Bella Murekatete contributed 17 points and seven rebounds to lead the Washington State women’s basketball team to a 64-57 victory over Oregon on Friday night.
Johanna Teder scored 13 points for the Cougars (17-9, 7-8 Pac-12), who prevailed despite below-average output from standout Charlisse Leger-Walker.
Leger-Walker was 4 of 16 from the field and missed all five of her three-point shots, but was able to contribute in other ways. She had seven rebounds and five assists.
WSU improved to 8-5 at home and is assured of a winning record at home for the third straight season; the last time that happened came between 1989-92 seasons.
Oregon (14-12, 5-10) led 13-9 after the first quarter, but WSU responded by outscoring the Ducks 21-13 in the second quarter.
The Cougars shot 41.3% from the field, compared with 37.1% for the Ducks.
Neither team had much success on three-pointers, as Oregon was 3 for 11 and WSU was 5 for 19.
The Cougars took better care of the basketball and it paid off. They made 13 turnovers that led to eight points by Oregon. Meanwhile, WSU turned Oregon’s 17 turnovers into 18 points.
Chance Gray scored 18 points for the Ducks.