSU coach Kamie Ethridge said Monday.

The Cougars got that last weekend at UC Davis, winning 71-49 and getting double-digit scoring from guard Charlisse Leger-Walker and forward Bella Murekatete.

WSU (6-1) is still led by Leger-Walker, who averages 16 points and four rebounds, but the Cougars are more balanced this year, with five players averaging at least seven points.

“We can’t make her be super woman every night,” Ethridge said of Leger-Walker, last year’s Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

The Cougars also have more depth this year compared to last season.

“We were paper-thin last year,” Ethridge said. “We’re a little better this year.”

While Leger-Walker and her sister Krystal are still logging 35 minutes apiece, depth has usually been a strength at Gonzaga under coach Lisa Fortier.

The Zags (7-1) have six players averaging eight points or more, yet no one with more than the 12.0 of starting point guard Kayleigh Truong. On top of that, no one is seeing more than an average of 26 minutes on the floor. The Zags looked a bit disjointed on offense last week in a closer-than-expected win over Wyoming, but Truong is expected back Wednesday from a minor knee injury.

“We’re going to have to play a lot better offensively if we’re going to have the same outcome against WSU,” Fortier said.

Ethridge tried to cast the Cougars as the underdog going into Wednesday’s 6 p.m. tipoff at the Kennel.

“They’re a really great team and great program, a team that’s really dominated us over the years,” Ethridge said.

Despite GU’s heavy losses to graduation, Ethridge said she “doesn’t see a huge dropoff for them.”

“They just run a really disciplined system. They have well-defined roles, not a lot of sets … they just run and say, ‘This is what we do, try to stop us,’ ” Ethridge said.

You can read the rest of the article here: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/20...nference-matc/

ZagDad

[ZagDad84]

Lady Zags vs the Lady Cougs Statistical Summary:

Points Per Game: Zags=69.4, Cougs=65.7
Opp. Per Game: Zags=54.0, Cougs=55.0

Shooting:
Overall FG %: Zags=46.0%, Cougs=42.4%
Opp. Overall FG %: Zags=38.0%, Cougs=35.5%
3 Pt FG %: Zags=38.2%, Cougs=30.4%
Made 3 Pt. Per Game: Zags=6.5, Cougs=6.0
Free Throw Made Per Game: Zags=12.4, Cougs=8.0
Free Throw %: Zags=75.0%, Cougs=62.2%

Rebounding:
Rebounds Per Game: Zags=38.8, Cougs=40.4
Opp. Rebounds Per Game: Zags=27.5, Cougs=34.6
Rebounding Margin: Zags=+11.3, Cougs=+5.8

Turnovers:
Turnovers per Game: Zags=15.3, Cougs=15.3
Opp. Turnovers per Game: Zags=14.5, Cougs=16.3
Turnover Margin: Zags=-0.8, Cougs=+1.0
Points off Turnovers: Zags=17.3, Cougs=16.0

Assists Per Game: Zags=14.0, Cougs=14.0
Steals per Game: Zags=7.5, Cougs=9.4
Opp. Steals per Game: Zags=6.8, Cougs=6.7
Blocks per Game: Zags=3.9, Cougs=6.1
Opp. Blocks per Game: Zags=1.5, Cougs=1.7

ZagDad

[ZagDad84]

The Cougs have much more depth this year than they did last year, although both of their starting backcourt (Leger-Walker sisters) players average over 33 minutes per game. Charlisse Leger Walker (sophomore) is the shooting guard and leading scorer (16 ppg) for the cougs. Charlisse will take it to the hoop or shoot it from 3. While not great from 3, if you leave her open, she is deadly. Her sister, Krystal Leger-Walker (5th year), is the point guard and along with her sister leads the cougs in assists and steals. The cougs post is Bella Murekatete, a 6'4" junior. who is not only a scorer (13.6 ppg), but she is a terror on the boards (8.9 rpg) and creates havoc with anyone drive into the lane (2.5 Bpg). She is quicker and moves better than AV by a long shot.

Off the bench, the cougs have Ula Mutuga, a 6'1" power forward with a power forwards body. If the Lady Zags think they got moved and pushed around by the Wyoming forwards, Ula Mutuga is bigger and meaner. Micheala Jones, a 5'10" redshirt Junior, is wicked from the field shooting 47.4% overall and 46.2% from long range.

All of the cougs crash the boards as a team and everybody on the team looks to block the shots of the opposition, many times from behind. It is going to be war inside the key, so Gonzaga is going to have to shoot from the outside to loosen up the cougs. The Zags are going to have to fight for rebounding position, much better than they did against Wyoming.

The Zags have the skills, quality and depth to take this game, but they are going to have to fight for it. WSU is not going to give it to Gonzaga.

Game day fans,

Go Zags, beat up on the puddy cats.

ZagDad

[ZagDad84]

One thing I want to see from the Lady Zags is, will the forwards/post set up a little further from the basket so there is room for the guards and wings to pass the ball to the player under the hoop and so the player is not standing under the hoop when they catch the pass. The Zags hit the underside of the basket numerous times against Wyoming.

This is on the forwards and the posts, not the guards., Leave yourself room to catch the ball and take it to the hoop.

Go Zags,

ZagDad

[upan8th]

Hard to envision any of GU's guards stopping Leger Walker the younger, or Murekateke in the post. They're likely to combine for 35 or 40 pts. So Kempton, Ejim and O'Connor, without fouling, really need to shut down the rest of the Cougs. Keep the turnovers in single digits & the Zags could win by double digits. Will they? Since I'm a glass half-full (or, glass? what glass?) kind of guy, I'm skeptical. Cougs eke out a 61-60 win on Leger Walker's last second layup.

[Coug Tracks]

Coug's basically go 6 deep with 3 (sometimes 4) others getting some minutes. We still miss Cherilyn Molina (Channelle's younger sister) off the bench in the backcourt but unfortunately, she stepped away from hoops. There are some signs of more balance, but Charlisse Leger-Walker is the overwhelming key on the offensive end. Bella (Murekatete) has improved but lacks consistency. She's talented but has a tendency to play far too fast, allow emotions to get the best of her, and can get into foul trouble. Teder, Krystal Leger-Walker, and Ula are streaky. Tara Wallack has been a nice addition but just a true frosh.

I haven't seen the same chemistry, passing, and defensive energy yet this year. We have had a lot of turnover issues and some foul issues. Still seem to be figuring things out this year. Anyway, second of 3 games against the WCC for WSU. It's been a long time since we were any more than a speed bump for GU. I am not really sure what to expect other than a very tough game against the Zag's. Other than NC State this is by far the best team we have faced this season.

[ZagDad84]

Early on, cougs up 6-3.

Zags have 3 turnovers and have been blocked twice.

Bad Start for the offense.

ZagDad

[seacatfan]

I watched most of Q1. Had to quit watching. Ugly, ugly game.

[kyle dixon]

Truong

I watched most of Q1. Had to quit watching. Ugly, ugly game.

Truong girls are good. Walker hit a 3 and equals that in turnovers in first half. WSU has not hit many shots. 18%.

[seacatfan]

I saw enough of Wazzu last year to know they can ugly up a game with the best of them. Looks like they worked it to their advantage tonight.

Zags D isn't a problem, but they left their offense in Hawaii maybe?

[Zagcity]

Coach's charitable substitutions cost them the game. Maybe these game time situations will help them down the road. But it hurt them tonight.

[kyle dixon]

Coach's charitable substitutions cost them the game. Maybe these game time situations will help them down the road. But it hurt them tonight.

It was odd, I do agree. Why don’t both Truong’s get the lion share of minutes? They both should start with Kempton and Ejim. O’Connor and Walker should battle for last starting spot. My two cents after watching and listening to almost all games this winter.