Cougars coast by Cal to open Pac-12 play; No. 2 Stanford up next

From staff reports

The Washington State women’s basketball team passed its first quiz of the Pacific-12 Conference season.

Now comes the first big test.

Charlisse Leger-Walker scored a game-high 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field as the Washington State women’s basketball team opened Pac-12 play Friday night with a 69-42 victory against visiting California.

Up next is a meeting with second-ranked Stanford at noon Sunday at Beasley Coliseum.

“Playing in the Pac-12, you have to know every game is going to be hard,” Leger-Walker said on the Pac-12 Network’s postgame show. “Especially with Stanford, we know they’re a great team. We’re going to have to be ready.”

The Cougars, playing for the first time since Dec. 19, snapped a two-game losing streak. They lost 71-53 at BYU on Dec. 18, then flew back east and were defeated 69-62 at Stony Brook in New York.

Tara Wallack added 12 points Friday for the Cougars (9-3) and Johanna Teder scored 10. Krystal Leger-Walker had nine points and a team-high six rebounds and six assists as WSU improved to 5-0 at home this season.

Cailyn Crocker scored 11 points for Cal (9-3), the only player on the Golden Bears to reach double-digits.

The Cougars scored the final 14 points of the first quarter to take an 18-6 lead and were never threatened, leading for nearly 37 of the 40 minutes.

Krystal Leger-Walker sparked the first-quarter run with a 3-pointer. Her sister, Charlisse, scored the next four points before Wallack and Teder both made baskets and Krystal Leger-Walker capped the quarter with a 3-pointer with five seconds remaining.

WSU extended its advantage to 38-14 by halftime.

The Cougars shot 45.8% from the field (27 of 59) while limiting the Golden Bears to 28.8% (15 of 52). WSU was 11 for 23 from beyond the 3-point arc, with both Leger-Walkers making three 3s.