Huskies Open Bay Area Trip at Cal on Friday

LEADING THE BREAK…
Washington (9-3, 1-0 Pac-12) look to remain perfect on the road, traveling to face California (8-3, 0-0 Pac-12) on Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Haas Pavilion in the first of two Bay area games this week. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network with Kate Scott and Joan Bonvicini 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 8-1 in its last nine games away from home dating back to last season including a perfect 5-0 in such games this year (2-0 road, 3-0 neutral site). Four of those five came against Pac-12 teams. The Huskies had just four wins in its previous 29 outside of Alaska Airlines Arena prior to this stretch.
The Huskies have held eight of their first 12 opponents under 60 points including five under 50 points and rank 19th in the NCAA in scoring defense (54.2 ppg).
UW leads the Pac-12 and ranks 11th in the NCAA in turnovers forced, turning teams over 23.1 times a game. The Huskies also lead the conference and rank eighth nationally in steals per game (12.8).
The Huskies have a 26.1% opposing turnover rate according to HerHoopStats.com–8th-best in the NCAA.
Washington has the NCAA's 19th-toughest overall schedule with opponents holding a .727 winning pct.
Senior Amber Melgoza leads the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game, averaging 21.4 points per 40 minutes. Melgoza scored 17 at Washington State Sunday, giving her 1,364 for her career which ranks 17th on UW's all-time scoring list. Melgoza is just 13 points behind Kristi Kingma for 16th on that list.
Sophomore Haley Van Dyke has shined on both sides of the ball, averaging 10.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.25 steals per game–the latter two lead the team. Her 3.25 steals per game leads the Pac-12 and ranks 16th in the NCAA while her 38 steals are the 13th most in DI this season.
Junior Missy Peterson leads the team with 40 assists (3.3 apg) and has a 2.1 assist to turnover ratio–which is 10th-best in the Pac-12. She is also averaging 9.5 ppg.

Scouting the Golden Bears
California has turned heads with a strong start under first-year head coach Charmin Smith, posting an 8-3 record through non-conference play. The Golden Bears lost a pair of talented players to graduation last year including All-American Kristine Anigwe, who averaged 25 points and 18 rebounds in two games against UW last year.

The Golden Bears have benefited from a favorable schedule which has seen them play eight home games thus far including their last seven-straight in Berkeley. One of the most surprising games for the Bears was a 72-61 loss at UConn which saw Cal hanging with the top-ranked Huskies through the whole game. In addition, the Bears have gone 1-1 against ranked teams at home beating No. 20 Arkansas 84-80, but falling 63-61 to No. 14 Kentucky.

Senior Jaelyn Brown is one of four seniors on the roster and leads the team with 15.5 points per game. She has tallied at least 20 points in three games this year including 30 in the win over Arkansas. Junior Alaysia Styles is adding 10.9 points per game after scoring 18 against Grand Canyon in her last game. Senior center CJ West adds 9.5 points and team-best 8.1 rebounds per game.

All-Time Series vs California
Washington holds a 46-27 lead in the all-time series, though California has won the last five meetings and 16 of the last 22 overall. Many of the recent match-ups have been incredibly close, though, with four of the five decided by single-digits including both of last year's games.

The Golden Bears swept both games in the season series last year including a 79-70 win at Haas Pavilion. Washington held a two-point lead after three quarters, but Cal used a quick 12-3 run to start the fourth quarter and held off a late rally for the win. The Huskies' last win at Haas was a 75-65 win at Cal on Jan. 31, 2016.

Up Next
Washington remains on the road, facing off against #5 Stanford on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 2:00 p.m. The Huskies then return home to start a three-game home stand with the second game of the Boeing Apple Cup Series against WSU on Jan. 11.

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 23.08 turnovers per game. UW also ranks eighth in the country in steals per game (12.8), 19th in scoring defense (54.2 ppg) and sit at 39th in the NCAA in opposing field goal percentage (35.2%).

Looking at analytics from HerHoopStats.com, the Huskies rank 19th overall in with a 74.9 defensive rating and have limited teams to just 71.4 points per 100 possessions: 8th-best in NCAA DI. The Huskies also have the 8th-best turnover rate (26.1%), turning over teams once every four possessions.
Washington has forced at least 20 turnovers in nine games this year and has 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 12 games (updated through games 12/29/19):

Team:
               •             8th - Steals Per Game (12.8)
               •             11th - Turnovers Forced (23.1/game)
               •             11th - Steals (154)
               •             17th - Assists Per Game (18.3)
               •             18th - Assists (220)
               •             19th - Scoring Defense (54.2 oppg)
               •             24th - Turnover Margin (+6.2)
               •             33rd - Scoring Margin (+16.8)
               •             39th - FG% Defense (35.2%)

Huskies in the NCAA Top 100:
               •             13th - Haley Van Dyke Total Steals (39)
               •             16th - Haley Van Dyke Steals Per Game (3.5)
               •             44th - Darcy Rees Total Blocks (23)
               •             53rd - Darcy Rees Blocks Per Game (1.92)
               •             60th - Missy Peterson Ast-TO Ratio (+2.1)
               •             84th - Mai-Loni Henson Ast-TO Ratio (+1.9)

Home Away From Home
The Huskies have had impressive success away from home since the end of last year, winning eight of their last nine outside of Seattle. So far this season, Washington is 2-0 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.

Melgoza Moving On Up
Senior Amber Melgoza moved up to 17th on the UW scoring list during the Husky Classic, scoring 16 points against Vanderbilt to give her 1,347 career points. Thanks to 17 points at Washington State on Sunday, she needs just 13 points to reach Kristi Kingma for 16th on the UW scoring list.

Last year, Melgoza became the 28th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points with her first basket against Oregon on Jan. 27. She has amassed 1,254 points over the last two years, averaging 17.9 ppg over that stretch. (Melgoza didn't play much as a freshman, scoring just 53 total points in 25 games.)

Melgoza scored 579 points in 2018-19, the eighth-most points scored in a season in program history. She now has the 8th and 12th (2017-18) best single-season point totals in UW history. She has scored 30+ points in a game four times (third-most in program history) and also has 31 career 20+ point games. She had one of each to close out the season, scoring 21 in Washington's Pac-12 Tournament upset win over No. 11 Oregon State, then closed out the year with 32 points on 12-of-24 shooting against No. 5 Stanford.

Van Dyke Opens Strong
Sophomore Haley Van Dyke has been impressive through the early part of the season, leading the team with 3.25 steals and 6.6 rebounds per game while ranking second in scoring at 10.0 points per game. Van Dyke, who earned her first collegiate start against Hawaii, currently ranks 13th in the NCAA in total steals (39) and is 16th in steals per game (3.25), 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 #96 in the NCAA's RPI list and to #103 in RealTimeRPI after the win at Washington State. 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 53 blocks this season: an average of 4.4 per game. That ranks 53rd 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 53rd in the NCAA with 2.0 blocks per game and is second in the conference and 44th 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 220 assists on 316 field goals this season. According to HerHoopStats.com, the Huskies lead the Pac-12 and are tied for 10th in the NCAA with a 68.7% assisted shot rate. UW ranks 17th overall in assists per game at 18.3 and 18th in total assists at 220. 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 18.3 assists per game average currently matches the best in program history done twice: 2002-03 and 1981-82.

Huskies Nearing 850 Program Victories
Washington's win over Washington State was the 845th win in program history. The Huskies are averaging just over 18 wins per year over 46 seasons. All-time Washington is 845-517, 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.

Schedule

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Players Mentioned

Mai-Loni Henson

Callie Lind

Amber Melgoza

Missy Peterson

Rita Pleskevich

Darcy Rees

Haley Van Dyke

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