Unbeaten Husky women face first big test in No. 21 Cougars

The Washington Huskies will put their perfect record on the line Sunday when they travel to Pullman to face cross-state rival Washington State in a Pac-12 road opener.

Washington (9-0) is one of 19 unbeatens among the 348 Division I women’s basketball teams.

The Huskies have built their impressive winning streak — the third longest start to a season without a loss in school history — against a slew of mid-major teams with a combined 28-48 record.

Just two UW opponents currently have a winning record and No. 21 Washington State (10-1) will be a significant step up in talent for the Huskies who have been clobbering foes by an average of 26.8 points.

“First of all, they’re a top-25 team in the country and they do a phenomenal job at so many things,” UW coach Tina Langley said. “They return a ton of veterans with a ton of experience. They have talented players and incredible coaching. So, it’s a big test for us.

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“Given we’re still in our nonconference (season), it’s a good marker for us to see where are we right now and what are the things we need to continue to improve on. We probably know a good bit of those, but they’ll show us more because every game does that.”

Undoubtedly, Washington’s unyielding defense, which leads the nation while allowing 46.1 points per game, will be tested by a WSU scoring attack that features senior guard Charlisse Leger-Walker (12.9 ppg.) and fifth-year center Bella Murekatete (14.6 ppg.).

In their previous meeting, a 66-52 WSU win last January at Beasley Coliseum, Leger-Walker tallied 26 points, five rebounds and four assists while Murekatete finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

When the Huskies pounded the Cougars 82-66 four weeks earlier in the season, Leger-Walker lit up the Alaska Airlines Arena scoreboard with a career-high 40 points while converting 14 of 26 field goals, including seven of 12 three-pointers.

“I don’t know if you can when she’s at her best,” Langley said when asked how the Huskies can stop Leger-Walker. “She’s really good. I mean, that’s one of the best players in the country. … We just want to play good team defense and that’s the only way to play them because everyone can score.”

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On Murekatete, Langley said: “She’s very versatile player, but also is really good. She’s experienced, so she’s very good at sealing and making reads and setting screens. She plays with great toughness.”

Much like the Huskies, the Cougars have compiled a bunch of lopsided nonconference wins against overmatched opponents. However, WSU boasts notable victories against No. 22 Gonzaga and Maryland.

Washington hadn’t really been tested before a hard-fought 55-50 win against Montana State (3-7) on Tuesday.

“When we review this game, there’s some things that are transferable to what Washington State will do,” Langley said. “They take advantage of the things that you do. So, if you’re a switching team, they’ll do a great job of isolating that. We’ll have to prepare for a very high IQ team.”