PULLMAN, Wash. — The No. 8 seed Washington State women’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars will face No. 9 seed Kansas State in the first round. This is the second season in a row that the Cougs will be headed to the big dance.
Fans will get to have breakfast with the Cougs, as they were handed an 8:30 a.m. PDT tipoff on Saturday in Raleigh, North Carolina. The game will air live on ESPN2.
WSU finished the regular season 19-10 and won a program-record 11 conference games this season. The Cougar women have been waiting more than a week for news about the NCAA Tournament since ending the season with a loss to Utah in the Pac-12 Tournament.
The Cougs will be looking for their first NCAA Tournament win in program history. WSU is 0-2 all-time in the NCAA tourney, losing first-round games in 1979 and 2021.
The Cougars are led by Charlisse Leger-Walker, Krystal Leger-Walker, and Bella Murekatete.
Junior center Murekatete won the Co-Most Improved Player of the Year award in the Pac-12. Murekatete posted career-high averages of 10.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game. She is fourth in the conference in blocks and seventh in rebounds. She also scored in double figures in 16 of her 28 games this season.
Murekatete is the first known Rwandan-born player in women’s college basketball.
WSU guard Charlisse Leger-Walker was named All-Pac 12 for the second time. The sophomore is averaging 16.3 points per game, along with 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
Her sister, Krystal Leger-Walker, was named an honorable mention for All-Pac-12 honors. Krystal is averaging 8 points per game, along with 4.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists. She also earned an honorable mention for the All-Defensive Team. Krystal is averaging 1.6 steals per game.
Cougs coach Kamie Ethridge was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year by the media.