NOTES WATCH LISTEN LIVE STATS
MOSCOW, Idaho- The University of Idaho women's basketball team hits the road for their second game away from Moscow on the season. The Vandals will head west for a quick eight-mile trip across the border into Pullman, Washington to face the Washington State Cougars on Sunday Dec. 13 at 6:30 p.m. in Beasley Coliseum. This marks the 40
th meeting all-time between the two programs.
Fans can watch the game live on
pac-12.com/live/washington-state-university Listen to the game at
Govandlas.com/listen and on KMAX 840 AM with Doug Taylor. Live stats can be found
here.
The Vandals (2-1, 2-0) are coming off their first loss of the season after falling to No. 23 Texas on the road in Austin. To open the season the Vandals swept Sacramento State at home. The Cougars are just getting started in their 2020-21 campaign under third year Head Coach Kamie Ethridge. WSU will open the season on the road at Washington before returning home against the Vandals on Sunday.
Idaho and WSU have played 39 times over the years, but Sunday's meeting will be the first between the two programs since 2008, Head Coach
Jon Newlee's inaugural season. The Cougars narrowly pulled out the win 53-50 on Dec. 14, 2008; since Newlee has ascended to the top of the Idaho women's basketball record books as the winningest coach in program history.
Idaho is the nation's leading rebounding team averaging 56 boards a game. Idaho amassed 60, 59, and 49 rebounds in three games to open the season.
Gabi Harrington leads the Vandals in scoring to begin the season while three other Vandals are averaging double-digit points per game.
Natalie Klinker leads Idaho and the Big Sky on the glass averaging 14.3 rebounds per game. She also leads the NCAA in offensive rebounds with 7.3 per game. Her rebounding efforts on the offensive glass have resulted in a successful second chance points effort for the Vandals and has sent her to the free-throw line 11 times so far. Klinker was named the Big Sky Player of the Week on Monday.
Gina Marxen leads the Vandals in assists with 5.7 per game. The point guards' efforts rank Idaho as the best team in the Big sky in terms of ball control. Freshman
Paris Atchley leads Idaho off the bench with 9.3 points per game and is shooting 41.4 percent from the field.
Junior Ula Motuga returns as the leading scorer from a year ago for the Cougars at 7.2 points per game. WSU returns nine players and three starters from last season the Cougars lost nearly 65 percent of their scoring and 46 percent of their rebounding from last season. In 2019-20 the squad won 11 games and finished 4-14 in the Pac 12, including a 7-8 record at home.
The Vandals were picked to finish first in the Big Sky Coaches' and Media polls announced last month, earning 16 first place votes in the media poll and four in the coaches' poll. Marxen and Bea each earned Big Sky Preseason All-Conference recognition. Washington State was picked to finish last in the PAC 12 preseason coaches' and media polls earning just 27 points in the media poll and 15 in the coaches.
Idaho and WSU last played on Dec. 14, 2008 during Head Coach
Jon Newlee's inaugural season. The Cougars narrowly pulled out the win 53-50 in Moscow.
This marks the 40th matchup all-time between the two programs and this first since 2008. WSU leads the series 24-15, but the series is tied 8-8 in Pullman.
FOLLOW: Fans can follow the Vandals all season long on Twitter and Instagram, @VandalsWBB and with the Voice of the Vandals, Doug Taylor, at
GoVandals.com/Listen. The game will air on
pac-12.com/live/washington-state-university
