Wednesday, December 5
Seattle, WA
8:00 PM
University of Washington
vs
Ohio State
Photo by: Red Box Pictures
Huskies Host Ohio State Wednesday In Big Non-Conference Matchup
December 04, 2018 | Women's Basketball
OPENING TIP
• Washington continues its six-game homestand through the month of December, taking on The Ohio State University on Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena. The game is being broadcast on the Pac-12 Network (Washington) with Anne Marie Anderson and Tammy Blackburn on the call. Fans can also listen to Gary Hill Jr. and Elise Woodward call the game on KKNW 1150 AM, the TuneIn App, or online at GoHuskies.com.
• The two teams met last year in Columbus in a game that was much closer than expected. The No. 9-ranked Buckeyes led throughout much of the game, but the Huskies closed within three with 6:51 left. But Ohio State would hold on late and escape with an 85-76 victory.
• UW is riding a two-game winning streak after picking up an impressive 81-52 win over George Mason on Sunday. Amber Melgoza scored 20 points for the Huskies while Haley Van Dyke had a career-high 13 points for the UW victory.
Scouting the Buckeyes
Ohio State is off to a 3-2 start to the season, having won their last two games including a 69-56 home win over in-state rival Cincinnati on Sunday. It's been an odd season for the Buckeyes, who have played just five games after a having games against Sacramento State and Stanford canceled due to smoke in the Bay area. Not only did it cost Ohio State a pair of games, but also kept them from competitive action for nearly two weeks.
Ohio State's two losses have been against Top 25 teams, falling 71-47 at home to No. 22 South Florida and 85-53 at No. 2 UConn. The Buckeyes do have a 14-point home win over Detroit Mercy to their credit as well.
OSU lost all five of its starters from last year's squad which posted a 28-7 record and won the Big Ten Conference title. However, the Buckeyes have added six graduate transfers and one of the top freshmen in the conference. Center Dorka Juhasz has taken the Big Ten by storm, averaging 13.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per game through the early going. Guard Carly Santoro is one of those graduate transfers making a difference, averaging 11.4 points after transferring from Bowling Green.
All-Time Series Record
Ohio State leads the all-time series 3-0 including a close 85-76 loss to the then-No. 9 Buckeyes last year in Columbus. The teams played a home-and-home series in 2005-06 and 2006-07 with Ohio State winning 84-79 in Columbus and 71-54 in Seattle.
McGuff Returns to Seattle
Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff is making his first return to the Evergreen State since serving as the UW head coach from 2011-13. McGuff was 41-26 in two seasons with the Huskies, leading the team to a pair of WNIT berths.
Up Next
UW takes a break for finals week, returning to the court for the 25th Husky Classic Dec. 15-16. The Huskies welcome Montana, Boise State and St. Francis (PA) to Alaska Airlines arena for the two-day tournament.
Last Time Out
Washington opened a six-game homestand with an impressive 81-52 victory over George Mason University as Amber Melgoza scored 20 points and Haley Van Dyke scored a season-best 13 points. The Huskies used a big second quarter to overcome a slow shooting start which saw them trail 16-13 after one. But Washington broke the game open by winning the second quarter 24-9 and outscoring George 68-36 the rest of the game.
Magical Melgoza
Washington junior Amber Melgoza has picked up right where she left off last year, averaging 19.9 points through the first eight games of the season. She recorded her first career double-double against Northern Arizona on Nov. 11 with 20 points and 10 rebound, coming up two assists shy of a triple-double with a career-best eight helpers.
The junior has reached double-figures in each of her last 21 games dating back to last year and has scored 20+ points in 19 career contests including each of the last four. Melgoza's off-season goal was to become a more well-rounded player and it shows as she also leads the team in rebounds (5.9/game) and assists (3.5/game).
Melgoza is coming off an impressive sophomore campaign where she earned All-Pac-12 honors after finishing second in the conference in scoring at 19.0 points per game. But she did her real damage in Pac-12 play, leading the conference with 20.6 ppg in Pac-12 games. She finished the season with 570 points–11th most in program history and five points shy of the Top 10. In addition, Melgoza ended the season with 120 points over her final four games including pouring in 40 against Stanford–the most by a Pac-12 player on the season.
Melgoza on Ann Meyers Drysdale Watch List
Amber Melgoza was one of 20 players from across the country to be named to the 2019 Ann Meyers Drysdale Watch List as announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association on Oct. 23. The winner will be revealed on ESPN during the 2019 Women's Final Four in Tampa, Florida.
Productive Peterson
After an injury-plagued freshman campaign, Missy Peterson has been solid through the first eight games of her sophomore season, averaging 11.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game including scoring 73 points (14.6 ppg) over her last five games. Against Duke, she set a career-high with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting and added a career-high nine rebounds. Two days later she eclipsed that with 18 points vs. Michigan, then matched that with 18 on Friday at Seattle U.
Peterson struggled with injuries her freshman year as a lingering foot injury kept her off the court until just before the start of the season. After playing sparingly through 18 games last year, Peterson suffering a season-ending knee injury at Washington State on Jan. 17.
After rehabbing this offseason, a healthy Peterson has returned with a vengeance. She has already scored more points this year (83) than all of last year (59) and is shooting 56.1% from the field (32-of-57) and 38.7% from three-point range (12-of-31).
Shooting Stars
The Huskies have been markedly better in shooting from the field this season, connecting on 43.9% through the first eight games. Last season, Washington shot just 38.3% at the end of the season. In fact, the Huskies rank 18th among 353 NCAA DI teams in 2PT FG% at 53.7% and are 59th overall in field goal percentage. Washington has already shot 45% of better in four games this season after do so in just five games all of last year.
The Charity Stripe
The Huskies matched a odd NCAA record earlier this year when they weren't awarded a free throw in the game against Fordham–a record shared with numerous teams. The Huskies now hold the NCAA records for fewest free throws in a game (0) and the most (69). On Nov. 30, 1991, UW attempted 69 free throws (making 51–also an NCAA record) in a 101-91 2 OT win vs. Northern Illinois.
This season, the Huskies are third in the Pac-12 and 37th in the NCAA in free throw shooting at 76.3% with Amber Melgoza ranking seventh in the Pac-12 and 71st of over 3,000 players in the NCAA at 86.5% (45-of-52). Melgoza, who converted 11-of-11 from the charity stripe against Seattle, has made 29 of her last 32 free throw attempts overall.
Home, Non-Conference Success
With its win over George Mason on Sunday, the Huskies improve to 17-1 in non-conference home games since the start of the 2016-17 season and have won seven-straight. Going back a bit further, the Huskies are 32-3 in such games since the start of the 2013-14 season.
That Halftime Lead...
The score at halftime has gone a long way to determine the score at the end of the game for the Huskies. Since Coach Wynn took over last season, Washington is 12-4 when leading at the half but is 0-22 when tied or trailing at halftime. This season, the Huskies are 5-0 when leading at halftime, but are 0-3 when trailing at the break.
RPI Check-In
Washington made a big jump in the NCAA RPI rankings after Sunday's games, moving up to No. 67 out of 351 eligible teams–30 spots better than they were on Friday. That is eighth-best among Pac-12 schools, just behind UCLA (#64) and USC (#61) and ahead of Oregon State (#94), Arizona (#136), Utah (#138), and Washington State (#243). California is #2 in the RPI with Oregon at #6 and Colorado at #14. Two of UW's three losses have come against teams ranked in the Top 25 in Tulane (#21) and Michigan (#23).
Strength of Schedule
Once again, the Huskies are not shying away from playing a difficult schedule in 2018-19. UW plays nearly half its schedule (13 games) against seven teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25 or receiving votes. In fact, the Huskies have the fourth-toughest schedule among the 353 NCAA DI programs when looking at the cumulative record of its opposition (163-50, .765). The Pac-12 conference boasts five teams in the AP Top 25 including four in the Top 15: #3 Oregon, #8 Oregon State, #11 Stanford, #13 California and #17 Arizona State with USC and Utah receiving votes. Outside Pac-12 play, the Huskies are slated to face #6 Mississippi State on Dec. 20.
Huskies in the Rankings
While still early in the season, Washington ranks among the Pac-12 leaders in a number of categories. The Huskies are currently ranked second in the conference and 41st in the NCAA in steals with 80 (10.0/game). Washington is also third in the conference and 36th in the country in free throw percentage at 76.3%. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 in three-pointers attempted (185), are fourth in turnovers forced (18.25/game), and fifth in total rebounds (305).
Individually, Amber Melgoza ranks second among Pac-12 qualifiers and fifth in the NCAA in free throws made (45), second in free throws attempted (52) and fourth in ppg (19.9) and total points (159).
Freshmen Making a Splash
Husky freshmen Haley Van Dyke, T.T. Watkins and Darcy Rees have seen quite a bit of action in Washington's first eight games of the season with the trio averaging 16.5 minutes per game through the early going.
Van Dyke is averaging 6.3 ppg and has scored in double figures in three games thus far including a career-high 13 points against George Mason on Sunday and is shooting 51.1% from the field overall.
Watkins scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting against Northern Arizona and is averaging 5.8 points per game through six games this year. She had four points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in 15 minutes vs George Mason after missing two games due to a concussion.
Rees scored in double-figures in two of the Huskies' three games in Florida, recording 10 points against Duke and Fordham to open the tournament. She also became the first player in two years to record at least three blocks in a game when she did so against George Mason. Overall Rees is averaging 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and has started each of the last three games for the Huskies.
Home Bodies
After spending the majority of the 2017-18 pre-conference schedule on the road, the Huskies find themselves with the opposite this season: playing seven non-conference home games to just four on the road. The Huskies only non-conference road trip was a five-game, nine-day trip through New Orleans and Florida and back to Seattle U around Thanksgiving. Washington now plays six-straight at home over the month of December and doesn't play another road game until heading to Oregon to open its Pac-12 road slate on Jan. 4.
Radio Show
Washington 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. on the following dates: Dec. 10, Dec. 17, Jan. 2, Jan. 8, Jan. 14, Jan. 21, Jan. 28, Feb. 4, Feb. 11, Feb. 18, Feb. 25, March 4 and March 11. The show can be heard online at gohuskies.com or by using the TuneIn Mobile App.
Wynn Adds Talented Trio on Signing Day
UW coach Jody Wynn announced the signing of a talented trio to National Letters of Intent during the November early signing period: JaQuaya Miller (Renton, WA/Kentridge HS), Ali Bamberger (Concord, CA/Carondelet HS), and Nia Lowery (Sacramento, CA/McClatchy HS).
Miller is a local product and one of the top post recruits in the country. The 6-3 post from Renton is a 4.5-star rated recruit by Prospects Nation, ranked No. 41 overall (sixth-best post in the country) and the top overall prospect out of Washington state.
Bamberger, a 6-3 post, is ranked as the No. 8 player out of California (No. 2 post player) and No. 81 overall in the Class of 2019 by Prospects Nation heading into her final season at Carondelet High School in Concord, Calif.
Lowery, a 5-11 wing from Sacramento, is rated as a four-star recruit by Prospects Nation from McClatchy High School. As a senior, she helped guide the Lions to a NorCal Division I Title, an appearance in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championship and a berth in the state tournament.
Medical Retirements
Jody Wynn announced a pair of roster changes heading into the 2018-19 season, as Deja Strother and Natalie Romeo will be medically retired, ending their UW careers. Strother, a redshirt-junior center, suffered a leg injury prior to the start of the 2017-18 season. Despite rehabbing over the last season, she has not been able to return from the injury. Romeo, a senior guard, has battled an undisclosed medical issue which kept her off the court last season. She attempted to make a comeback this season, joining the team for summer workouts, but the condition kept her from returning.
• Washington continues its six-game homestand through the month of December, taking on The Ohio State University on Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena. The game is being broadcast on the Pac-12 Network (Washington) with Anne Marie Anderson and Tammy Blackburn on the call. Fans can also listen to Gary Hill Jr. and Elise Woodward call the game on KKNW 1150 AM, the TuneIn App, or online at GoHuskies.com.
• The two teams met last year in Columbus in a game that was much closer than expected. The No. 9-ranked Buckeyes led throughout much of the game, but the Huskies closed within three with 6:51 left. But Ohio State would hold on late and escape with an 85-76 victory.
• UW is riding a two-game winning streak after picking up an impressive 81-52 win over George Mason on Sunday. Amber Melgoza scored 20 points for the Huskies while Haley Van Dyke had a career-high 13 points for the UW victory.
Scouting the Buckeyes
Ohio State is off to a 3-2 start to the season, having won their last two games including a 69-56 home win over in-state rival Cincinnati on Sunday. It's been an odd season for the Buckeyes, who have played just five games after a having games against Sacramento State and Stanford canceled due to smoke in the Bay area. Not only did it cost Ohio State a pair of games, but also kept them from competitive action for nearly two weeks.
Ohio State's two losses have been against Top 25 teams, falling 71-47 at home to No. 22 South Florida and 85-53 at No. 2 UConn. The Buckeyes do have a 14-point home win over Detroit Mercy to their credit as well.
OSU lost all five of its starters from last year's squad which posted a 28-7 record and won the Big Ten Conference title. However, the Buckeyes have added six graduate transfers and one of the top freshmen in the conference. Center Dorka Juhasz has taken the Big Ten by storm, averaging 13.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per game through the early going. Guard Carly Santoro is one of those graduate transfers making a difference, averaging 11.4 points after transferring from Bowling Green.
All-Time Series Record
Ohio State leads the all-time series 3-0 including a close 85-76 loss to the then-No. 9 Buckeyes last year in Columbus. The teams played a home-and-home series in 2005-06 and 2006-07 with Ohio State winning 84-79 in Columbus and 71-54 in Seattle.
McGuff Returns to Seattle
Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff is making his first return to the Evergreen State since serving as the UW head coach from 2011-13. McGuff was 41-26 in two seasons with the Huskies, leading the team to a pair of WNIT berths.
Up Next
UW takes a break for finals week, returning to the court for the 25th Husky Classic Dec. 15-16. The Huskies welcome Montana, Boise State and St. Francis (PA) to Alaska Airlines arena for the two-day tournament.
Last Time Out
Washington opened a six-game homestand with an impressive 81-52 victory over George Mason University as Amber Melgoza scored 20 points and Haley Van Dyke scored a season-best 13 points. The Huskies used a big second quarter to overcome a slow shooting start which saw them trail 16-13 after one. But Washington broke the game open by winning the second quarter 24-9 and outscoring George 68-36 the rest of the game.
Magical Melgoza
Washington junior Amber Melgoza has picked up right where she left off last year, averaging 19.9 points through the first eight games of the season. She recorded her first career double-double against Northern Arizona on Nov. 11 with 20 points and 10 rebound, coming up two assists shy of a triple-double with a career-best eight helpers.
The junior has reached double-figures in each of her last 21 games dating back to last year and has scored 20+ points in 19 career contests including each of the last four. Melgoza's off-season goal was to become a more well-rounded player and it shows as she also leads the team in rebounds (5.9/game) and assists (3.5/game).
Melgoza is coming off an impressive sophomore campaign where she earned All-Pac-12 honors after finishing second in the conference in scoring at 19.0 points per game. But she did her real damage in Pac-12 play, leading the conference with 20.6 ppg in Pac-12 games. She finished the season with 570 points–11th most in program history and five points shy of the Top 10. In addition, Melgoza ended the season with 120 points over her final four games including pouring in 40 against Stanford–the most by a Pac-12 player on the season.
Melgoza on Ann Meyers Drysdale Watch List
Amber Melgoza was one of 20 players from across the country to be named to the 2019 Ann Meyers Drysdale Watch List as announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association on Oct. 23. The winner will be revealed on ESPN during the 2019 Women's Final Four in Tampa, Florida.
Productive Peterson
After an injury-plagued freshman campaign, Missy Peterson has been solid through the first eight games of her sophomore season, averaging 11.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game including scoring 73 points (14.6 ppg) over her last five games. Against Duke, she set a career-high with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting and added a career-high nine rebounds. Two days later she eclipsed that with 18 points vs. Michigan, then matched that with 18 on Friday at Seattle U.
Peterson struggled with injuries her freshman year as a lingering foot injury kept her off the court until just before the start of the season. After playing sparingly through 18 games last year, Peterson suffering a season-ending knee injury at Washington State on Jan. 17.
After rehabbing this offseason, a healthy Peterson has returned with a vengeance. She has already scored more points this year (83) than all of last year (59) and is shooting 56.1% from the field (32-of-57) and 38.7% from three-point range (12-of-31).
Shooting Stars
The Huskies have been markedly better in shooting from the field this season, connecting on 43.9% through the first eight games. Last season, Washington shot just 38.3% at the end of the season. In fact, the Huskies rank 18th among 353 NCAA DI teams in 2PT FG% at 53.7% and are 59th overall in field goal percentage. Washington has already shot 45% of better in four games this season after do so in just five games all of last year.
The Charity Stripe
The Huskies matched a odd NCAA record earlier this year when they weren't awarded a free throw in the game against Fordham–a record shared with numerous teams. The Huskies now hold the NCAA records for fewest free throws in a game (0) and the most (69). On Nov. 30, 1991, UW attempted 69 free throws (making 51–also an NCAA record) in a 101-91 2 OT win vs. Northern Illinois.
This season, the Huskies are third in the Pac-12 and 37th in the NCAA in free throw shooting at 76.3% with Amber Melgoza ranking seventh in the Pac-12 and 71st of over 3,000 players in the NCAA at 86.5% (45-of-52). Melgoza, who converted 11-of-11 from the charity stripe against Seattle, has made 29 of her last 32 free throw attempts overall.
Home, Non-Conference Success
With its win over George Mason on Sunday, the Huskies improve to 17-1 in non-conference home games since the start of the 2016-17 season and have won seven-straight. Going back a bit further, the Huskies are 32-3 in such games since the start of the 2013-14 season.
That Halftime Lead...
The score at halftime has gone a long way to determine the score at the end of the game for the Huskies. Since Coach Wynn took over last season, Washington is 12-4 when leading at the half but is 0-22 when tied or trailing at halftime. This season, the Huskies are 5-0 when leading at halftime, but are 0-3 when trailing at the break.
RPI Check-In
Washington made a big jump in the NCAA RPI rankings after Sunday's games, moving up to No. 67 out of 351 eligible teams–30 spots better than they were on Friday. That is eighth-best among Pac-12 schools, just behind UCLA (#64) and USC (#61) and ahead of Oregon State (#94), Arizona (#136), Utah (#138), and Washington State (#243). California is #2 in the RPI with Oregon at #6 and Colorado at #14. Two of UW's three losses have come against teams ranked in the Top 25 in Tulane (#21) and Michigan (#23).
Strength of Schedule
Once again, the Huskies are not shying away from playing a difficult schedule in 2018-19. UW plays nearly half its schedule (13 games) against seven teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25 or receiving votes. In fact, the Huskies have the fourth-toughest schedule among the 353 NCAA DI programs when looking at the cumulative record of its opposition (163-50, .765). The Pac-12 conference boasts five teams in the AP Top 25 including four in the Top 15: #3 Oregon, #8 Oregon State, #11 Stanford, #13 California and #17 Arizona State with USC and Utah receiving votes. Outside Pac-12 play, the Huskies are slated to face #6 Mississippi State on Dec. 20.
Huskies in the Rankings
While still early in the season, Washington ranks among the Pac-12 leaders in a number of categories. The Huskies are currently ranked second in the conference and 41st in the NCAA in steals with 80 (10.0/game). Washington is also third in the conference and 36th in the country in free throw percentage at 76.3%. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 in three-pointers attempted (185), are fourth in turnovers forced (18.25/game), and fifth in total rebounds (305).
Individually, Amber Melgoza ranks second among Pac-12 qualifiers and fifth in the NCAA in free throws made (45), second in free throws attempted (52) and fourth in ppg (19.9) and total points (159).
Freshmen Making a Splash
Husky freshmen Haley Van Dyke, T.T. Watkins and Darcy Rees have seen quite a bit of action in Washington's first eight games of the season with the trio averaging 16.5 minutes per game through the early going.
Van Dyke is averaging 6.3 ppg and has scored in double figures in three games thus far including a career-high 13 points against George Mason on Sunday and is shooting 51.1% from the field overall.
Watkins scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting against Northern Arizona and is averaging 5.8 points per game through six games this year. She had four points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in 15 minutes vs George Mason after missing two games due to a concussion.
Rees scored in double-figures in two of the Huskies' three games in Florida, recording 10 points against Duke and Fordham to open the tournament. She also became the first player in two years to record at least three blocks in a game when she did so against George Mason. Overall Rees is averaging 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and has started each of the last three games for the Huskies.
Home Bodies
After spending the majority of the 2017-18 pre-conference schedule on the road, the Huskies find themselves with the opposite this season: playing seven non-conference home games to just four on the road. The Huskies only non-conference road trip was a five-game, nine-day trip through New Orleans and Florida and back to Seattle U around Thanksgiving. Washington now plays six-straight at home over the month of December and doesn't play another road game until heading to Oregon to open its Pac-12 road slate on Jan. 4.
Radio Show
Washington 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. on the following dates: Dec. 10, Dec. 17, Jan. 2, Jan. 8, Jan. 14, Jan. 21, Jan. 28, Feb. 4, Feb. 11, Feb. 18, Feb. 25, March 4 and March 11. The show can be heard online at gohuskies.com or by using the TuneIn Mobile App.
Wynn Adds Talented Trio on Signing Day
UW coach Jody Wynn announced the signing of a talented trio to National Letters of Intent during the November early signing period: JaQuaya Miller (Renton, WA/Kentridge HS), Ali Bamberger (Concord, CA/Carondelet HS), and Nia Lowery (Sacramento, CA/McClatchy HS).
Miller is a local product and one of the top post recruits in the country. The 6-3 post from Renton is a 4.5-star rated recruit by Prospects Nation, ranked No. 41 overall (sixth-best post in the country) and the top overall prospect out of Washington state.
Bamberger, a 6-3 post, is ranked as the No. 8 player out of California (No. 2 post player) and No. 81 overall in the Class of 2019 by Prospects Nation heading into her final season at Carondelet High School in Concord, Calif.
Lowery, a 5-11 wing from Sacramento, is rated as a four-star recruit by Prospects Nation from McClatchy High School. As a senior, she helped guide the Lions to a NorCal Division I Title, an appearance in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championship and a berth in the state tournament.
Medical Retirements
Jody Wynn announced a pair of roster changes heading into the 2018-19 season, as Deja Strother and Natalie Romeo will be medically retired, ending their UW careers. Strother, a redshirt-junior center, suffered a leg injury prior to the start of the 2017-18 season. Despite rehabbing over the last season, she has not been able to return from the injury. Romeo, a senior guard, has battled an undisclosed medical issue which kept her off the court last season. She attempted to make a comeback this season, joining the team for summer workouts, but the condition kept her from returning.
Players Mentioned
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