Cougars pull away late, win 77-57

Friday, December 2

Pullman, Wash.

7 PM (MT)

Montana

2-5

Washington State

6-1

Montana

Washington St.

Photos: Greg Davis

12/2/2022 10:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

Washington State used a big second half to defeat Montana on Friday night at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, 77-57, the Cougars' first win over the Lady Griz since 1988.

With the game tied 46-46 midway through the third quarter, a Bella Murekatete basket started a 12-0 run for Washington State to end the period.

The Cougars (6-1) scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to make it 62-46 while the Lady Griz were going nearly nine minutes without a made field goal.

Two-time All-Pac-12 selection Charlisse Leger-Walker led both teams with 24 points, including six 3-pointers. Murekatete finished with 21.

Carmen Gfeller, in her second game back this season, scored 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting. She went 5 for 6 from 3-point range.

Keeli Burton-Oliver, who spent part of last season with the Cougars, scored a season-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in her return to Pullman.

Burton-Oliver scored all 13 of her points in the first half in what was an excellent opening 20 minutes for the Lady Griz.

Montana led early and often and trailed by one after the first quarter, 25-24. Gfeller and Burton-Oliver combined to score 18 first-period points on perfect 7-of-7 shooting.

Trailing 37-30 late in the second quarter, Montana (2-5) ended the period on a 7-3 run to make it 40-37 at the break.

The Lady Griz had 13 first-half turnovers but stayed in the game by hitting 15 of their 30 shots, including six of their seven attempts from the 3-point line.

Trailing 46-41, Montana got a 3-pointer from Gina Marxen and a pull-up jumper by Libby Stump to make it 46-46 at the 4:28 mark.

Murekatete got out in transition and scored just seven seconds later, and Washington State would hold the lead the rest of the way.

Leger-Walker hit back-to-back 3-pointers late in the third that turned a 50-46 game into a 56-46 Washington State advantage.

The Cougars scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to make it 62-46.

Mack Konig hit a pair of free throws at 7:03 and Katerina Tsineke scored on a driving layup to make it 62-50 with 5:51 left, but back-to-back 3-pointers by the Cougars allowed them to pull away for good.

Gfeller and Stump hit late 3-pointers for Montana, which went 9 for 14 from the arc.

After shooting 15 for 30 in the first half, the Lady Griz cooled off to 7 for 22 in the second half. They shot 42.3 percent for the game, the team's best shooting performance on the road this season.

Montana got outrebounded for the third consecutive game, 37-29. Fourteen of WSU's rebounds came on the offensive end, which led to 18 second-chance points.

Washington State outscored Montana 34-16 in the paint.

Stump finished with nine points off the bench on 4-of-7 shooting. Gina Marxen had a season-high seven assists.

Montana will face Grand Canyon in Missoula on Thursday at 7 p.m.