Sunday, December 29
Pullman, WA
2:00 PM
University of Washington
at
Washington State
Huskies Open Pac-12 Play At WSU Sunday
December 26, 2019 | Women's Basketball
LEADING THE BREAK…
Washington (8-3) opens Pac-12 Play on Sunday at 2:00 p.m., traveling to Pullman to take on Washington State University in the first of two games in the Boeing Apple Cup Series. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network with Elise Woodward and Greg Heister on the call. Fans can also listen to Gary Hill Jr. on the UW/IMG College Network on KKNW 1150 AM, on the TuneIn App, or GoHuskies.com.
Scouting the Cougars
Washington State has put together a strong non-conference schedule, posting a 7-5 record including a 5-1 record at home. Its lone loss at Beasley came in early December: a 76-53 defeat to No. 17 Gonzaga. Overall, the Cougars have played five ranked teams in 12 games, accounting for all five losses.
WSU has shot 50% or better in five games this season and better than 40% in all but two games. Overall, the team is shooting 44.3% from the field with its top four scorers shooting better than that.
The Cougars have a pair of seniors leading the team with forward Borislava Hristova scoring 19.2 points per game with guard Chanelle Molina adding 14.6 ppg. Hristova has 1,929 career points and is just 39 points. She has scored at least 20 points in six games already this season.
All-Time Series vs Washington State
Washington holds a commanding 72-16 edge in the all-time series including a 35-7 edge in games in Pullman. However, the Cougars have had an edge in the recent series, winning three of the last four games in the series. Last season, Washington State swept the season series for just the third time ever including a commanding 94-61 win at Beasley.
Boeing Apple Cup Series
In 2018, the Apple Cup expanded from the football field to encompass all sports the two schools play against each other in the new Boeing Apple Cup Series. As each UW-WSU match-up is completed, the winning school is awarded points based on the above scoring system. The school with the most points at the completion of all match-ups will win the Boeing Apple Cup Series Trophy. More info can be found at boeingapplecupseries.com.
Up Next
Washington remains on the road to open 2020, heading to the Bay area to face Cal on Friday, Jan. 3 at 7:00 p.m. and take on #5 Stanford on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 2:00 p.m. The Huskies then return home for the second game of the Boeing Apple Cup Series against WSU on Jan. 11.
Feeling Defensive
Washington's pressure defense–which helped lead the team to a strong finish last year–has been impressive so far this season. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 and ranks seventh in the NCAA in turnovers forced, averaging 23.82 turnovers per game. Washington also ranks sixth in the country in steals per game (13.3), 18th in scoring defense (54.0 ppg) and sit at 30th in the NCAA in opposing field goal percentage (34.5%).
Washington has forced at least 20 turnovers in nine games this year and has recorded double-digit steals in each game including 15 or more in three 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 five times this season including allowing just 34 points to Iona on Nov. 28–the fewest points allowed by UW since holding San Jose State to 27 points in 2010. The Huskies are 5-0 this season when holding teams under 50 points.
Washington entered the season having put just two other teams in the 49er club since Wynn took over: one in each of the past two seasons (WSU, 56-49 UW win - 1/21/18; COLO, 60-46 UW win - 2/24/19).
Overall, Washington is holding opponents to 54.0 ppg game this year–the 18th-best scoring defense in the NCAA. In addition, the Huskies are limiting opposing teams to the 30th-lowest shooting percentage (34.5%). Only two teams have managed to shoot better than 40% against the Huskies this year and UW has held seven teams to under 60 points, posting a perfect 7-0 record in those games. Last season, Washington held teams under 60 just nine times all season, going 8-1 in those games.
Turnover Machine
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 nine of 11 games this season and forced 30 or more twice.
Melgoza Moving On Up
Senior Amber Melgoza moved up to 17th on the UW scoring list last week, scoring 16 points against Vanderbilt to give her 1,347 career points. She needs 30 points to reach Kristi Kingma for 16th on the UW scoring list.
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.
Huskies in The National Rankings
Washington finds itself in the Top 35 in the NCAA in numerous categories through nine games:
Team:
Huskies in the NCAA Top 100:
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 67.0 rebounds per game while ranking second in scoring at 10.5 points per game. Van Dyke, who earned her first collegiate start against Hawaii, currently ranks seventh in the NCAA in total steals (38) and is 12th in steals per game (3.5), 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 6.8 points per game this year. Washington has been spreading around the scoring with five different Huskies leading in scoring in a game this year.
Block Party!
Thanks in large part to added height this season, the Huskies have already recorded 52 blocks this season: an average of 4.7 per game. That ranks 37th in the NCAA to this point and especially solid considering UW had just 64 in 32 games last year. Sophomore Darcy Rees leads the Pac-12 and ranks 41st in the NCAA with 2.0 blocks per game. She is also tops in the conference and 44th in the country with 22 total blocks after recording just 29 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, UW players have recorded three double-doubles this year after recording just two last year.
Home Away From Home
The Huskies are undefeated on the road this season, winning all three neutral site games played in Puerto Rico and beating San Diego last week in their first true road game of the year. UW won just five away from home last year–only three in the regular season–and two in 2017-18.
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 and scored her first collegiate points with a three-pointer against San Francisco on Dec. 20.
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 San Francisco was the 844th win in program history. The Huskies are averaging just over 18 wins per year over 46 seasons. All-time Washington is 844-517, a .620 winning percentage.
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.
Washington (8-3) opens Pac-12 Play on Sunday at 2:00 p.m., traveling to Pullman to take on Washington State University in the first of two games in the Boeing Apple Cup Series. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network with Elise Woodward and Greg Heister on the call. Fans can also listen to Gary Hill Jr. on the UW/IMG College Network on KKNW 1150 AM, on the TuneIn App, or GoHuskies.com.
- Washington has held seven of its first 11 opponents under 60 points and ranks 18th in the NCAA in scoring defense (54.0 ppg). The Huskies are also limiting opponents to just 34.5% shooting from the field, which ranks 30th-best in the NCAA.
- UW leads the Pac-12 and ranks seventh in the NCAA in turnovers forced, turning teams over 23.8 times a game. The Huskies lead the conference and rank sixth nationally in steals per game (13.3).
- Washington has the NCAA's 11th-toughest overall schedule with opponents holding a .744 winning pct.
- Senior Amber Melgoza leads the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game, averaging 21.2 points per 40 minutes. Melgoza scored 16 against Vanderbilt, giving her 1,347 for her career which ranks 17th on UW's all-time scoring list. Melgoza is just 30 points behind Kristi Kingma for 16th on that list.
- Sophomore Haley Van Dyke has shined on both sides of the ball, averaging 10.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game–the latter two lead the team. Her 3.5 steals per game leads the Pac-12 and ranks 12th in the NCAA while her 38 steals are the seventh most in DI this season.
- Junior Missy Peterson leads the team with 39 assists (3.5 apg) and has a 2.2 assist to turnover ratio–which is ninth-best in the Pac-12. She is also averaging 9.4 ppg.
- Sophomore Darcy Rees tops the Pac-12 in blocks with 22 and also in blocks per game at 2.00.
- Washington is 4-0 outside of Seattle this season. The Huskies won just five regular season games away from home over the last two years.
Scouting the Cougars
Washington State has put together a strong non-conference schedule, posting a 7-5 record including a 5-1 record at home. Its lone loss at Beasley came in early December: a 76-53 defeat to No. 17 Gonzaga. Overall, the Cougars have played five ranked teams in 12 games, accounting for all five losses.
WSU has shot 50% or better in five games this season and better than 40% in all but two games. Overall, the team is shooting 44.3% from the field with its top four scorers shooting better than that.
The Cougars have a pair of seniors leading the team with forward Borislava Hristova scoring 19.2 points per game with guard Chanelle Molina adding 14.6 ppg. Hristova has 1,929 career points and is just 39 points. She has scored at least 20 points in six games already this season.
All-Time Series vs Washington State
Washington holds a commanding 72-16 edge in the all-time series including a 35-7 edge in games in Pullman. However, the Cougars have had an edge in the recent series, winning three of the last four games in the series. Last season, Washington State swept the season series for just the third time ever including a commanding 94-61 win at Beasley.
Boeing Apple Cup Series
In 2018, the Apple Cup expanded from the football field to encompass all sports the two schools play against each other in the new Boeing Apple Cup Series. As each UW-WSU match-up is completed, the winning school is awarded points based on the above scoring system. The school with the most points at the completion of all match-ups will win the Boeing Apple Cup Series Trophy. More info can be found at boeingapplecupseries.com.
Up Next
Washington remains on the road to open 2020, heading to the Bay area to face Cal on Friday, Jan. 3 at 7:00 p.m. and take on #5 Stanford on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 2:00 p.m. The Huskies then return home for the second game of the Boeing Apple Cup Series against WSU on Jan. 11.
Feeling Defensive
Washington's pressure defense–which helped lead the team to a strong finish last year–has been impressive so far this season. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 and ranks seventh in the NCAA in turnovers forced, averaging 23.82 turnovers per game. Washington also ranks sixth in the country in steals per game (13.3), 18th in scoring defense (54.0 ppg) and sit at 30th in the NCAA in opposing field goal percentage (34.5%).
Washington has forced at least 20 turnovers in nine games this year and has recorded double-digit steals in each game including 15 or more in three 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 five times this season including allowing just 34 points to Iona on Nov. 28–the fewest points allowed by UW since holding San Jose State to 27 points in 2010. The Huskies are 5-0 this season when holding teams under 50 points.
Washington entered the season having put just two other teams in the 49er club since Wynn took over: one in each of the past two seasons (WSU, 56-49 UW win - 1/21/18; COLO, 60-46 UW win - 2/24/19).
Overall, Washington is holding opponents to 54.0 ppg game this year–the 18th-best scoring defense in the NCAA. In addition, the Huskies are limiting opposing teams to the 30th-lowest shooting percentage (34.5%). Only two teams have managed to shoot better than 40% against the Huskies this year and UW has held seven teams to under 60 points, posting a perfect 7-0 record in those games. Last season, Washington held teams under 60 just nine times all season, going 8-1 in those games.
Turnover Machine
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 nine of 11 games this season and forced 30 or more twice.
Melgoza Moving On Up
Senior Amber Melgoza moved up to 17th on the UW scoring list last week, scoring 16 points against Vanderbilt to give her 1,347 career points. She needs 30 points to reach Kristi Kingma for 16th on the UW scoring list.
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.
Huskies in The National Rankings
Washington finds itself in the Top 35 in the NCAA in numerous categories through nine games:
Team:
- 6th - Steals Per Game (13.3)
- 7th - Turnovers Forced (23.8/game)
- 12th - Steals (146)
- 15th - Assists Per Game (18.6)
- 18th - Scoring Defense (54.0 oppg)
- 18th - Turnover Margin (+6.6)
- 30th - FG% Defense (34.5%)
- 31st - Scoring Margin (+17.5)
- 33rd - Three-Point FG% Defense (25.7%)
Huskies in the NCAA Top 100:
- 7th - Haley Van Dyke Total Steals (38)
- 12th - Haley Van Dyke Steals Per Game (3.5)
- 41st - Darcy Rees Blocks Per Game (2.00)
- 44th - Darcy Rees Total Blocks (22)
- 53rd - Missy Peterson Ast-TO Ratio (+2.2)
- 90th - Mai-Loni Henson Ast-TO Ratio (+1.9)
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 67.0 rebounds per game while ranking second in scoring at 10.5 points per game. Van Dyke, who earned her first collegiate start against Hawaii, currently ranks seventh in the NCAA in total steals (38) and is 12th in steals per game (3.5), 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 6.8 points per game this year. Washington has been spreading around the scoring with five different Huskies leading in scoring in a game this year.
Block Party!
Thanks in large part to added height this season, the Huskies have already recorded 52 blocks this season: an average of 4.7 per game. That ranks 37th in the NCAA to this point and especially solid considering UW had just 64 in 32 games last year. Sophomore Darcy Rees leads the Pac-12 and ranks 41st in the NCAA with 2.0 blocks per game. She is also tops in the conference and 44th in the country with 22 total blocks after recording just 29 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, UW players have recorded three double-doubles this year after recording just two last year.
Home Away From Home
The Huskies are undefeated on the road this season, winning all three neutral site games played in Puerto Rico and beating San Diego last week in their first true road game of the year. UW won just five away from home last year–only three in the regular season–and two in 2017-18.
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 and scored her first collegiate points with a three-pointer against San Francisco on Dec. 20.
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 San Francisco was the 844th win in program history. The Huskies are averaging just over 18 wins per year over 46 seasons. All-time Washington is 844-517, a .620 winning percentage.
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.
Players Mentioned
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