Thursday, November 28
San Juan, PR
9:00 AM
University of Washington
vs
Iona
Huskies Hit The Road For Three In Puerto Rico
November 26, 2019 | Women's Basketball
Washington hits the road for the first time this season, heading to the Puerto Rico Clasico this week. The Huskies play Iona (1-3) on Thursday, Howard (3-3) on Friday and Iowa (3-1) on Saturday. All games are scheduled for 9:00 am PT. The games will be streamed for a fee on FloHoops.com. Fans can also listen free to Gary Hill Jr. call the action on KKNW 1150 AM, on the TuneIn App and on GoHuskies.com.
LEADING THE BREAK…
Scouting the Gaels
Iona is no stranger to the road, playing three of its first four games away from New Rochelle. The Gaels are 1-3 so far this season having lost their last three after a 68-61 win over Winthrop to open the season.
A pair of players average over 13 points a game to lead the Gaels. Senior guard Morgan Rachu leads the team with 13.8 points and 6.8 rebounds while sophomore guard Shyan Mwai adds 13.3 ppg.
All-Time Series vs Iona
This is the first meeting between the two schools.
Scouting the Bison
Howard has already played six games this season, posting a 4-2 record and is riding a three-game winning streak coming into the week. The Bison have played well on the road, going 3-1 away from home this year. One of Howard's two losses came against No. 21 South Florida, 82-53, on the road.
Senior guard Sarah Edmond has been on fire to start the season, averaging 16.0 points per game. She nearly had a triple double against UMBC, scoring 16 points, with eight assists and seven rebounds. Two other Bison guards average better than 12 points per game with senior Ayonna Williams contributing 12.8 ppg and sophomore Jayla Thornton averaging 12.3 ppg. The trio is averaging 41.1 of the team's 71.2 ppg.
All-Time Series vs Howard
This is the first meeting between the two schools.
Scouting the Hawkeyes
Iowa is one year removed from a trip to the Elite Eight, posting a 29-7 overall record. However, the Hawkeyes graduated a trio of players who averaged 49.2 points per game including All-American Megan Gustafson and her 27.8 points and 13.4 rebounds per game. However, the new-look Hawkeyes have started the season with a 3-1 record, winning three at home but falling 88-66 at Northern Iowa.
Iowa has shot well from the field this year, connecting on 42.6% including 36.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Hawkeyes is another pair of seniors with Kathleen Doyle averaging 16.3 ppg and Makenzie Meyer adding 15.3 ppg.
All-Time Series vs Iowa
UW leads the all-time series 5-2 and has won the last four-straight against Iowa. However, the two teams haven't played since Nov. 15, 1998 when the Huskies beat the Hawkeyes 84-76 in Seattle to open the 1998-99 season.
Up Next
Washington returns home next week, hosting Hawaii in a non-conference match on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. The Huskies then hit the road again, traveling to San Diego for a game against the Toreros on Dec. 15.
Turnover Forcing Machine
Washington's pressure defense–which helped lead the team to a strong finish last year–has picked up right where it left of this season, forcing an impressive 107 turnovers through the first four games this season. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 and rank fourth in the NCAA in turnovers forced at 26.75 per game–just one behind the national leader.
The Huskies also rank eighth in the NCAA in turnover margin at +10.5 and have recorded the 18th-most steals per game at 13.3. Last week, the Huskies forced 38 turnovers against Weber State, the most by a UW team since turning over Gonzaga 38 times in 1998. It is also the most by a Pac-12 team in nearly six years.
Van Dyke Opens Strong
Sophomore Haley Van Dyke has been impressive through the early part of the season, leading the team with 11.7 points, 3.7 steals and 7.3 rebounds per game through the early going. She currently ranks 13th in the NCAA in steals per game (3.7) and 35th in overall steals (15), leading the Pac-12 in both categories. She is just eight shy of matching her total from her entire freshman season.
Van Dyke recorded her first collegiate double-double on Saturday against Seattle University with 14 points and 12 rebounds, adding three steals and two assists. She opened the season with a career-high 15 points, adding nine rebounds to lead the Huskies. Two games later, she recorded seven steals against Weber State, the most in a game since 2015. Last season, Van Dyke averaged 4.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game as a freshman.
Put 'em in The 49er Club
Head Coach Jody Wynn has a defensive goal for each game: put the opponent in the "49er Club" by holding them to 49 points or less in a game. So far, the Huskies have done that three times this season including allowing just 41 points to Weber State on Nov. 13. Washington entered the season having put just two other teams in the 49er club: one in each of the past two seasons. Overall, Washington is holding opponents to exactly 50.0 ppg game this year, giving the Huskies the 20th-best scoring defense in the NCAA.
Spread the Scoring Around
The Huskies have six different players averaging better than 8.0 points per game this year and nine players scoring 5.5 ppg or more. In fact, Washington has a unique stat with a different player leading the team in scoring in each game this year with Van Dyke, Peterson, Rees, Melgoza and Henson each leading the team in one game.
Huskies in The National Rankings
Washington finds itself in the Top 30 in the NCAA in a number of categories through four games: 4th in turnovers forced (26.75/game), 8th in turnover margin (+10.5), 18th in steals per game (13.3 spg), 19th in assists per game (18.8 apg), 20th in scoring defense (50.0 oppg), 21st in scoring margin (+28.5), and 27th in field goal percentage defense (32.3%).
Individually, Missy Peterson ranks second in the NCAA in assist to turnover ratio (7.0) with Haley Van Dyke ranking 13th in steals per game (3.75 spg) and 35th in total steals (15).
Melgoza Moving On Up
Senior Amber Melgoza moved up to 19th on the UW scoring list against Weber State and currently has 1,241 career points. She needs 27 points to reach Laurie Merlino for 18th.
Last year, Melgoza became the 28th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points with her first basket against Oregon on Jan. 27. She has amassed 1,149 points over the last two years, averaging 18.5 ppg over that stretch. (Melgoza didn't play much as a freshman, scoring just 53 total points in 25 games.)
Melgoza scored 579 points in 2018-19, the eighth-most points scored in a season in program history. She now has the 8th and 12th (2017-18) best single-season point totals in UW history. She has scored 30+ points in a game four times (third-most in program history) and also has 31 career 20+ point games. She had one of each to close out the season, scoring 21 in Washington's Pac-12 Tournament upset win over No. 11 Oregon State, then closed out the year with 32 points on 12-of-24 shooting against No. 5 Stanford.
Block Party!
Thanks in large part to added height this season, the Huskies have already recorded 20 blocks this season, an average of 4.0 per game. That ranks 34th in the NCAA at this point and especially solid considering UW had just 64 in total last year.
Double-Double Your Pleasure
The Huskies had a pair of players record a double-double against Seattle, something which hadn't been done in three seasons. Mai-Loni Henson picked up her third career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, adding two steals, a block and an assist. Haley Van Dyke recorded her first double-double with 14 points and a career-best 12 rebounds, adding three steals and two assists.
Home, Non-Conference Success
Washington has had success in non-conference home games over the last few years, posting a 22-4 record in such games since the start of the 2016-17 season. Going back a bit further, the Huskies are 37-6 in non-conference home games since the 2013-14 season. UW was 5-2 in non-conference home contests last year and is 3-1 so far this year.
Huskies Add to Active Roster
Washington added a player to its active roster on Nov. 20, elevating Callie Lind from the practice squad. Lind, from nearby Sammamish, Wash., was the starting point guard on the Eastlake HS team which won the WIAA 4A State Championship last year. She averaged 10.0 points 4.0 assists and 2.6 steals on the season and scored 12 points with five rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in the championship game. Lind made her Husky debut against Seattle U on Nov. 23.
Melgoza Again on Meyers-Drysdale Watch List
Senior guard Amber Melgoza has once again been named as one of 20 candidates on the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Preseason Watch List awarded annually to the best shooting guard in NCAA DI women's basketball. The winner of the 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in LA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five.
Peterson Power
Junior Missy Peterson has opened the 2019-20 season on fire from the field, connecting on 52% of her shots from the field including going 8-of-16 (50%) from three-point range. Peterson already ranks among the best in program history in three-point shooting, tied for fifth all time at 38.5%.
Peterson suffered a pair of small fractures in her nose early in the year and had to wear a mask beginning in mid-December. Peterson has been struggling with injuries throughout her UW career: entering UW recovering from a lingering foot injury, suffering a season-ending knee injury midway through her freshman year and dealing with a broken nose through much of this season.
Huskies Nearing 850 Program Victories
Washington's win over Seattle U was the 840th win in program history with the Huskies averaging just over 18 wins per season over 46 seasons.
Rees Among Pac-12's Best Freshmen
Last season, Darcy Rees proved she is among the top post players in the best conference in the NCAA as a freshman. A surprising omission from the Pac-12 All-Freshmen team, Rees averaged 7.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in her first season at UW, but those numbers moved up to 9.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game over the final 20 games of the season–all against Pac-12 competition. So far this year, Rees is averaging 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 assists per game.
Radio Show
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. every Monday beginning December 9 through March 16. It can also be heard at GoHuskies.com or via the TuneIn App, available in the App Stores.
2018-19 Recap
After a bit of an up-and-down season, the Huskies really came together and made some noise at the end of last year. Washington finished the season with a 3-3 record, picking up their first Pac-12 road win, beating a nationally-ranked team for the first time in two years and making an impressive run through the Pac-12 Tournament to reach the semifinals for the second time in program history.
The key to the run was the defense. After starting the conference schedule by allowing 78.4 ppg in its first 14 Pac-12 games, UW allowed just 63.6 points over its last six games (all vs Pac-12 teams). The Huskies also took care of the ball, committing just five turnovers in the upset win over Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals. Washington looks to ride that end-of-season momentum into the 2019-20 season.
LEADING THE BREAK…
- Washington has held three of its first four opponents under 50 points and ranks 20th in the NCAA in scoring defense (50.0 ppg).
- The Huskies rank fourth in the NCAA in turnovers forced, turning teams over 26.75 a game on average.
- UW has five players averaging 9.0 ppg or better led by Haley Van Dyke, who is averaging 12.3 ppg.
- Haley Van Dyke also leads the team with 7.3 rebounds and 3.75 steals per game. Her steals per game numbers are the best in the Pac-12 and 13th-best in the NCAA.
- Washington ranks 34th in the NCAA with 5.0 blocked shots per game and 20 overall one year after recording a total of 64 over 32 games.
- Senior Amber Melgoza currently sits in 19th place on the UW all-time leading scorer's list with 1,241 career points. She needs just 27 points to pass Laurie Merlino for the 18th spot.
- Junior Missy Peterson ranks 4th in the NCAA in Assist-to-Turnover Ratio (7.0) with 14 assists and 2 TOs.
Scouting the Gaels
Iona is no stranger to the road, playing three of its first four games away from New Rochelle. The Gaels are 1-3 so far this season having lost their last three after a 68-61 win over Winthrop to open the season.
A pair of players average over 13 points a game to lead the Gaels. Senior guard Morgan Rachu leads the team with 13.8 points and 6.8 rebounds while sophomore guard Shyan Mwai adds 13.3 ppg.
All-Time Series vs Iona
This is the first meeting between the two schools.
Scouting the Bison
Howard has already played six games this season, posting a 4-2 record and is riding a three-game winning streak coming into the week. The Bison have played well on the road, going 3-1 away from home this year. One of Howard's two losses came against No. 21 South Florida, 82-53, on the road.
Senior guard Sarah Edmond has been on fire to start the season, averaging 16.0 points per game. She nearly had a triple double against UMBC, scoring 16 points, with eight assists and seven rebounds. Two other Bison guards average better than 12 points per game with senior Ayonna Williams contributing 12.8 ppg and sophomore Jayla Thornton averaging 12.3 ppg. The trio is averaging 41.1 of the team's 71.2 ppg.
All-Time Series vs Howard
This is the first meeting between the two schools.
Scouting the Hawkeyes
Iowa is one year removed from a trip to the Elite Eight, posting a 29-7 overall record. However, the Hawkeyes graduated a trio of players who averaged 49.2 points per game including All-American Megan Gustafson and her 27.8 points and 13.4 rebounds per game. However, the new-look Hawkeyes have started the season with a 3-1 record, winning three at home but falling 88-66 at Northern Iowa.
Iowa has shot well from the field this year, connecting on 42.6% including 36.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Hawkeyes is another pair of seniors with Kathleen Doyle averaging 16.3 ppg and Makenzie Meyer adding 15.3 ppg.
All-Time Series vs Iowa
UW leads the all-time series 5-2 and has won the last four-straight against Iowa. However, the two teams haven't played since Nov. 15, 1998 when the Huskies beat the Hawkeyes 84-76 in Seattle to open the 1998-99 season.
Up Next
Washington returns home next week, hosting Hawaii in a non-conference match on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. The Huskies then hit the road again, traveling to San Diego for a game against the Toreros on Dec. 15.
Turnover Forcing Machine
Washington's pressure defense–which helped lead the team to a strong finish last year–has picked up right where it left of this season, forcing an impressive 107 turnovers through the first four games this season. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 and rank fourth in the NCAA in turnovers forced at 26.75 per game–just one behind the national leader.
The Huskies also rank eighth in the NCAA in turnover margin at +10.5 and have recorded the 18th-most steals per game at 13.3. Last week, the Huskies forced 38 turnovers against Weber State, the most by a UW team since turning over Gonzaga 38 times in 1998. It is also the most by a Pac-12 team in nearly six years.
Van Dyke Opens Strong
Sophomore Haley Van Dyke has been impressive through the early part of the season, leading the team with 11.7 points, 3.7 steals and 7.3 rebounds per game through the early going. She currently ranks 13th in the NCAA in steals per game (3.7) and 35th in overall steals (15), leading the Pac-12 in both categories. She is just eight shy of matching her total from her entire freshman season.
Van Dyke recorded her first collegiate double-double on Saturday against Seattle University with 14 points and 12 rebounds, adding three steals and two assists. She opened the season with a career-high 15 points, adding nine rebounds to lead the Huskies. Two games later, she recorded seven steals against Weber State, the most in a game since 2015. Last season, Van Dyke averaged 4.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game as a freshman.
Put 'em in The 49er Club
Head Coach Jody Wynn has a defensive goal for each game: put the opponent in the "49er Club" by holding them to 49 points or less in a game. So far, the Huskies have done that three times this season including allowing just 41 points to Weber State on Nov. 13. Washington entered the season having put just two other teams in the 49er club: one in each of the past two seasons. Overall, Washington is holding opponents to exactly 50.0 ppg game this year, giving the Huskies the 20th-best scoring defense in the NCAA.
Spread the Scoring Around
The Huskies have six different players averaging better than 8.0 points per game this year and nine players scoring 5.5 ppg or more. In fact, Washington has a unique stat with a different player leading the team in scoring in each game this year with Van Dyke, Peterson, Rees, Melgoza and Henson each leading the team in one game.
Huskies in The National Rankings
Washington finds itself in the Top 30 in the NCAA in a number of categories through four games: 4th in turnovers forced (26.75/game), 8th in turnover margin (+10.5), 18th in steals per game (13.3 spg), 19th in assists per game (18.8 apg), 20th in scoring defense (50.0 oppg), 21st in scoring margin (+28.5), and 27th in field goal percentage defense (32.3%).
Individually, Missy Peterson ranks second in the NCAA in assist to turnover ratio (7.0) with Haley Van Dyke ranking 13th in steals per game (3.75 spg) and 35th in total steals (15).
Melgoza Moving On Up
Senior Amber Melgoza moved up to 19th on the UW scoring list against Weber State and currently has 1,241 career points. She needs 27 points to reach Laurie Merlino for 18th.
Last year, Melgoza became the 28th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points with her first basket against Oregon on Jan. 27. She has amassed 1,149 points over the last two years, averaging 18.5 ppg over that stretch. (Melgoza didn't play much as a freshman, scoring just 53 total points in 25 games.)
Melgoza scored 579 points in 2018-19, the eighth-most points scored in a season in program history. She now has the 8th and 12th (2017-18) best single-season point totals in UW history. She has scored 30+ points in a game four times (third-most in program history) and also has 31 career 20+ point games. She had one of each to close out the season, scoring 21 in Washington's Pac-12 Tournament upset win over No. 11 Oregon State, then closed out the year with 32 points on 12-of-24 shooting against No. 5 Stanford.
Block Party!
Thanks in large part to added height this season, the Huskies have already recorded 20 blocks this season, an average of 4.0 per game. That ranks 34th in the NCAA at this point and especially solid considering UW had just 64 in total last year.
Double-Double Your Pleasure
The Huskies had a pair of players record a double-double against Seattle, something which hadn't been done in three seasons. Mai-Loni Henson picked up her third career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, adding two steals, a block and an assist. Haley Van Dyke recorded her first double-double with 14 points and a career-best 12 rebounds, adding three steals and two assists.
Home, Non-Conference Success
Washington has had success in non-conference home games over the last few years, posting a 22-4 record in such games since the start of the 2016-17 season. Going back a bit further, the Huskies are 37-6 in non-conference home games since the 2013-14 season. UW was 5-2 in non-conference home contests last year and is 3-1 so far this year.
Huskies Add to Active Roster
Washington added a player to its active roster on Nov. 20, elevating Callie Lind from the practice squad. Lind, from nearby Sammamish, Wash., was the starting point guard on the Eastlake HS team which won the WIAA 4A State Championship last year. She averaged 10.0 points 4.0 assists and 2.6 steals on the season and scored 12 points with five rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in the championship game. Lind made her Husky debut against Seattle U on Nov. 23.
Melgoza Again on Meyers-Drysdale Watch List
Senior guard Amber Melgoza has once again been named as one of 20 candidates on the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Preseason Watch List awarded annually to the best shooting guard in NCAA DI women's basketball. The winner of the 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in LA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five.
Peterson Power
Junior Missy Peterson has opened the 2019-20 season on fire from the field, connecting on 52% of her shots from the field including going 8-of-16 (50%) from three-point range. Peterson already ranks among the best in program history in three-point shooting, tied for fifth all time at 38.5%.
Peterson suffered a pair of small fractures in her nose early in the year and had to wear a mask beginning in mid-December. Peterson has been struggling with injuries throughout her UW career: entering UW recovering from a lingering foot injury, suffering a season-ending knee injury midway through her freshman year and dealing with a broken nose through much of this season.
Huskies Nearing 850 Program Victories
Washington's win over Seattle U was the 840th win in program history with the Huskies averaging just over 18 wins per season over 46 seasons.
Rees Among Pac-12's Best Freshmen
Last season, Darcy Rees proved she is among the top post players in the best conference in the NCAA as a freshman. A surprising omission from the Pac-12 All-Freshmen team, Rees averaged 7.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in her first season at UW, but those numbers moved up to 9.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game over the final 20 games of the season–all against Pac-12 competition. So far this year, Rees is averaging 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 assists per game.
Radio Show
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. every Monday beginning December 9 through March 16. It can also be heard at GoHuskies.com or via the TuneIn App, available in the App Stores.
2018-19 Recap
After a bit of an up-and-down season, the Huskies really came together and made some noise at the end of last year. Washington finished the season with a 3-3 record, picking up their first Pac-12 road win, beating a nationally-ranked team for the first time in two years and making an impressive run through the Pac-12 Tournament to reach the semifinals for the second time in program history.
The key to the run was the defense. After starting the conference schedule by allowing 78.4 ppg in its first 14 Pac-12 games, UW allowed just 63.6 points over its last six games (all vs Pac-12 teams). The Huskies also took care of the ball, committing just five turnovers in the upset win over Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals. Washington looks to ride that end-of-season momentum into the 2019-20 season.
Players Mentioned
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