Cougs, Zags clash in overtime slugfest

Nov. 10—A brand-new championship banner hoisted to the rafters, championship rings placed on their fingers and a wild overtime victory over a former NCAA tournament opponent from 78 miles to the north.

Not a bad Thursday evening for the Washington State women's basketball team against regional in-state rival Gonzaga.

The Cougars (2-0) held a banner-and-ring ceremony to celebrate their 2022-23 Pac-12 championship before battling Gonzaga (1-1) in an instate classic at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman.

The Cougars eked out a 77-72 victory in overtime.

"That was just really fun," said WSU guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, who led all scorers with 26 points. "That's why you play basketball, for games like that."

Zags' buzzer beater sends game to OT

After Leger-Walker made a twisting layup for a 63-62 lead with 22 seconds left and WSU forward Beyonce Bea got a block on the other end, it was looking like the Cougs would come away with a last-minute victory.

Leger-Walker's two free throws made it a three-point game with just nine seconds left.

That's when Gonzaga guard Kaylynne Truong drilled a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from six feet behind the 3-point line to send the game to overtime, tied at 67-67.

"That was a crazy shot right at the end and I'm just proud of how we came back together ... and just stayed focused on what we needed to do," Leger-Walker said.

Leger-Walker made a falling layup and fellow WSU guard Astera Tuhina made a 3-pointer to give the Cougars some cushion in the extra period. Tuhina finished second on the team with 15 points.

The Zags, down three, had one last chance to tie the game, but Leger-Walker played shutdown defense on Truong to force an errant shot and the Cougs held on in overtime.

"She gets better in those big moments," WSU coach Kamie Ethridge said of Leger-Walker. "We need her to guard everyone on the court and we just had to pick someone for her to guard. She's way better than just statistics."

Leger-Walker rises up in second half, OT

WSU's leading scorer each of the last three seasons, Leger-Walker had just four points in the first half and Gonzaga led 26-25 at the break.

Then the senior turned it up in the second half.

It was Leger-Walker's coast-to-coast driving layup and ensuing traditional three-point play that gave WSU its largest lead, 53-43, to cap a 11-point scoring run in the fourth quarter.

She finished the game shooting 8-of-19 from the field, 9-of-9 from the free-throw line and made clutch plays on both offense and defense in key moments down the stretch of regulation and overtime.

"I think she's just a special athlete in the sense that we talk about all that she can do, but when things are not going well, she's OK," Ethridge said of her senior leader. "You don't have to worry. She's not going to stay in a funk."

Truong sisters go off for Zags

Twin sister guards Kayleigh and Kaylynne Truong combined for 35 points, seven assists and five steals to pace Gonzaga and keep their team in the game.

They also combined to go 8-of-15 from 3-point land.

But Kayleigh Truong (13 points) and Gonzaga forward Yvonne Ejim (18) fouled out late in the fourth quarter, limiting the Bulldogs' scoring options in overtime.

Quick Cougar stats

WSU forward Bella Murekatete, who also fouled out late, tallied eight points and seven rebounds. After a slow start, Bea finished with six points and 11 rebounds.

Freshman guard Eleonora Villa scored 12 points and had three steals for the Cougs.

A historic banner

WSU's Pac-12 championship win in the spring marked the first women's team title in any sport.

The raising of the banner and handing out of the championship rings put a cap on the Cougs' historic season as they look to try for a repeat in a conference that will look very different a year from now after 10 teams leave for other conferences.

"Every time we watch the (championship) video before the game or on social media, it just comes back — the feeling that we had in Vegas," Tuhina said. "Now, before this game, It was just a motivation to keep going."

GONZAGA (1-1)

Kaylyne Truong 6-14 5-8 22, Yvonne Ejim 9-16 0-0 18, Kayleigh Truong 4-12 3-7 13, Brynna Maxwell 2-7 1-2 9, Eliza Hollingsworth 2-4 0-0 6, Maud Huijbens 1-7 0-0 2, Esther Little 1-1 0-0 2.

WASHINGTON STATE (2-0)

Charlisse Leger-Walker 8-19 1-5 26, Astera Tuhina 6-10 2-2 15, Bella Murekatete 2-6 0-0 8, Beyonce Bea 3-5 0-0 6, Tara Wallack 1-4 0-0 4, Eleonora Villa 5-11 2-5 12, Jenna Villa 1-4 0-3 3, Alex Covill 1-2 0-0 3.

GONZAGA 19 7 17 24—72

WSU 13 12 21 21—77

3-point goals — Gonzaga 9-18, WSU 5-16. Rebounds — Gonzaga 32, WSU 45. Assists — Gonzaga 13, WSU 12. Total fouls — Gonzaga 24, WSU20

Wiebe may be contacted at (208) 848-2260, swiebe@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @StephanSports.