It’s all led to this.
For the Washington State women’s basketball team, there is no better chance than now to make a splash in the NCAA tournament.
The Cougars are headed to their third consecutive national tourney, this time as Pac-12 champions. Four of their starters — junior guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, senior center Bella Murekatete, senior forward Ula Motuga and senior guard Johanna Teder — also were starters on their NCAA tourney teams the past two seasons.
Sounds like a recipe for fifth-seeded WSU (23-10) to get its first victory in the 68-team event — and possibly more. But to do that, it’ll have to get past 12th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast (32-3) at 11:30 a.m. Pacific (ESPNU) on Saturday at Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pa., on the campus of Villanova University.
“It was probably too early for us to succeed in the NCAA tournament two years ago,” said WSU coach Kamie Ethridge, the national coach of the year by The Athletic. “It was too new, we were too young, and last year we weren’t quite built well enough and didn’t quite have the depth.
“It just feels like we have a little bit more stability and we’re playing at a high level.”
All-American nod for Leger-Waker
Dubbed “Legend Walker” during WSU’s improbable run through the Pac-12 tournament as a No. 7 seed, Leger-Walker was named an Associated Press All-American honorable mention selection.
It’s the latest of many honors for the Waikato, New Zealand native, who also was picked as the Pac-12 tournament MVP after racking up a conference-record 76 points during the tournament.
That was a capper on regular season and conference tourney in which she averaged 18.1 points per game, third-best in the Pac-12, and 4.2 assists, second-best in the conference.
Leger-Walker tallied a whopping 40 points against Washington on Dec. 11 and 35 against San Francisco on Nov. 11, making her just one of three players in the NCAA this season to accomplish the feat.
Leger-Walker’s season and consistency are more impressive considering she missed four games traveling home because of a personal issue.
Deeper than ever
While Leger-Walker and 6-foot-3 Murekatete (13.9 points, 7.1 rebounds) get much of the attention, it’s WSU’s overall experience and depth that separate this year’s Cougars from past teams.
Teder (7.8 points) is always a threat from outside; Motuga (7.1) is an all-around scorer, defender, rebounder and leader; and fellow starter Tara Wallack (9.2) is a matchup problem as a 6-2 sophomore guard.
Then there’s freshman guard Astera Tuhina, who started all four games in Leger-Walker’s absence and gained valuable experience throughout the season.
The Cougars, ranked at No. 23 in this week’s AP Top 25, also are playing their best basketball at the right time.
“I think it’s good to have people who have been there and who have done it,” Ethridge said of her team’s experience. “We got seniors, we have upperclassmen. They’re pretty chill, their schedule never gets too overwhelming … That’s just where I trust our seniors and our upper class and the players that have been through this the last two years, going on three.
“They won’t get overwhelmed, they won’t let emotional baggage come in. They’ll handle what comes at them just like they’ve done all year on the road.”
Scouting the Eagles
The Eagles — winners of 14 straight games and champions of the Atlantic Sun Conference — won’t be walkovers.
If WSU is going to get that first NCAA win, it’ll have to play more of a complete game than it did in Round 1 losses last year to Kansas State (50-40) and in 2021 to South Florida (57-53).
Like WSU, FGCU is also playing in its third straight NCAA tourney and it also fields a lineup led by veterans.
The Eagles are paced by a trio of experienced guards who average double figures in fifth-year Tishara Morehouse (15.9), graduate student Sha Carter (13.9) and redshirt junior Alyza Winston (12.5).
Last year, FGCU beat fifth-seeded Virginia Tech in the first round before falling to fourth-seeded Maryland in the second round, so the 5-12 matchup is nothing new to this group.
“There’s always going to be nerves no matter how many times you’ve been through it,” FGCU coach Karl Smesko said. “But I think there’s a calming effect when you’ve already been through it once and you’ve been successful before.”
Wiebe may be contacted at (208) 848-2260, swiebe@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @StephanSports.
WSU vs. Florida Gulf Coast
When: 11:30 a.m. Pacific, Saturday
Where: Finneran Pavilion; Villanova, Pa.
TV/Radio: ESPNU/KQQQ-AM/FM (1150/102.1)
Of note: The winner faces the winner of the Villanova-Cleveland State game Monday.
