Friday, November 8
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM
University of Washington
vs
CSU Bakersfield
Huskies Open Season vs Bakersfield, Tulane This Weekend
November 06, 2019 | Women's Basketball
The University of Washington women's basketball team opens the 2019-20 season with a pair of home games at Alaska Airlines Arena this weekend, hosting Cal State Bakersfield at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, then taking on Tulane on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Both games will be live streamed through GoHuskies.com. Fans can also listen on the UW/Learfield IMG College broadcast with Mike Gastineau calling the action on Friday and Gary Hill Jr. on the mic on Sunday on KKNW 1150 AM, on the TuneIn App and on GoHuskies.com.
OPENING TIP
Scouting the Roadrunners
Cal State Bakersfield opened the 2019-20 season on Tuesday, beating NCAA DII foe Cal State Dominguez Hills 83-74 at the Icardo Center in Bakersfield. The Roadrunners held a 41-40 lead at the break and slowly pulled away in the fourth quarter for the victory. CSUB shot 41 percent from the field, but allowed CSUDH to shoot 37 free throws in the game, committing 26 fouls.
Cal State Bakersfield was picked by the conference coaches to finish fifth in its final season in the WAC (the school is moving to the Big West in 2020-21). The Roadrunners finished last season with a 14-17 record and graduated their top two scorers who accounted for 26.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. But CSUB has eight new faces including four players who redshirted last season who look to contribute this year.
All-Time Series vs Cal State Bakersfield
This is the first all-time meeting between the two schools. The Huskies are 22-3 against WAC teams all-time though 4-0 against teams other than Seattle U (18-3).
Scouting the Green Wave
Tulane also opened the 2019-20 season on Tuesday night, cruising to an 82-46 home win over Jackson State. The Green Wave never had much of an issue in the game, jumping out to a 23-10 lead and closing out the first half on an 18-2 run to lead by 28 at the break.
Tulane returns a talented group of players from last year's team which finished 15-15 on the season. Leading the way is junior Krystal Freeman, who led the team in scoring and rebounding at 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. She led Tulane in its opener, scoring 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, adding five rebounds and three steals. Junior guard Arsula Clark–a transfer from Louisiana-Monroe–added 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field.
All-Time Series vs Tulane
Tulane picked up the win vs Washington when the two met in New Orleans last season. The Green Wave pulled away late in the second half for the 63-51 win as the Huskies shot just 33 percent from the field in the game and 15 percent from three-point range.
Up Next
The Huskies return to action on Wednesday, hosting their first-ever Kids Day game against Weber State. Tip off is slated for 10:00 a.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena.
Season Openers
Washington is 27-18 in season openers all-time and has won three of its last four. Last season, the Huskies recorded an 83-74 win over Cal State Fullerton to kick off the season.
Home Openers
The Huskies have posted an impressive 34-11 overall record in home openers and have won four of their last five overall. Last season's win over Cal State Fullerton helped extend its best run of home opening success since won seven-straight from 2001-07.
Home, Non-Conference Success
Washington has had success in non-conference home games over the last few years, posting a 19-3 record in such games since the start of the 2016-17 season. Going back a bit further, the Huskies are 34-5 in non-conference home games since the 2013-14 season. UW was 5-2 in non-conference home contests last year.
Well That's A First
Friday's game matches the earliest home opener in program history and tied for the earliest season opener. The last time the Huskies opened the season on Nov. 8 was last year when UW beat Cal State Fullerton 83-74. Prior to that, the earliest start came in 2013 when the Huskies lost at Saint Mary's. In 2012, the two opened the season in Seattle on Nov. 9, which had been the earliest home opener in program history.
2018-19 Recap
After a bit of an up-and-down season, the Huskies really came together and made some noise at the end of last year. Washington finished the season with a 3-3 record, picking up their first Pac-12 road win, beating a nationally-ranked team for the first time in two years and making an impressive run through the Pac-12 Tournament to reach the semifinals for the second time in program history.
The key to the run was the defense. After starting the conference schedule by allowing 78.4 ppg in its first 14 Pac-12 games, UW allowed just 63.6 points over its last six games (all vs Pac-12 teams). The Huskies also took care of the ball, committing just five turnovers in the upset win over Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals. Washington looks to ride that end-of-season momentum into the 2019-20 season.
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 Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five.
Melgoza Moving On Up
Senior Amber Melgoza enter the 2019-20 season ranked No. 21 on the UW all-time scoring list. Melgoza, who is just the ninth UW player to score 1,000 or more points in a two-year span, is just three points shy of passing current Seattle Storm player and former UW standout Sami Whitcomb to move into the Top 20.
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 1,149 points over the last two years, averaging 18.5 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.
Rees Among Pac-12's Best Freshmen
Darcy Rees proved she is among the top post players in the best conference in the NCAA as a freshman. A surprising omission from the Pac-12 All-Freshmen team, Rees averaged 7.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in her first season at UW, but those numbers moved up to 9.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game over the final 20 games of the season–all against Pac-12 competition.
Rees recorded her first collegiate double-double with 16 points and career-high 10 rebounds in the Huskies Pac-12 Quarterfinal win over Oregon State, connecting on a career-high four three-pointers in the game.
Peterson Power
Junior Missy Peterson capped off an impressive sophomore campaign with a great showing at the Pac-12 Tournament. She scored 71 points over her final five games of the season including recording a career-high 23 points twice. The first came against Cal on March 1 where Peterson connected on 9-of-12 from the field, matching the best shooting percentage by a Husky with at least 12 field goal attempts in at least 10 years (Kelsey Plum, 9-of-12 at BYU 12/22/16 and Jazmine Davis, 9-of-12 vs Furman, 11/29/14).
Once the Huskies reached the Pac-12 Tournament, Peterson caught fire, scoring a team-best 42 points including once again scoring 23 in UW's first round win over Utah on Thursday. Over the first two games of the tournament, Peterson was lights out from three-point range, making 11-of-14 (78.6%) from beyond the arc and shooting 65.2% (15-of-23) overall.
Peterson suffered a pair of small fractures in her nose early in the year and had to wear a mask beginning in mid-December. Peterson has been struggling with injuries throughout her UW career: entering UW recovering from a lingering foot injury, suffering a season-ending knee injury midway through her freshman year and dealing with a broken nose through much of this 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. Last season, the Huskies were 10-0 when leading at halftime, but 1-21 when trailing or tied at the break. Over the last two seasons, Washington is 17-4 when leading at the half but is 1-39 when tied or trailing at halftime. Washington picked up its first win when trailing at the half in its 68-67 upset win over Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament last year.
New Faces On Montlake
The Huskies welcome in four new players for the 2019-20 season: three highly-ranked freshman and a talented junior college recruit.
Jaquaya Miller is a local product and one of the top post recruits in the country. The 6-3 post from Kentridge High School 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.
Ali 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.
Nia 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.
The Huskies also added Rita Pleskevich, a junior college transfer from Broward College in Florida. Pleskevich is one of the top scorers in the NJCAA ranks, averaging 19.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game as a sophomore.
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. every Monday through March 16. It can be heard online at GoHuskies.com or via the TuneIn App, available in the App Stores.
Moser's Incredible Journey Continues -- Part 2
Jenna Moser returns to the University of Washington for yet another season, this time as the Director of Player Development with the Huskies. Moser, who came back for a second "senior" year last year while pursuing a Master's degree in Intercollegiate Athletic Administration, joined the program as a practice player in 2014-15, not earning a roster spot until her second year at UW. Over the next two seasons she appeared in just 14 games, playing 30 total minutes and scoring four points. But in 2017-18, she was awarded a scholarship and provided leadership to the young team. Over the next two years, she was the only player to start every game, finishing her UW career with 414 points, 187 rebounds, 140 assists and 99 steals.
OPENING TIP
- Washington closed out the 2018-19 season with an impressive run through the Pac-12 Tournament, upsetting Utah and Oregon State to reach the tourney semifinals for the second time in program history.
- The Huskies return 85 percent of their scoring from last year including All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection Amber Melgoza, who led the team with 18.1 points per game. UW also returns its second-leading scorer in junior Missy Peterson (9.4 ppg) and third-leading scorer in sophomore Darcy Rees (7.3 ppg).
- Melgoza has once again been named as one of 20 candidates on the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List awarded to the top shooting guard in NCAA Division I women's basketball.
- UW is 27-18 in season openers all-time and has won three of its last four. In home openers, the Huskies are 34-11 overall, winning four of the last five. Washington defeated Cal State Fullerton 83-74 to open the 2018-19 season
- Washington is 19-3 in non-conference home games since 2016-17 and 34-5 since 2013-14.
Scouting the Roadrunners
Cal State Bakersfield opened the 2019-20 season on Tuesday, beating NCAA DII foe Cal State Dominguez Hills 83-74 at the Icardo Center in Bakersfield. The Roadrunners held a 41-40 lead at the break and slowly pulled away in the fourth quarter for the victory. CSUB shot 41 percent from the field, but allowed CSUDH to shoot 37 free throws in the game, committing 26 fouls.
Cal State Bakersfield was picked by the conference coaches to finish fifth in its final season in the WAC (the school is moving to the Big West in 2020-21). The Roadrunners finished last season with a 14-17 record and graduated their top two scorers who accounted for 26.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. But CSUB has eight new faces including four players who redshirted last season who look to contribute this year.
All-Time Series vs Cal State Bakersfield
This is the first all-time meeting between the two schools. The Huskies are 22-3 against WAC teams all-time though 4-0 against teams other than Seattle U (18-3).
Scouting the Green Wave
Tulane also opened the 2019-20 season on Tuesday night, cruising to an 82-46 home win over Jackson State. The Green Wave never had much of an issue in the game, jumping out to a 23-10 lead and closing out the first half on an 18-2 run to lead by 28 at the break.
Tulane returns a talented group of players from last year's team which finished 15-15 on the season. Leading the way is junior Krystal Freeman, who led the team in scoring and rebounding at 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. She led Tulane in its opener, scoring 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, adding five rebounds and three steals. Junior guard Arsula Clark–a transfer from Louisiana-Monroe–added 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field.
All-Time Series vs Tulane
Tulane picked up the win vs Washington when the two met in New Orleans last season. The Green Wave pulled away late in the second half for the 63-51 win as the Huskies shot just 33 percent from the field in the game and 15 percent from three-point range.
Up Next
The Huskies return to action on Wednesday, hosting their first-ever Kids Day game against Weber State. Tip off is slated for 10:00 a.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena.
Season Openers
Washington is 27-18 in season openers all-time and has won three of its last four. Last season, the Huskies recorded an 83-74 win over Cal State Fullerton to kick off the season.
Home Openers
The Huskies have posted an impressive 34-11 overall record in home openers and have won four of their last five overall. Last season's win over Cal State Fullerton helped extend its best run of home opening success since won seven-straight from 2001-07.
Home, Non-Conference Success
Washington has had success in non-conference home games over the last few years, posting a 19-3 record in such games since the start of the 2016-17 season. Going back a bit further, the Huskies are 34-5 in non-conference home games since the 2013-14 season. UW was 5-2 in non-conference home contests last year.
Well That's A First
Friday's game matches the earliest home opener in program history and tied for the earliest season opener. The last time the Huskies opened the season on Nov. 8 was last year when UW beat Cal State Fullerton 83-74. Prior to that, the earliest start came in 2013 when the Huskies lost at Saint Mary's. In 2012, the two opened the season in Seattle on Nov. 9, which had been the earliest home opener in program history.
2018-19 Recap
After a bit of an up-and-down season, the Huskies really came together and made some noise at the end of last year. Washington finished the season with a 3-3 record, picking up their first Pac-12 road win, beating a nationally-ranked team for the first time in two years and making an impressive run through the Pac-12 Tournament to reach the semifinals for the second time in program history.
The key to the run was the defense. After starting the conference schedule by allowing 78.4 ppg in its first 14 Pac-12 games, UW allowed just 63.6 points over its last six games (all vs Pac-12 teams). The Huskies also took care of the ball, committing just five turnovers in the upset win over Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals. Washington looks to ride that end-of-season momentum into the 2019-20 season.
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 Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five.
Melgoza Moving On Up
Senior Amber Melgoza enter the 2019-20 season ranked No. 21 on the UW all-time scoring list. Melgoza, who is just the ninth UW player to score 1,000 or more points in a two-year span, is just three points shy of passing current Seattle Storm player and former UW standout Sami Whitcomb to move into the Top 20.
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 1,149 points over the last two years, averaging 18.5 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.
Rees Among Pac-12's Best Freshmen
Darcy Rees proved she is among the top post players in the best conference in the NCAA as a freshman. A surprising omission from the Pac-12 All-Freshmen team, Rees averaged 7.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in her first season at UW, but those numbers moved up to 9.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game over the final 20 games of the season–all against Pac-12 competition.
Rees recorded her first collegiate double-double with 16 points and career-high 10 rebounds in the Huskies Pac-12 Quarterfinal win over Oregon State, connecting on a career-high four three-pointers in the game.
Peterson Power
Junior Missy Peterson capped off an impressive sophomore campaign with a great showing at the Pac-12 Tournament. She scored 71 points over her final five games of the season including recording a career-high 23 points twice. The first came against Cal on March 1 where Peterson connected on 9-of-12 from the field, matching the best shooting percentage by a Husky with at least 12 field goal attempts in at least 10 years (Kelsey Plum, 9-of-12 at BYU 12/22/16 and Jazmine Davis, 9-of-12 vs Furman, 11/29/14).
Once the Huskies reached the Pac-12 Tournament, Peterson caught fire, scoring a team-best 42 points including once again scoring 23 in UW's first round win over Utah on Thursday. Over the first two games of the tournament, Peterson was lights out from three-point range, making 11-of-14 (78.6%) from beyond the arc and shooting 65.2% (15-of-23) overall.
Peterson suffered a pair of small fractures in her nose early in the year and had to wear a mask beginning in mid-December. Peterson has been struggling with injuries throughout her UW career: entering UW recovering from a lingering foot injury, suffering a season-ending knee injury midway through her freshman year and dealing with a broken nose through much of this 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. Last season, the Huskies were 10-0 when leading at halftime, but 1-21 when trailing or tied at the break. Over the last two seasons, Washington is 17-4 when leading at the half but is 1-39 when tied or trailing at halftime. Washington picked up its first win when trailing at the half in its 68-67 upset win over Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament last year.
New Faces On Montlake
The Huskies welcome in four new players for the 2019-20 season: three highly-ranked freshman and a talented junior college recruit.
Jaquaya Miller is a local product and one of the top post recruits in the country. The 6-3 post from Kentridge High School 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.
Ali 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.
Nia 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.
The Huskies also added Rita Pleskevich, a junior college transfer from Broward College in Florida. Pleskevich is one of the top scorers in the NJCAA ranks, averaging 19.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game as a sophomore.
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. every Monday through March 16. It can be heard online at GoHuskies.com or via the TuneIn App, available in the App Stores.
Moser's Incredible Journey Continues -- Part 2
Jenna Moser returns to the University of Washington for yet another season, this time as the Director of Player Development with the Huskies. Moser, who came back for a second "senior" year last year while pursuing a Master's degree in Intercollegiate Athletic Administration, joined the program as a practice player in 2014-15, not earning a roster spot until her second year at UW. Over the next two seasons she appeared in just 14 games, playing 30 total minutes and scoring four points. But in 2017-18, she was awarded a scholarship and provided leadership to the young team. Over the next two years, she was the only player to start every game, finishing her UW career with 414 points, 187 rebounds, 140 assists and 99 steals.
Players Mentioned
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