The Pacific Northwest brought its familiar rain to a number of top-16 parades Sunday as Washington State led the way with an upset over No. 2 UCLA from Pauley Pavilion while Washington and Oregon State bested No. 11 USC and No. 16 Utah respectively.Β
Here’s a look back at the biggest storylines from the final women’s basketball Sunday of January.Β
Sharp-shooting Washington State stuns No. 2 UCLA
2nd, 2:28 | CHARLISSE LEGER-WALKER!
41-24 COUGS!#GoCougs | #CougsVsEverybody pic.twitter.com/EcM4NEDmvt
β WSU Cougar Women’s π (@WSUCougarWBB) January 28, 2024
Emboldened by a triumph in Tinseltown last season, Washington State’s first-ever win at Pauley Pavilion, and the absence of UCLA’s dominant rim protector Lauren Betts, WSU pursued its highest-ranked victory in program history with supreme confidence Sunday night. The Cougars would convert better than 54 percent of their field goals, including a scintillating 6-12 mark from three, and grow their lead to as much as 20 early in the second half, ultimately navigating some dodgy late-game execution to escape as 85-82 victors.Β
Without Betts, who stands as an elite shot-blocking presence and currently ranks second nationally with a 68.3 percent rate from the field, the Cougars targeted the painted area, converting layups on three of their first five possessions to build a 9-5 lead. Washington State would lead the rest of the afternoon, as Bella Murekatete paced the Cougs in the first quarter with eight points before handing the reins to Charlisse Leger-Walker. The Kiwi guard led the way with 11 during a scorching WSU second quarter β Β the visitors shot 10-15 from the floor β and closed the first half with a clutch steal to send the Cougs into the locker room leading by 16.
Murekatete and Leger-Walker continued to shine for Wazzu, combining for 37 points on 14-22 shooting, and a pair of free throws from Tara Wallack capped a 6-2 Cougar spurt out of the locker room to give her squad its largest lead of the night. Charisma Osborne would immediately embody her namesake, however, converting a gritty and-one opportunity before drilling a turnaround jumper and cleaning up the offensive glass, as UCLA continued to knife into a lofty deficit.
Londynn Jones, UCLA’s most consistent perimeter threat, nailed one of her five threes to pull the Bruins within single digits early in the fourth…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at NCAA.com > basketball-women d1 articles and videoβ¦