LAS VEGAS — The Washington State women’s basketball team made history — again.
One day after stunning Utah for their first-ever win over an Associated Press top-three opponent, the Cougars pulled off another unprecedented feat. WSU is headed to the Pac-12 tournament championship game for the first time in program history.
The seventh-seeded Cougars extended their remarkable run at the conference tourney with a 61-49 victory over 20th-ranked Colorado, the No. 3 seed, Friday night at Michelob Ultra Arena.
WSU (22-10) also set a program record for wins in a season.
The Cougars, already firmly locked into the NCAA tournament field, will face fifth-seeded UCLA at 2 p.m. Sunday for the conference crown.
The Bruins upset Stanford 69-65 earlier Friday night.
WSU split the series with UCLA this season, losing 73-66 on Jan. 22 in Pullman and winning 62-55 on Feb. 23 in Los Angeles.
WSU’s defense locked up the Buffaloes (23-8) early, and the Cougars shot out to a 20-6 lead early in the second quarter. The advantage grew to 16 points in the third quarter, but Colorado rallied, finishing the period on a 12-0 run to tie the score at 38 heading into the fourth.
Cougar forward Ula Motuga’s three-pointer with 6:17 remaining started a 12-2 run that spanned nearly 4 minutes and ended with WSU up by 10 points. The Cougars held steady from there, then rushed the floor after the final horn and danced with a contingent of WSU supporters, celebrating the latest triumph on their ever-growing list of accomplishments.
Guard Charlisse Leger-Walker led the Cougs with 15 points. Center Bella Murekatete added 12 points and eight rebounds and guard Astera Tuhina chipped in 10 points. The Cougars shot 47% from the floor and 6 of 13 from three-point range, and held CU to 37% shooting.