Friday, February 21
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM
University of Washington
vs
USC
Photo by: Red Box Pictures
Huskies Begin Final Homestand Friday vs USC
February 19, 2020 | Women's Basketball
Washington (11-14, 3-11 Pac-12) begins its final homestand on Friday, hosting USC (13-12, 5-9 Pac-12) at 7:00 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena. The game is being broadcast on the Pac-12 Network with Ann Schatz and Elise Woodward 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.
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LEADING THE BREAKโฆ
Scouting the Trojans
USC has alternated between wins and losses in February including a big 72-66 win over then-No. 11 Oregon State at home. The Trojans were unable to beat No. 3 Oregon on Sunday, but sits at 9-4 at home this season. USC has struggled a bit on the road, posting a 3-7 record including a 1-6 mark in conference play. That one victory came on its last road trip as the Trojans beat Cal 75-67.
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USC is 13-12 overall and sits in seventh in the conference standings with a 5-9 record. The Trojans are near the bottom in the conference in three-point field goal percentage, but are among the nation's best teams free throw shooting at (78.8%). In fact, nearly 20% of the teams scoring has come from the charity stripe this year.
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Freshman center Alissa Pili is making her claim to win Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors, averaging 14.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game this season. That number has gone way up in Pac-12 play as she is averaging 17.9 points per game in 14 conference games.
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All-Time Series vs USC
Washington holds a 37-31 lead in the all-time series between the two schools, though USC has won the last three games including a thrilling overtime contest in Los Angeles earlier this year. in that game, the Huskies led by 14 early on, then had to rally late to force OT. However, the Trojans would score early in OT and hold off a late charge for the 81-78 win. Prior to USC's three-game winning streak, Washington had won eight-straight against the Trojans. Overall the Huskies have won 20 of 30 vs USC in Seattle including four of the last five.
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Last Time Out
Amber Melgoza scored a game-high 18 points and fueled a late rally by Washington but it fell short as the Huskies lost 72-68 at No. 22 Arizona State. UW trailed by 11 points at different points in the second half and was down by nine with 3:28 left. But the Huskies would mount a strong comeback, pulling within two with 15 seconds left before falling by four to the Sun Devils. Washington shot 50% in the gameโits second-best shooting game of the seasonโand outplayed Arizona State in nearly every aspect of the contest. However, the key stats turned out to be offensive rebounds and second-chance points as the Sun Devils held a 16-8 edge on the offensive glass and a commanding 20-0 advantage in second-chance points.
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Up Next
Washington plays its final home game of the season on Sunday, hosting UCLA at Noon for senior day. The Huskies close out the regular season next week with a trip to Oregon, facing Oregon State on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Oregon on Sunday at Noon.
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Melgoza Eclipses 1,500 Point Mark
Amber Melgoza's pull-up jumper in the lane midway through the first quarter against Cal on Feb. 2 pushed her into rare air at UW as she became the 14th player to score 1,500 career points. She now has 1,596 points and is tied for 12th place on the UW all-time scoring list.
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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 1,543 points from her sophomore year on, averaging 17.7 ppg over that stretch.ย (Melgoza didn't play much as a freshman, scoring just 53 total points in 25 games.)
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Melgoza Catching Fire
Amber Melgoza has once again caught fire in Pac-12 play, leading the team in scoring in 13 of the Huskies' 14 conference games. Melgoza is averaging 17.8 points per game in Pac-12 contestsโsixth-best in the conferenceโand is connecting on 42.5% from the field and 87.1% from the free throw line. She also is adding a team-best 38 assists with 60 rebounds. Last season, Melgoza averaged 17.4 points per game in Pac-12 play and poured in 20.6 points a conference game as a sophomore.
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Home Away From Home
The Huskies have had success away from home since the end of last year, winning nine of their last 15 outside of Seattle. This season, UW is 6-5 away from home (3-5 in true road games, 3-0 at neutral sites) with two of those five losses coming in overtime at UCLA and USC.
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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 yearsโa stretch of 29 games.
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Close Games
Despite a 3-11 Pac-12 record, the Huskies have been in nearly every game. Ten of the 14 games have been decided by fewer than 10 points with the Huskies holding a 3-7 mark in those games. In addition, three of those were decided in OT.
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Working Overtime
After a long stretch which saw Washington play just two overtime games over a 5-1/2 year stretch including a run of 133-straight regulation contests, the Huskies have now played a program-record four overtime games this season. The worst part is that Washington is still looking for its first win in overtime and has now lost five-straight dating back to the 2017-18 season. On its last road trip, the Huskies played back-to-back OT games against the LA schools, marking just the second time UW played back-to-back overtime games.
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Van Dyke's Defensive Prowess
Sophomore Haley Van Dyke has been impressive through her second season in purple and gold, leading the team with 2.3 steals and 5.6 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 8.6 points per game. Van Dyke ranks second in the Pac-12 and 47th in the NCAA in total steals (58) and is 61st nationally in steals per game (2.3).
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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 already has scored 79 more points this season than last (137) and has over twice as many steals than she did all of last year (23).
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Melgoza From The Line
Melgoza has upped her percentage from the free throw line this year to a career-best 81.9% (86-of-105), which ranks third in the conference among those averaging at least three FTs per game. In Pac-12 play, she has missed just nine free throw attempts and is shooting 87.1% (61-of-70)โthe highest percentage among those with at least 50 free throw attempts.
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Melgoza vs Cal
Melgoza may be a bit disappointed to not see Cal on the schedule again this season. The senior scored 35 points against the Golden Bears on Sunday, to give her a total of 66 points in two games against Cal this season. Over the last three seasons which Melgoza has been a starter, she has averaged 26.3 ppg against Calโher highest against any Pac-12 team by five points per game (vs Ore., 21.3 ppg).
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Lucky #60!
The number 60 has been a key one for the Huskies this season, especially on defense. Washington is 9-1 when allowing 60 or fewer points to opponents this season and is 2-1 when doing so in Pac-12 games. The lone loss came against Stanford at home when the Huskies limited the high-scoring Cardinal to just 58 points but couldn't find the offense to pull off the upset. It was just the second time this season Stanford scored less than 60 points. The number has been relatively lucky when the offense scores 60 or more points, posting a 11-6 record in those games.
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Feeling Defensive
Washington leads the Pac-12 and is among the top teams in the NCAA in a pair of key defensive categories: steals and turnovers forced. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 and are 26th in the country in steals per game at 10.6 and rank 20th in overall steals (264). In addition, Washington has forced 19.24 turnovers per game which leads the conference and ranks 40th overall in DI.
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Looking at analytics from HerHoopStats.com, the Huskies rank 50th overall with an 82.7 defensive rating and have limited teams to just 84.7 points per 100 possessions: 56th-best overall. UW also has the 42nd-best turnover rate (22.5%), turning over teams more than once every five possessions.
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Washington has forced at least 20 turnovers in 11 games this year and has at least 15 turnovers forced in 21 of 26. The Huskies have recorded double-digit steals in 16 games including 15 or more in three games.
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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 was the second time in the first three games the Huskies forced 30+ turnovers after forcing 31 against Cal State Bakersfield to open the year.
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Can I Assist You With That?
Washington has been moving the ball well on offense, recording 376 assists on 615 field goals this season, an assisted shot rate of 60.7%. According to HerHoopStats.com, that ranks as the 55th best rate in the NCAA and third-best in the Pac-12. Overall, UW ranks 58th in the NCAA with 15.0 assists per game and 53rd with 376 total assists. Last season, the Huskies were 187th in assisted shot rate at 54.9%.
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Washington has at least 20 assists in five games this year including recording 25 assists on 29 made field goals against San Franciscoโthe most in a game by the Huskies since recording 25 against Portland in 2017. This past week, Washington recorded 17 assists at UCLA, then followed it up with 19 at USCโits two highest totals in Pac-12 play.
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Huskies Nearing 850 Program Victories
Washington's win over Colorado \was the 847th win in program history. The Huskies are averaging 18.4 wins per year over 46 seasons. All-time Washington is 847-528, a .616 winning percentage.
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Huskies in The National Rankings
Entering the weekend, Washington finds itself in the Top 60 in the NCAA in numerous categories through 25 games (updated through games 2/18/20):
Block Party!
Thanks in large part to added height this season, the Huskies have already recorded 88 blocks this season: an average of 3.5 per game. That is especially impressive considering UW had just 64 in 32 games last year. Darcy Rees is second in the Pac-12 with 1.4 blocks per game and 35 total blocks after recording 29 all of last year. Sophomore T.T. Watkinsโa 5-11 guardโhas added 11 blocks which is third-best on the team.
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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.
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Offensive Barrage in Los Angeles
Washington's offense was clicking in its last road trip as the Huskies averaged 79.0 points over a two-game trip to LA. Against UCLA, UW scored 70 points in regulation for the first time in conference play, then followed that up with 78 points including a 28-point second quarter vs USC.
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The Huskies were especially hot from three-point range, hitting 20-of-50 form long distance, making nine against UCLA and 11 against USC. It marked the fourth and fifth times this season UW made 9+ threes in a game. Nine different Huskies connected from three-point range last week led by Mai-Loni Henson and Missy Peterson each hitting four.
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In the UCLA game, the Huskies shot 48.3% from the fieldโtheir second-best mark of the season. Washington closed out the game by hitting 12-of-18 from the field in the fourth quarter and OT periods.
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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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LEADING THE BREAKโฆ
- Washington's defense continues to lead the Pac-12 and ranks 26th in the NCAA in steals per game (10.6) and also tops the conference and ranks 40th nationally in turnovers forced at 19.24 per game. The Huskies have a defensive rating of 82.7 according to HerHoopStats.com which ranks 50th in the NCAA.
- Senior Amber Melgoza became the 14th Husky to score 1,500 career points with her 35-point performance against Cal on Feb. 2. She currently has 1,596 points and is tied for 12th on UW's all-time scoring list, just 80 points away from moving into the Top 10.
- Melgoza ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in scoring (15.8 ppg) and sixth in scoring in Pac-12 games (17.8 ppg).
- Sophomore Haley Van Dyke ranks second in the Pac-12 and 47th in the NCAA with 58 steals (2.3 spg). She also leads the Huskies with 5.6 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 8.6 points per game.
- Sophomore Darcy Rees ranks second in the Pac-12 in blocks with 36 and in blocks per game at 1.4.ย
- Senior Mai-Loni Henson is shooting 50% from 3-pt range over the last seven games (12-of-24).
- UW has the NCAA's 27th-toughest overall schedule with opponents holding a combined .611 winning pct.
- Washington has played four overtime games this seasonโthe most in a single season in program history. The Huskies are one of nine NCAA DI teams (and the lone Pac-12 team) to play four OT games this year and one of two of those teams still looking for an overtime win (Bowling Green).
- Melgoza has hit 26 of her last 28 free throws including 21-straight going back five games. She is shooting 81.9% (86-105) from the lineโthe third-best in the Pac-12 (among players averaging 3+ FT per game).
Scouting the Trojans
USC has alternated between wins and losses in February including a big 72-66 win over then-No. 11 Oregon State at home. The Trojans were unable to beat No. 3 Oregon on Sunday, but sits at 9-4 at home this season. USC has struggled a bit on the road, posting a 3-7 record including a 1-6 mark in conference play. That one victory came on its last road trip as the Trojans beat Cal 75-67.
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USC is 13-12 overall and sits in seventh in the conference standings with a 5-9 record. The Trojans are near the bottom in the conference in three-point field goal percentage, but are among the nation's best teams free throw shooting at (78.8%). In fact, nearly 20% of the teams scoring has come from the charity stripe this year.
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Freshman center Alissa Pili is making her claim to win Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors, averaging 14.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game this season. That number has gone way up in Pac-12 play as she is averaging 17.9 points per game in 14 conference games.
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All-Time Series vs USC
Washington holds a 37-31 lead in the all-time series between the two schools, though USC has won the last three games including a thrilling overtime contest in Los Angeles earlier this year. in that game, the Huskies led by 14 early on, then had to rally late to force OT. However, the Trojans would score early in OT and hold off a late charge for the 81-78 win. Prior to USC's three-game winning streak, Washington had won eight-straight against the Trojans. Overall the Huskies have won 20 of 30 vs USC in Seattle including four of the last five.
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Last Time Out
Amber Melgoza scored a game-high 18 points and fueled a late rally by Washington but it fell short as the Huskies lost 72-68 at No. 22 Arizona State. UW trailed by 11 points at different points in the second half and was down by nine with 3:28 left. But the Huskies would mount a strong comeback, pulling within two with 15 seconds left before falling by four to the Sun Devils. Washington shot 50% in the gameโits second-best shooting game of the seasonโand outplayed Arizona State in nearly every aspect of the contest. However, the key stats turned out to be offensive rebounds and second-chance points as the Sun Devils held a 16-8 edge on the offensive glass and a commanding 20-0 advantage in second-chance points.
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Up Next
Washington plays its final home game of the season on Sunday, hosting UCLA at Noon for senior day. The Huskies close out the regular season next week with a trip to Oregon, facing Oregon State on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Oregon on Sunday at Noon.
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Melgoza Eclipses 1,500 Point Mark
Amber Melgoza's pull-up jumper in the lane midway through the first quarter against Cal on Feb. 2 pushed her into rare air at UW as she became the 14th player to score 1,500 career points. She now has 1,596 points and is tied for 12th place on the UW all-time scoring list.
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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 1,543 points from her sophomore year on, averaging 17.7 ppg over that stretch.ย (Melgoza didn't play much as a freshman, scoring just 53 total points in 25 games.)
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Melgoza Catching Fire
Amber Melgoza has once again caught fire in Pac-12 play, leading the team in scoring in 13 of the Huskies' 14 conference games. Melgoza is averaging 17.8 points per game in Pac-12 contestsโsixth-best in the conferenceโand is connecting on 42.5% from the field and 87.1% from the free throw line. She also is adding a team-best 38 assists with 60 rebounds. Last season, Melgoza averaged 17.4 points per game in Pac-12 play and poured in 20.6 points a conference game as a sophomore.
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Home Away From Home
The Huskies have had success away from home since the end of last year, winning nine of their last 15 outside of Seattle. This season, UW is 6-5 away from home (3-5 in true road games, 3-0 at neutral sites) with two of those five losses coming in overtime at UCLA and USC.
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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 yearsโa stretch of 29 games.
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Close Games
Despite a 3-11 Pac-12 record, the Huskies have been in nearly every game. Ten of the 14 games have been decided by fewer than 10 points with the Huskies holding a 3-7 mark in those games. In addition, three of those were decided in OT.
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Working Overtime
After a long stretch which saw Washington play just two overtime games over a 5-1/2 year stretch including a run of 133-straight regulation contests, the Huskies have now played a program-record four overtime games this season. The worst part is that Washington is still looking for its first win in overtime and has now lost five-straight dating back to the 2017-18 season. On its last road trip, the Huskies played back-to-back OT games against the LA schools, marking just the second time UW played back-to-back overtime games.
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Van Dyke's Defensive Prowess
Sophomore Haley Van Dyke has been impressive through her second season in purple and gold, leading the team with 2.3 steals and 5.6 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 8.6 points per game. Van Dyke ranks second in the Pac-12 and 47th in the NCAA in total steals (58) and is 61st nationally in steals per game (2.3).
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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 already has scored 79 more points this season than last (137) and has over twice as many steals than she did all of last year (23).
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Melgoza From The Line
Melgoza has upped her percentage from the free throw line this year to a career-best 81.9% (86-of-105), which ranks third in the conference among those averaging at least three FTs per game. In Pac-12 play, she has missed just nine free throw attempts and is shooting 87.1% (61-of-70)โthe highest percentage among those with at least 50 free throw attempts.
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Melgoza vs Cal
Melgoza may be a bit disappointed to not see Cal on the schedule again this season. The senior scored 35 points against the Golden Bears on Sunday, to give her a total of 66 points in two games against Cal this season. Over the last three seasons which Melgoza has been a starter, she has averaged 26.3 ppg against Calโher highest against any Pac-12 team by five points per game (vs Ore., 21.3 ppg).
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Lucky #60!
The number 60 has been a key one for the Huskies this season, especially on defense. Washington is 9-1 when allowing 60 or fewer points to opponents this season and is 2-1 when doing so in Pac-12 games. The lone loss came against Stanford at home when the Huskies limited the high-scoring Cardinal to just 58 points but couldn't find the offense to pull off the upset. It was just the second time this season Stanford scored less than 60 points. The number has been relatively lucky when the offense scores 60 or more points, posting a 11-6 record in those games.
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Feeling Defensive
Washington leads the Pac-12 and is among the top teams in the NCAA in a pair of key defensive categories: steals and turnovers forced. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 and are 26th in the country in steals per game at 10.6 and rank 20th in overall steals (264). In addition, Washington has forced 19.24 turnovers per game which leads the conference and ranks 40th overall in DI.
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Looking at analytics from HerHoopStats.com, the Huskies rank 50th overall with an 82.7 defensive rating and have limited teams to just 84.7 points per 100 possessions: 56th-best overall. UW also has the 42nd-best turnover rate (22.5%), turning over teams more than once every five possessions.
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Washington has forced at least 20 turnovers in 11 games this year and has at least 15 turnovers forced in 21 of 26. The Huskies have recorded double-digit steals in 16 games including 15 or more in three games.
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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 was the second time in the first three games the Huskies forced 30+ turnovers after forcing 31 against Cal State Bakersfield to open the year.
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Can I Assist You With That?
Washington has been moving the ball well on offense, recording 376 assists on 615 field goals this season, an assisted shot rate of 60.7%. According to HerHoopStats.com, that ranks as the 55th best rate in the NCAA and third-best in the Pac-12. Overall, UW ranks 58th in the NCAA with 15.0 assists per game and 53rd with 376 total assists. Last season, the Huskies were 187th in assisted shot rate at 54.9%.
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Washington has at least 20 assists in five games this year including recording 25 assists on 29 made field goals against San Franciscoโthe most in a game by the Huskies since recording 25 against Portland in 2017. This past week, Washington recorded 17 assists at UCLA, then followed it up with 19 at USCโits two highest totals in Pac-12 play.
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Huskies Nearing 850 Program Victories
Washington's win over Colorado \was the 847th win in program history. The Huskies are averaging 18.4 wins per year over 46 seasons. All-time Washington is 847-528, a .616 winning percentage.
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Huskies in The National Rankings
Entering the weekend, Washington finds itself in the Top 60 in the NCAA in numerous categories through 25 games (updated through games 2/18/20):
- 20th - Steals (264)
- 26th - Steals Per Game (10.6)
- 40th - Turnovers Forced (19.24/game)
- 53rd - Assists (376)
- 58th - Assists Per Game (15.0)
Block Party!
Thanks in large part to added height this season, the Huskies have already recorded 88 blocks this season: an average of 3.5 per game. That is especially impressive considering UW had just 64 in 32 games last year. Darcy Rees is second in the Pac-12 with 1.4 blocks per game and 35 total blocks after recording 29 all of last year. Sophomore T.T. Watkinsโa 5-11 guardโhas added 11 blocks which is third-best on the team.
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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.
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Offensive Barrage in Los Angeles
Washington's offense was clicking in its last road trip as the Huskies averaged 79.0 points over a two-game trip to LA. Against UCLA, UW scored 70 points in regulation for the first time in conference play, then followed that up with 78 points including a 28-point second quarter vs USC.
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The Huskies were especially hot from three-point range, hitting 20-of-50 form long distance, making nine against UCLA and 11 against USC. It marked the fourth and fifth times this season UW made 9+ threes in a game. Nine different Huskies connected from three-point range last week led by Mai-Loni Henson and Missy Peterson each hitting four.
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In the UCLA game, the Huskies shot 48.3% from the fieldโtheir second-best mark of the season. Washington closed out the game by hitting 12-of-18 from the field in the fourth quarter and OT periods.
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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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