Sunday, December 15
San Diego, CA
2:00 PM
University of Washington
at
San Diego
Huskies Head To San Diego For Final Non-Conference Road Game
December 12, 2019 | Women's Basketball
Washington (6-2) heads back on the road, playing at the University of San Diego (5-4) in its first true road game, Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2:00 p.m. at Jenny Craig Pavilion. The game will be available via live stream through the WCC Network (link available on GoHuskies.com). Fans can also listen to Gary Hill Jr. call the action on KKNW 1150 AM, on the TuneIn App and on GoHuskies.com.
LEADING THE BREAK…
Scouting the Toreros
After opening the season with four wins in its first five games, San Diego had struggled lately, losing four-straight games before a including a 70-47 win over cross-town foe San Diego State on Wednesday night. USD outscored the Aztecs 39-20 in the second half to pull away with the win.
The Toreros have four players averaging 9.0 points per game or better including two averaging over 11. Senior guard Madison Pollock, who hails from Snohomish, Wash., is scoring 11.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and had 19 points vs SDSU on Wednesday. Junior guard Myah Pace is averaging 11.2 points, 4.0 assists and 3.8 steals per game. She has scored at least seven points in each game and poured in 17 against Cal State Fullerton last week.
All-Time Series vs San Diego
Washington is 2-1 against the Toreros all-time with this being the first time the teams have met outside of Seattle. This will be the first match-up since the teams did battle in the third round of the 2014 WNIT. Washington edged San Diego 62-55 in that game played at Alaska Airlines Arena.
Up Next
Washington wraps up the non-conference schedule next week, hosting the Husky Classic on Dec. 20-21. The Huskies face San Francisco on Friday and Vanderbilt on Saturday with UC Irvine also competing in the two-day event.
Turnover Forcing Machine
Washington's pressure defense–which helped lead the team to a strong finish last year–has been impressive so far this season, forcing 191 turnovers through the first eight games this season. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 and rank 12th in the NCAA in turnovers forced at 23.88 per game. UW also ranks 20th in the NCAA in turnover margin at +7.63 and have recorded the 10th-most steals per game at 13.1.
Earlier this season, 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. Overall, Washington has forced at least 20 turnovers in six of eight games this season. and forced 30 or more in two.
Strong Defense Part 2
Washington has been turning teams over at an impressive rate, but even when teams get shots off, the Huskies aren't letting them shoot well. UW ranks 12th in the country in field-goal percentage defense, holding teams to just 32.8% shooting. Only one team has shot better than 40% against the Huskies this season. Additionally, the Huskies are allowing just 52.1 points per game which ranks 10th-lowest in the NCAA so far this season. UW has held five teams to under 60 points this year, posting a perfect 5-0 record in those games.
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 four times this season including allowing just 34 points to Iona on Nov. 28–the fewest points allowed by the Huskies since holding San Jose State to 27 points in 2010.
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 52.1 ppg game this year–the 10th-best scoring defense in the NCAA. The Huskies are also limiting opposing teams to the 12th-lowest shooting percentage at 32.8%.
Van Dyke Opens Strong
Sophomore Haley Van Dyke has been impressive through the early part of the season, leading the team with 3.5 steals and 7.1 rebounds per game while ranking second in scoring at 10.4 points per game. Van Dyke, who earned her first collegiate start against Hawaii last week, currently ranks 17th in the NCAA in steals per game (3.5) and 18th in overall steals (28), leading the Pac-12 in both categories.
Van Dyke played in all 32 games last year, but averaged just 4.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.7 steals per game. She is already just 54 points away from her season total from last year and already has five more steals than she did all of last season.
Van Dyke recorded her first collegiate double-double against Seattle with 14 points and 12 rebounds, adding three steals and two assists. She has missed two more double-doubles by one rebound in one game and one point in another. Van Dyke opened the season with a career-high 15 points, adding nine rebounds to lead the Huskies against CSUB. Two games later, she recorded seven steals vs Weber State, the most in a game since 2015.
Spread the Scoring Around
The Huskies have six players averaging 6.9 points per game and eight different players averaging better than 5.6 points per game this year. Washington has been spreading around the scoring with five different players leading the team in scoring in a game so far this year.
Huskies in The National Rankings
Washington finds itself in the Top 35 in the NCAA in a number of categories through eight games: 10th in scoring defense (52.1 ppg) and steals per game (13.1 spg), 12th in field-goal percentage defense (32.8%) and turnovers forced (23.88 per game), 18th in steals (105), 20th in turnover margin (+7.63), 21st in assists per game (18.0), 27th in scoring margin (+19.6), and 32nd in rebounds per game (43.5).
Individually, Missy Peterson ranks 14th in the NCAA in assist to turnover ratio (3.11) with Haley Van Dyke ranking 17th in steals per game (3.5 spg) and 18th in total steals (28). Darcy Rees also ranks 60th in blocked shots per game (1.88 bpg) and 65th in blocked shots (15).
Melgoza Moving On Up
Senior Amber Melgoza moved up to 18th on the UW scoring list against Iowa and eclipsed the 1,300 point mark against Hawaii last week. She currently has 1,307 career points and needs 23 points to reach Amber Hall for 17th.
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 1,254 points over the last two years, averaging 17.9 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 34 blocks this season, an average of 4.3 per game. That ranks 70th in the NCAA at this point and especially solid considering UW had just 64 all of 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.
Overall, Washington players have recorded three double-doubles this year after recording just two all of last season.
Home, Non-Conference Success
Washington has had success in non-conference home games over the last few years, posting a 22-5 record in such games since the start of the 2016-17 season. Going back a bit further, the Huskies are 37-7 in non-conference home games since the 2013-14 season. UW was 5-2 in non-conference home contests last year and is 3-2 so far this year with two non-conference homes games left to go on the slate this season.
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.
Huskies Nearing 850 Program Victories
Washington's win over Iowa was the 842nd win in program history with the Huskies averaging just over 18 wins per season over 46 seasons. All-time Washington is 842-516, a .620 winning percentage.
Rees Among Pac-12's Best Freshmen in 2018-19
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 7.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.0 assists per game. She has scored in double-figures in four games including posting a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double against Howard in Puerto Rico last week.
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 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 five of its first eight opponents under 60 points and ranks 10th in the NCAA in scoring defense (52.1 ppg). The Huskies are also limiting opponents to just 32.8% shooting from the field, which ranks 12th-best in the NCAA.
- Washington leads the Pac-12 and ranks 14th in the NCAA in turnovers forced, turning teams over 23.9 times a game on average. As a result, the Huskies rank 10th in steals at 13.1 per game.
- Senior Amber Melgoza leads the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game, scoring at least 20 in two of her last three games. She scored 12 against Hawaii, giving her 1,307 for her career which ranks 18th on UW's all-time scoring list. Melgoza is just 23 points behind Amber Hall for 17th on that list.
- Sophomore Haley Van Dyke is averaging 10.4 ppg this season, which is second on the team this year. Van Dyke leads the Pac-12 and ranks 17th in the NCAA with 3.50 steals per game, already tallying five more than she did in the entirety of last season..
- Junior Missy Peterson ranks 14th nationally and third in the conference in Assist to Turnover Ratio (3.11) with a team-best 28 assists and just nine turnovers.
- Sophomore Darcy Rees has blocked 15 shots this season which ranks second in the Pac-12. She is averaging an impressive 4.0 blocks per 40 minutes on the year.
Scouting the Toreros
After opening the season with four wins in its first five games, San Diego had struggled lately, losing four-straight games before a including a 70-47 win over cross-town foe San Diego State on Wednesday night. USD outscored the Aztecs 39-20 in the second half to pull away with the win.
The Toreros have four players averaging 9.0 points per game or better including two averaging over 11. Senior guard Madison Pollock, who hails from Snohomish, Wash., is scoring 11.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and had 19 points vs SDSU on Wednesday. Junior guard Myah Pace is averaging 11.2 points, 4.0 assists and 3.8 steals per game. She has scored at least seven points in each game and poured in 17 against Cal State Fullerton last week.
All-Time Series vs San Diego
Washington is 2-1 against the Toreros all-time with this being the first time the teams have met outside of Seattle. This will be the first match-up since the teams did battle in the third round of the 2014 WNIT. Washington edged San Diego 62-55 in that game played at Alaska Airlines Arena.
Up Next
Washington wraps up the non-conference schedule next week, hosting the Husky Classic on Dec. 20-21. The Huskies face San Francisco on Friday and Vanderbilt on Saturday with UC Irvine also competing in the two-day event.
Turnover Forcing Machine
Washington's pressure defense–which helped lead the team to a strong finish last year–has been impressive so far this season, forcing 191 turnovers through the first eight games this season. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 and rank 12th in the NCAA in turnovers forced at 23.88 per game. UW also ranks 20th in the NCAA in turnover margin at +7.63 and have recorded the 10th-most steals per game at 13.1.
Earlier this season, 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. Overall, Washington has forced at least 20 turnovers in six of eight games this season. and forced 30 or more in two.
Strong Defense Part 2
Washington has been turning teams over at an impressive rate, but even when teams get shots off, the Huskies aren't letting them shoot well. UW ranks 12th in the country in field-goal percentage defense, holding teams to just 32.8% shooting. Only one team has shot better than 40% against the Huskies this season. Additionally, the Huskies are allowing just 52.1 points per game which ranks 10th-lowest in the NCAA so far this season. UW has held five teams to under 60 points this year, posting a perfect 5-0 record in those games.
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 four times this season including allowing just 34 points to Iona on Nov. 28–the fewest points allowed by the Huskies since holding San Jose State to 27 points in 2010.
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 52.1 ppg game this year–the 10th-best scoring defense in the NCAA. The Huskies are also limiting opposing teams to the 12th-lowest shooting percentage at 32.8%.
Van Dyke Opens Strong
Sophomore Haley Van Dyke has been impressive through the early part of the season, leading the team with 3.5 steals and 7.1 rebounds per game while ranking second in scoring at 10.4 points per game. Van Dyke, who earned her first collegiate start against Hawaii last week, currently ranks 17th in the NCAA in steals per game (3.5) and 18th in overall steals (28), leading the Pac-12 in both categories.
Van Dyke played in all 32 games last year, but averaged just 4.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.7 steals per game. She is already just 54 points away from her season total from last year and already has five more steals than she did all of last season.
Van Dyke recorded her first collegiate double-double against Seattle with 14 points and 12 rebounds, adding three steals and two assists. She has missed two more double-doubles by one rebound in one game and one point in another. Van Dyke opened the season with a career-high 15 points, adding nine rebounds to lead the Huskies against CSUB. Two games later, she recorded seven steals vs Weber State, the most in a game since 2015.
Spread the Scoring Around
The Huskies have six players averaging 6.9 points per game and eight different players averaging better than 5.6 points per game this year. Washington has been spreading around the scoring with five different players leading the team in scoring in a game so far this year.
Huskies in The National Rankings
Washington finds itself in the Top 35 in the NCAA in a number of categories through eight games: 10th in scoring defense (52.1 ppg) and steals per game (13.1 spg), 12th in field-goal percentage defense (32.8%) and turnovers forced (23.88 per game), 18th in steals (105), 20th in turnover margin (+7.63), 21st in assists per game (18.0), 27th in scoring margin (+19.6), and 32nd in rebounds per game (43.5).
Individually, Missy Peterson ranks 14th in the NCAA in assist to turnover ratio (3.11) with Haley Van Dyke ranking 17th in steals per game (3.5 spg) and 18th in total steals (28). Darcy Rees also ranks 60th in blocked shots per game (1.88 bpg) and 65th in blocked shots (15).
Melgoza Moving On Up
Senior Amber Melgoza moved up to 18th on the UW scoring list against Iowa and eclipsed the 1,300 point mark against Hawaii last week. She currently has 1,307 career points and needs 23 points to reach Amber Hall for 17th.
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 1,254 points over the last two years, averaging 17.9 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 34 blocks this season, an average of 4.3 per game. That ranks 70th in the NCAA at this point and especially solid considering UW had just 64 all of 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.
Overall, Washington players have recorded three double-doubles this year after recording just two all of last season.
Home, Non-Conference Success
Washington has had success in non-conference home games over the last few years, posting a 22-5 record in such games since the start of the 2016-17 season. Going back a bit further, the Huskies are 37-7 in non-conference home games since the 2013-14 season. UW was 5-2 in non-conference home contests last year and is 3-2 so far this year with two non-conference homes games left to go on the slate this season.
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.
Huskies Nearing 850 Program Victories
Washington's win over Iowa was the 842nd win in program history with the Huskies averaging just over 18 wins per season over 46 seasons. All-time Washington is 842-516, a .620 winning percentage.
Rees Among Pac-12's Best Freshmen in 2018-19
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 7.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.0 assists per game. She has scored in double-figures in four games including posting a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double against Howard in Puerto Rico last week.
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 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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