Sunday, January 5
Stanford, CA
2:00 PM
University of Washington
at
Stanford
Washington Takes 2-0 Conference Record to No. 5 Stanford Sunday
January 04, 2020 | Women's Basketball
LEADING THE BREAK…
Washington (10-3, 2-0 Pac-12) closes out its three-game road trip Sunday at No. 5 Stanford (12-1, 1-0 Pac-12) in Maples Pavilion at 2:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network with Krista Blunk and Mary Murphy 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 Cardinal
Stanford once again is near the top of the NCAA rankings, coming into Sunday's game ranked No. 5 after spending time at No. 1 earlier this season. The Cardinal are 12-1 on the season with their lone loss coming at the hands of an unranked Texas team in Austin. Stanford opened Pac-12 play with a 77-58 win over Washington State on Friday.
Sophomore guard Lexie Hull has had an impressive season thus far, averaging 13.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 43 percent from the field overall. Junior guard Kiana Williams is adding 11.8 points per game while freshman Haley Jones is adding 10.8 points and 4.6 rebounds a game. Senior forward Nadia Fingall scored a season-high 20 points against Washington State to give her a 7.9 points per game average.
All-Time Series vs Stanford
Stanford holds a commanding 51-17 lead in the all-time series and have won the last six dating back to the 2016 season. The Huskies have won just four times at Maples Pavilion in 32 meetings all-time with the last UW win coming Feb. 18, 1999.
Stanford won all three games last season, winning 91-54 in Palo Alto and a 72-53 win in Seattle to close out the regular season. In the Pac-12 Semifinals, the Huskies held close with the Cardinal through the first 30 minutes before Stanford would advance to the finals in the Pac-12 Tournament with a 72-61 victory.
Up Next
The Huskies return home to start a three-game home stand with the second game of the Boeing Apple Cup Series against WSU on Jan. 11. Washington then welcomes in the Arizona schools January 17 and 19.
Feeling Defensive
Washington's early success is owed in large-part to its stifling defense. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 and ranks 11th in the NCAA in turnovers forced, averaging 22.62 turnovers per game. UW also ranks 13th in the country in steals per game (12.5), 23rd in scoring defense (54.9 ppg) and sit at 33rd in the NCAA in opposing field goal percentage (34.9%).
Looking at analytics from HerHoopStats.com, the Huskies rank 18th overall with a 75.0 defensive rating and have limited teams to just 72.8 points per 100 possessions: 7th-best in NCAA DI. The Huskies also have the 8th-best turnover rate (25.6%), turning over teams once every four possessions.
Washington has forced at least 20 turnovers in nine games this year and has at least 15 turnovers forced in all 13 games. The Huskies have recorded double-digit steals in 11 games including 15 or more in three games. 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.
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 54.2 ppg game this year–the 19th-best scoring defense in the NCAA. In addition, the Huskies are limiting opposing teams to the 39th-lowest shooting percentage (35.2%). Only two teams have managed to shoot better than 40% against the Huskies this year and UW has held eight teams to under 60 points, posting a perfect 8-0 record in those games. Last season, Washington held teams under 60 just nine times all season, going 8-1 in those games.
Huskies in The National Rankings
Washington finds itself in the Top 40 in the NCAA in numerous categories through 13 games (updated through games 1/3/20):
Team:
• 11th - Turnovers Forced (22.6/game)
• 12th - Steals (163)
• 13th - Steals Per Game (12.5)
• 17th - Assists Per Game (18.1)
• 19th - Assists (235)
• 21st - Turnover Margin (+6.2)
• 23rd - Scoring Defense (54.9 oppg)
• 33rd - FG% Defense (34.9%)
• 33rd - Three Pt FG% Defense (26.1%)
• 34th - Scoring Margin (+15.7)
Huskies in the NCAA Top 100:
• 16th - Haley Van Dyke Total Steals (40)
• 21st - Haley Van Dyke Steals Per Game (3.1)
• 51st - Darcy Rees Total Blocks (23)
• 59th - Darcy Rees Blocks Per Game (1.77)
• 61st - Missy Peterson Ast-TO Ratio (+2.1)
• 61st - Mai-Loni Henson Ast-TO Ratio (+2.1)
Home Away From Home
The Huskies have had impressive success away from home since the end of last year, winning nine of their last 10 outside of Seattle. So far this season, Washington is 3-0 in true road games to go along with a 3-0 record in neutral site games. The Huskies closed out last year with an impressive run, winning at Colorado in their final road game, then winning two of three in the Pac-12 Tournament in Vegas. Prior to the Colorado game, UW had won just four games away from home over the last two years–a stretch of 29 games. Washington also has won three-straight Pac-12 road games dating back to last year after losing its previous 17 prior to that.
Melgoza Moving On Up
Senior Amber Melgoza moved up to 16th on the UW scoring list with her 31 points performance at Cal on Friday to give her 1,395 career points. She needs just 67 points to reach Andrea Lalum for 15th 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.
Van Dyke Opens Strong
Sophomore Haley Van Dyke has been impressive through the early part of the season, leading the team with 3.1 steals and 6.5 rebounds per game while ranking second in scoring at 9.8 points per game. Van Dyke, who earned her first collegiate start against Hawaii, currently ranks 16th in the NCAA in total steals (40) and is 21st in steals per game (3.1), 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 17 points away from her season total from last year (137) and already has 16 more steals than she did all of last season.
Pleskevich Breaks Out
Junior transfer Rita Pleskevich had a breakout game against Washington State, scoring a season-high 12 points and adding four assists and a pair of rebounds. The Broward College (Fla.) transfer helped keep the Huskies in the game early on, scoring all 12 points in the first half while the rest of the team got going. In addition, her 31 minutes played were a season-high as well.
RPI Check In
The Huskies continue to move up the RPI charts, moving up to #73 in the NCAA's RPI list and to #78 in RealTimeRPI after the win at California. Washington has a big win over Iowa on its resume already as the Hawkeyes are #17 in the NCAA RPI. The Huskies had been ranked as low as #302 in the RealTimeRPI rankings early in the year.
Block Party!
Thanks in large part to added height this season, the Huskies have already recorded 55 blocks this season: an average of 4.2 per game. That ranks 73rd in the NCAA to this point and is especially solid considering UW had just 64 in 32 games last year. Darcy Rees is second in the Pac-12 and ranks 59th in the NCAA with 1.8 blocks per game and is second in the conference and 51st in the country with 23 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.
Can I Assist You With That?
Washington has been moving the ball well on offense, recording 235 assists on 342 field goals this season. According to HerHoopStats.com, the Huskies lead the Pac-12 and are 11th in the NCAA with a 67.8% assisted shot rate. UW ranks 17th overall in assists per game at 18.1 and 19th in total assists at 235. Last season, the Huskies were 187th in assisted shot rate at 54.9% and averaged just 15.8 assists per game.
Washington has at least 20 assists in five games this year including recording 25 assists on 29 made field goals against San Francisco–the most in a game by the Huskies since recording 25 against Portland in 2017. In addition, Washington's 18.1 assists per game average would put the team third all-time in program history behind the 18.3 assists per game recorded in 2002-03 and 1981-82.
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, UW has forced at least 20 turnovers in nine of 14 games this season and forced 30 or more twice.
Huskies Nearing 850 Program Victories
Washington's win over Cal was the 846th win in program history. The Huskies are averaging just over 18 wins per year over 46 seasons. All-time Washington is 846-517, a .620 winning percentage.
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 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.
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 (10-3, 2-0 Pac-12) closes out its three-game road trip Sunday at No. 5 Stanford (12-1, 1-0 Pac-12) in Maples Pavilion at 2:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network with Krista Blunk and Mary Murphy 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 is 9-1 in its last 10 games away from home dating back to last season including a perfect 6-0 in such games this year (3-0 road, 3-0 neutral site). Five of those nine wins came against Pac-12 teams with the lone loss a 72-61 loss vs Stanford in the 2019 Pac-12 Tournament.
- The Huskies have won three-straight Pac-12 Road games after going winless in their previous 17.
- Washington has held eight of their 13 opponents under 60 points including five under 50 points and rank 23rd in the NCAA in scoring defense (54.9 ppg).
- UW leads the Pac-12 and ranks 11th in the NCAA in turnovers forced, turning teams over 22.6 times a game. The Huskies also lead the conference and rank 13th nationally in steals per game (12.5). Washington's opposing turnover rate of 25.6% according to HerHoopStats.com is 8th best in the NCAA.
- Washington has the NCAA's 15th-toughest overall schedule with opponents holding a .722 winning pct.
- Senior Amber Melgoza scored 31 points at Cal, marking the fifth time she has scored 30+ points in a game in her career with four coming against either Cal or Stanford. Melgoza leads the team in scoring at 14.9 points per game, averaging 23.0 points per 40 minutes. She currently ranks 16th on UW's all-time scoring list with 1,395 points.
- Sophomore Haley Van Dyke has shined on both sides of the ball, averaging 9.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game–the latter two lead the team. Her 3.1 steals per game leads the Pac-12 and ranks 21st in the NCAA while her 40 steals are the 16th-most in DI this season.
Scouting the Cardinal
Stanford once again is near the top of the NCAA rankings, coming into Sunday's game ranked No. 5 after spending time at No. 1 earlier this season. The Cardinal are 12-1 on the season with their lone loss coming at the hands of an unranked Texas team in Austin. Stanford opened Pac-12 play with a 77-58 win over Washington State on Friday.
Sophomore guard Lexie Hull has had an impressive season thus far, averaging 13.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 43 percent from the field overall. Junior guard Kiana Williams is adding 11.8 points per game while freshman Haley Jones is adding 10.8 points and 4.6 rebounds a game. Senior forward Nadia Fingall scored a season-high 20 points against Washington State to give her a 7.9 points per game average.
All-Time Series vs Stanford
Stanford holds a commanding 51-17 lead in the all-time series and have won the last six dating back to the 2016 season. The Huskies have won just four times at Maples Pavilion in 32 meetings all-time with the last UW win coming Feb. 18, 1999.
Stanford won all three games last season, winning 91-54 in Palo Alto and a 72-53 win in Seattle to close out the regular season. In the Pac-12 Semifinals, the Huskies held close with the Cardinal through the first 30 minutes before Stanford would advance to the finals in the Pac-12 Tournament with a 72-61 victory.
Up Next
The Huskies return home to start a three-game home stand with the second game of the Boeing Apple Cup Series against WSU on Jan. 11. Washington then welcomes in the Arizona schools January 17 and 19.
Feeling Defensive
Washington's early success is owed in large-part to its stifling defense. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 and ranks 11th in the NCAA in turnovers forced, averaging 22.62 turnovers per game. UW also ranks 13th in the country in steals per game (12.5), 23rd in scoring defense (54.9 ppg) and sit at 33rd in the NCAA in opposing field goal percentage (34.9%).
Looking at analytics from HerHoopStats.com, the Huskies rank 18th overall with a 75.0 defensive rating and have limited teams to just 72.8 points per 100 possessions: 7th-best in NCAA DI. The Huskies also have the 8th-best turnover rate (25.6%), turning over teams once every four possessions.
Washington has forced at least 20 turnovers in nine games this year and has at least 15 turnovers forced in all 13 games. The Huskies have recorded double-digit steals in 11 games including 15 or more in three games. 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.
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 54.2 ppg game this year–the 19th-best scoring defense in the NCAA. In addition, the Huskies are limiting opposing teams to the 39th-lowest shooting percentage (35.2%). Only two teams have managed to shoot better than 40% against the Huskies this year and UW has held eight teams to under 60 points, posting a perfect 8-0 record in those games. Last season, Washington held teams under 60 just nine times all season, going 8-1 in those games.
Huskies in The National Rankings
Washington finds itself in the Top 40 in the NCAA in numerous categories through 13 games (updated through games 1/3/20):
Team:
• 11th - Turnovers Forced (22.6/game)
• 12th - Steals (163)
• 13th - Steals Per Game (12.5)
• 17th - Assists Per Game (18.1)
• 19th - Assists (235)
• 21st - Turnover Margin (+6.2)
• 23rd - Scoring Defense (54.9 oppg)
• 33rd - FG% Defense (34.9%)
• 33rd - Three Pt FG% Defense (26.1%)
• 34th - Scoring Margin (+15.7)
Huskies in the NCAA Top 100:
• 16th - Haley Van Dyke Total Steals (40)
• 21st - Haley Van Dyke Steals Per Game (3.1)
• 51st - Darcy Rees Total Blocks (23)
• 59th - Darcy Rees Blocks Per Game (1.77)
• 61st - Missy Peterson Ast-TO Ratio (+2.1)
• 61st - Mai-Loni Henson Ast-TO Ratio (+2.1)
Home Away From Home
The Huskies have had impressive success away from home since the end of last year, winning nine of their last 10 outside of Seattle. So far this season, Washington is 3-0 in true road games to go along with a 3-0 record in neutral site games. The Huskies closed out last year with an impressive run, winning at Colorado in their final road game, then winning two of three in the Pac-12 Tournament in Vegas. Prior to the Colorado game, UW had won just four games away from home over the last two years–a stretch of 29 games. Washington also has won three-straight Pac-12 road games dating back to last year after losing its previous 17 prior to that.
Melgoza Moving On Up
Senior Amber Melgoza moved up to 16th on the UW scoring list with her 31 points performance at Cal on Friday to give her 1,395 career points. She needs just 67 points to reach Andrea Lalum for 15th 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.
Van Dyke Opens Strong
Sophomore Haley Van Dyke has been impressive through the early part of the season, leading the team with 3.1 steals and 6.5 rebounds per game while ranking second in scoring at 9.8 points per game. Van Dyke, who earned her first collegiate start against Hawaii, currently ranks 16th in the NCAA in total steals (40) and is 21st in steals per game (3.1), 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 17 points away from her season total from last year (137) and already has 16 more steals than she did all of last season.
Pleskevich Breaks Out
Junior transfer Rita Pleskevich had a breakout game against Washington State, scoring a season-high 12 points and adding four assists and a pair of rebounds. The Broward College (Fla.) transfer helped keep the Huskies in the game early on, scoring all 12 points in the first half while the rest of the team got going. In addition, her 31 minutes played were a season-high as well.
RPI Check In
The Huskies continue to move up the RPI charts, moving up to #73 in the NCAA's RPI list and to #78 in RealTimeRPI after the win at California. Washington has a big win over Iowa on its resume already as the Hawkeyes are #17 in the NCAA RPI. The Huskies had been ranked as low as #302 in the RealTimeRPI rankings early in the year.
Block Party!
Thanks in large part to added height this season, the Huskies have already recorded 55 blocks this season: an average of 4.2 per game. That ranks 73rd in the NCAA to this point and is especially solid considering UW had just 64 in 32 games last year. Darcy Rees is second in the Pac-12 and ranks 59th in the NCAA with 1.8 blocks per game and is second in the conference and 51st in the country with 23 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.
Can I Assist You With That?
Washington has been moving the ball well on offense, recording 235 assists on 342 field goals this season. According to HerHoopStats.com, the Huskies lead the Pac-12 and are 11th in the NCAA with a 67.8% assisted shot rate. UW ranks 17th overall in assists per game at 18.1 and 19th in total assists at 235. Last season, the Huskies were 187th in assisted shot rate at 54.9% and averaged just 15.8 assists per game.
Washington has at least 20 assists in five games this year including recording 25 assists on 29 made field goals against San Francisco–the most in a game by the Huskies since recording 25 against Portland in 2017. In addition, Washington's 18.1 assists per game average would put the team third all-time in program history behind the 18.3 assists per game recorded in 2002-03 and 1981-82.
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, UW has forced at least 20 turnovers in nine of 14 games this season and forced 30 or more twice.
Huskies Nearing 850 Program Victories
Washington's win over Cal was the 846th win in program history. The Huskies are averaging just over 18 wins per year over 46 seasons. All-time Washington is 846-517, a .620 winning percentage.
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 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.
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.
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