Huskies Return Home to Face No. 9 Oregon State on Friday

Friday, January 25

Seattle, WA

8:00 PM

University of Washington

Oregon State

Photo by: Red Box Pictures

Huskies Return Home to Face No. 9 Oregon State on Friday

January 23, 2019 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)Tickets

OPENING TIP
• Washington returns home this week hosting No. 9 Oregon State in a tough Pac-12 match-up on Friday at 8:00 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena.

• The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network with Ann Schatz and Elise Woodward on the call. Fans can also listen to the UW/IMG Network broadcast with Gary Hill Jr. on KKNW 1150 AM, on the TuneIn App on GoHuskies.com.

• Amber Melgoza needs just 21 points to become the 28th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. With her 27-point performance at Cal on Friday, the junior now has 979 points in her career.

• Washington is in the midst of a stretch of playing three of four games against ranked teams. The Huskies have the sixth-toughest remaining schedule of any NCAA DI team.

AMBER MELGOZA NEARING 1,000 CAREER POINTS
Junior Amber Melgoza needs just 21 points to become the 28th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. The junior has averaged 13.2 points per game through her first three seasons, which will give her the 14th-highest per game average of any of the Huskies' 1,000-point scorers.

Melgoza didn't play much as a freshman, scoring just 53 total points in 25 games. She has scored 926 points during the last two seasons, averaging 18.9 ppg over that time. If she keeps up her current pace, Melgoza should end up in the UW Top 10.

Amber Alert
Melgoza continues to pace the Huskies, averaging 18.7 points per game this season–7th-best in the Pac-12. Once again, she has picked up her play in conference action, scoring 20+ points in four Pac-12 games, averaging 19.1 ppg. Overall, Melgoza has scored 20+ points in 10 games this season and 24 times in her career. She led the Pac-12 in scoring in conference games last season, averaging 20.6 ppg.

Melgoza also leads the team in assists (2.8/game), rebounds (4.7/game) and is tied for the lead in steals (1.7/game). She had her first career double-double against Northern Arizona on Nov. 11 with 20 points and 10 rebound, coming up two assists shy of a triple-double with a career-best eight helpers.

Melgoza on Drysdale Watch List
Melgoza is one of 20 NCAA DI players to be named to the 2019 Ann Meyers Drysdale Watch List as announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association on Oct. 23. The winner will be revealed on ESPN during the 2019 Women's Final Four in Tampa, Florida.

Scouting the Beavers
Oregon State suffered its first loss in conference play on Sunday, a double-overtime home defeat at the hands of Arizona State 79-76. It was the Beavers' first Pac-12 loss in its last 12 games and the team's eight home loss in the last five years.

However, the team is off to another great start, posting a 5-1 Pac-12 mark for the third time since joining the conference. OSU has been tough on the road, too, winning nine-straight true road games including its last eight-straight in conference play.

Oregon State has been impressive from distance this year, leading the NCAA in 3-point percentage, connecting on 43.2% from beyond the arc this season. The Beavers have hit at least eight 3-pointers in 12 of their last 14 games.

The Beavers are led by a pair of players averaging 15 points per game or better. Sophomore guard Destiny Slocum is leading the way, averaging 15.2 points per game and is adding 5.6 assists per contest. Junior Mikayla Pivec is averaging 15.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game to go along with a team-high 19 steals.

All-Time Series vs Oregon State
Washington leads the all-time series 54-50, though Oregon State has had the better run lately. The Beavers have won six-straight against the Huskies and nine of the last 10 overall. Washington is 28-15 against OSU in Seattle, though the Beavers have won five of the last seven at Alaska Airlines Arena.

Earlier this season, the Huskies fell behind early, trailing 38-26 after shooting just 28.6% in the first half. Washington opened the second half on a 12-4 run to cut the lead to four, but lost 78-67.

Oregon State won both games last year, though the contest in Corvallis was a close one. In the Pac-12 opener for both schools, Washington opened up the game strong, holding down the Beaver's hot shooting side to take a 36-30 lead at the half. However, Oregon State roared back with 25-9 third quarter and held on for a 75-63 victory.

The game in Seattle was all Oregon State as the Beavers scored early and often in a 95-57 win.

Up Next
The Huskies close out a tough stretch of games on Sunday, hosting No. 5 Oregon at 2:00 p.m. It will end a stretch of four-straight games against teams ranked or receiving votes in the AP Top 25 poll. Next week, Washington hits the road against, traveling to play USC and UCLA.

Last Time Out
Amber Melgoza scored 27 points and Washington connected on a season-best 13 three-pointers but the Huskies succumbed to a big fourth quarter by California in a 79-70 loss to the Golden Bears.

Washington played a solid all-around game, hanging with California through much of the game. The Huskies led after the first and third quarters and were tied with the Golden Bears at halftime. However, California, which was receiving votes in the latest AP Top 25 poll, used a 12-3 run to start the fourth quarter and held off a late rally for the win.

Melgoza had an impressive game, scoring 27 points and adding five rebounds, four assists and connected on 4-of-4 from three-point range. Missy Peterson added 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

That Halftime Lead...
The score at halftime has gone a long way to determine the score at the end of the game for the Huskies. This season, the Huskies are 8-0 when leading at halftime, but are 0-11 when trailing or tied at the break. Over the last two seasons, Washington is 15-4 when leading at the half but is 0-30 when tied or trailing at halftime.

Freshmen Power
Washington's freshmen trio of Haley Van Dyke, T.T. Watkins and Darcy Rees has seen quite a bit of action this season with the trio averaging just over 17 minutes/game so far. Rees and Watkins have combined for 16 starts. The three freshmen put together their best collective game so far this year, combining for 27 points against Colorado on Jan. 11. Watkins led the group with 10 points–just the second time she has scored in double-figures this season–while Van Dyke added nine points and Rees scored eight.

Van Dyke is averaging 5.6 ppg and has scored in double figures in four games thus far including a career-high 13 points against George Mason. Overall she is shooting 49.4% from the field.

Watkins has made four starts overall this year and is averaging 4.8 ppg. She scored 12 points against Northern Arizona and 10 against Colorado, but missed two games earlier in the year due to a concussion.

Rees has scored in double-figures in three games including a career-high 15 against Washington State. She also became the first player in two years to record at least three blocks in a game when she did so against George Mason. Overall, Rees is averaging 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game and has started 12 games.

Griggsby Breaks Out
Sophomore guard Alexis Griggsby had a career game at Oregon on Friday, scoring 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting including going 6-of-11 from three-point range. She followed that up with a 15-point game at Oregon State including going 5-of-7 from three-point range.

After finishing the weekend with 41 points, Griggsby has scored 57 points (14.3 ppg) in UW's four games against Top 15 teams this year, including scoring team-bests of 11 vs. #4 Mississippi St. and 26 vs. #5 Oregon and adding 15 at #11 Oregon State.

Darcy from Down Under
Darcy Rees had an impressive showing in her first-ever Pac-12 game, recording career-highs of 15 points and eight rebounds against Washington State. Rees connected on 7-of-14 from the field and had more offensive rebounds (6) than she had rebounds in any previous game this season. It was the third game in double-figures for the freshman from Adelaide, Australia, who is averaging 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds. She had back-to-back 10 point games against Duke and Fordham at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida earlier this year.

The Charity Stripe
The Huskies are fourth in the Pac-12 and 52nd in the NCAA in free throw shooting at 74.1% (183-247). Amber Melgoza ranks third in the Pac-12 and 22nd in the NCAA in free throws made (85) and is third in the Pac-12 and 62nd nationally in free throw percentage at 84.2% (85-of-101).

Melgoza is one of four players on the team converting at 80% or better along with Khayla Rooks (11-13; 84.6%), Hannah Johnson (13-15; 86.7%), Missy Peterson (19-23; 82.6%). Freshman Haley Van Dyke started her season making just 2-of-14 from the line, but has converted 8-of-9 free throw attempts over her last five games.

Strength of Schedule
Once again, the Huskies are not shying away from playing a difficult schedule in 2018-19. UW plays over one-third of its schedule (12 games) against seven teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25 or receiving votes. The Huskies have the 11th-toughest schedule among the 351 NCAA DI programs when looking at the cumulative record of its opposition this year (349-164, .680).

The Pac-12 conference boasts five teams in the AP Top 25 including four in the Top 16: #5 Oregon, #6 Stanford, #9 Oregon State and #16 Arizona State. #21 Utah made its debut in the Top 25 this week with California receiving votes. With only Pac-12 games remaining UW has the 11th-toughest remaining schedule in NCAA DI.

Huskies in the Rankings
Coming into the weekend, UW ranks among the Pac-12 leaders in a number of categories. The Huskies rank first in total steals (169), fourth in turnovers forced (16.68/game), fourth in free throw percentage (74.1%), fourth in three-pointers made (135) and first in three-point field goals attempted (449).

Individually, Amber Melgoza ranks in the top 25 in the NCAA in two categories: seventh in field goals attempted (313), 22nd in free throws made (85), and 22nd in total points (356). She is also 38th in free throw attempts (101), seventh in the Pac-12 and 48th in the NCAA in points per game (18.7), and ranks third in conference and 62nd nationally in free-throw percentage (84.2%) and is fifth in the Pac-12 and 28th in the NCAA in field goals made (126).

Non-Conference Recap
The Huskies posted a 7-5 record though the non-conference portion of the schedule, despite playing another tough non-conference slate. Through Dec. 20, Washington's opponents had a combined record of 71-39, which includes Seattle U at 0-12.

NCAA Free Throw Records
The Huskies matched an NCAA record earlier this year when they weren't awarded a free throw in the game against Fordham–a record shared with numerous teams. The Huskies now hold the NCAA records for fewest free throws in a game (0) and the most (69). On Nov. 30, 1991, UW attempted 69 free throws (making 51–also an NCAA record) in a 101-91 2 OT win vs. Northern Illinois.

Radio Show
Washington Head Coach Jody Wynn joins Elise Woodward for the UW Coaches Show throughout the season at Chinook's at Fisherman's Terminal. The show is carried live on KOMO AM 1000 in Seattle at 6:00 p.m. on the following dates: Jan. 28, Feb. 4, Feb. 11, Feb. 18, Feb. 25, March 4 and March 11. The show can be heard online at GoHuskies.com or on the TuneIn App.

Wynn Adds Talented Trio on Signing Day
UW coach Jody Wynn announced the signing of a talented trio to National Letters of Intent during the November early signing period: JaQuaya Miller (Renton, WA/Kentridge HS), Ali Bamberger (Concord, CA/Carondelet HS), and Nia Lowery (Sacramento, CA/McClatchy HS).

Miller is a local product and one of the top post recruits in the country. The 6-3 post from Renton is a 4.5-star rated recruit by Prospects Nation, ranked No. 41 overall (sixth-best post in the country) and the top overall prospect out of Washington state.

Bamberger, a 6-3 post, is ranked as the No. 8 player out of California (No. 2 post player) and No. 81 overall in the Class of 2019 by Prospects Nation heading into her final season at Carondelet High School in Concord, Calif.

Lowery, a 5-11 wing from Sacramento, is rated as a four-star recruit by Prospects Nation from McClatchy High School. As a senior, she helped guide the Lions to a NorCal Division I Title, an appearance in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championship and a berth in the state tournament.

Medical Retirements
Jody Wynn announced a pair of roster changes heading into the 2018-19 season, as Deja Strother and Natalie Romeo will be medically retired, ending their UW careers. Strother, a redshirt-junior center, suffered a leg injury prior to the start of the 2017-18 season. Despite rehabbing over the last season, she has not been able to return from the injury. Romeo, a senior guard, has battled an undisclosed medical issue which kept her off the court last season. She attempted to make a comeback this season, joining the team for summer workouts, but the condition kept her from returning.

2017-18 Recap
Washington's first season under new head coach Jody Wynn proved to be a tough one with the Huskies' new coach inheriting a team with just five returning players and one who had started a college game. Despite the inexperience and the fact that no Husky on the active roster stood taller than 6-1, Washington proved to be a gritty, gutty team which gave many of its opponents as much as they could handle. The Huskies finished the 2017-18 season with a 7-23 overall record.