Washington Begins LA Trip at #10 UCLA on Friday

Washington (10-7, 2-4 Pac-12) heads back on the road against, traveling to Los Angeles to face No. 10 UCLA (16-1, 5-1 Pac-12) on Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion. The game is being broadcast on the Pac-12 Network with Anne Marie Anderson and Tammy Blackburn 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.

LEADING THE BREAK…

Washington is 9-2 in its last 11 games away from home dating back to last season including a 6-1 record in such games this year (3-1 road, 3-0 neutral site). Five of those nine wins came against Pac-12 teams with the lone losses coming against Stanford.
The Huskies have won three of their last four Pac-12 Road games after going winless in their previous 17.
Washington leads the Pac-12 and ranks 26th in the NCAA in turnovers forced, turning teams over 20.7 times per game. UW also leads the conference and ranks 15th nationally in steals per game (11.4) and holds an opposing turnover rate of 24.1% is 21st in the NCAA according to HerHoopStats.com.
The Huskies rank 18th in the NCAA and third in the Pac-12, allowing just 78.8 points to opponents per 100 possessions (HerHoopStats.com).
Washington has held eight of its opponents under 60 points (including five under 50 points) and ranks 49th in the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing just 58.2 points per game.
UW has the NCAA's 25th-toughest overall schedule with opponents holding a combined .656 winning pct.
The Huskies are third in the Pac-12 and 28th in the NCAA with a 64.4% assisted shot rate (HerHoopStats.com) and rank 32nd in the country with 16.4 assists per game.
Senior Amber Melgoza has led the team in scoring in each of the last seven games and is averaging 15.4 points per game. She ranks third in the Pac-12 with an 19.3 ppg average in conference play. Melgoza currently ranks 15th on UW's all-time scoring list with 1,463 points, needing just 10 points to pass Cameo Hicks (1,472) for 14th on the list and is 46 away from Carlin McClary (1,508) in 13th.

Scouting the Bruins
UCLA is coming off its first loss of the 2019-20 season, a tough 70-68 double-overtime defeat at the hands of arch-rival USC on Friday. Prior to that, the Bruins had rattled off 16-straight wins to open the season–their best start in program history–and had been the lone undefeated team remaining in NCAA DI. UCLA has been stellar at home this season, posting a 9-0 record in Pauley Pavilion, though a handful of those contests were close including their last two against the Arizona schools to start January.

The Bruins are scoring a lot, even in conference play. UCLA's 73.0 points per game in Pac-12 play is the second-highest and is thanks in large part to connecting from distance. The Bruins are averaging 9.2 three-pointers per game and are second in the conference, connecting on 39.6% from beyond the arc.

Junior forward Michaela Onyenwere is leading the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds a game while hitting 51.3% from the field and 77.2% from the free throw line. However, the Bruins may be without Onyenwere who missed the USC game with an injury and could be held out for the weekend against the Washington schools. Senior guard Japreece Dean, who was surprised by a fifth-year by the NCAA prior to the start of the season, is averaging 14.9 points per game and leads the team with 5.4 assists per game as well.

All-Time Series vs UCLA
The all-time series between the two schools is tied at 32-32 as they play the 65th meeting on Friday. The Bruins are 20-12 against the Huskies in Pauley Pavilion all-time and have won 14 of the last 15 against Washington at UCLA. The lone UW victory over that stretch came in 2014 when the Huskies scored a 70-58 win at Pauley. The Bruins used a big first half to win 76-60 when the two met last season.

Up Next
The Huskies close out the quick road trip at USC on Sunday at Noon. Washington then returns home for a four-game home stand starting with the Bay area schools followed by a visit from the mountain schools to open February.

Melgoza Catching Fire
Senior Amber Melgoza has once again caught fire as Pac-12 play begins, leading the team in scoring in each of the Huskies six conference games thus far. Melgoza is averaging 19.3 points per game in Pac-12 contests–third-best in the conference–and is connecting on 46.3% from the field while adding a team-best 14 assists to go along with 27 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.

Melgoza's 31-point performance at Cal marked the fifth time she has scored 30 points or more in a game with four of those coming against either Cal or Stanford (two against each). She poured in 24 against Arizona on Sunday, marking the 35th time she has scored 20 or more points in a game in her career and fourth time this season.

Melgoza Moving On Up
Amber Melgoza moved up to 15th on the UW scoring list with her 24-point performance against Arizona on Sunday, giving her 1,463 career points. She needs just nine points to pass Cameo Hicks for 14th on the UW scoring list and just 37 points to become the 14th Husky to eclipse 1,500 points.

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 1,410 points from her sophomore year on, averaging 17.8 ppg over that stretch. (Melgoza didn't play much as a freshman, scoring just 53 total points in 25 games.)

Feeling Defensive
Washington's defense has been among the best in the Pac-12 and the country this season. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 and rank 26th in NCAA DI in turnovers forced, averaging 20.7 per game. UW also ranks 15th in the country in steals per game (11.4) and 49th in scoring defense (58.2 ppg).

Looking at analytics from HerHoopStats.com coming into the weekend, the Huskies rank 26th overall with a 78.5 defensive rating and have limited teams to just 78.8 points per 100 possessions: 18th-best in NCAA DI. UW also has the 21st-best turnover rate (24.1%), turning over teams nearly once out of every four possessions.

Washington has forced at least 20 turnovers in nine games this year and has at least 15 turnovers forced in 16 of 17. The Huskies have recorded double-digit steals in 12 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. 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.

Lucky #60!
The number 60 has been a key one for the Huskies this season. Washington is 10-2 this year when scoring 60 or more points including a 2-0 mark in Pac-12 play. By comparison, UW went 11-10 in similar games last year. On the defensive end, the Huskies are a perfect 8-0 when allowing 60 or fewer points to opponents (1-0 in the Pac-12).

Home Away From Home
The Huskies have had impressive success away from home since the end of last year, winning nine of their last 11 outside of Seattle. So far this season, Washington is 3-1 in true road games to go along with a 3-0 record in neutral site games. The Huskies closed out last year with an impressive run, winning at Colorado in their final road game, then winning two of three in the Pac-12 Tournament in Vegas. Prior to the Colorado game, UW had won just four games away from home over the last two years–a stretch of 29 games. Washington also has won three of its last four Pac-12 road games dating back to last year after losing its previous 17.

Can I Assist You With That?
Washington has been moving the ball well on offense, recording 278 assists on 427 field goals this season, an assisted shot rate of 64.4%. According to HerHoopStats.com, that ranks as the 28th best rate in the NCAA and second-best in the Pac-12. Overall, UW ranks 32nd with 16.4 assists per game and 44th with 278 total assists. Last season, the Huskies were 187th in assisted shot rate at 54.9%.

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.

Huskies in The National Rankings
Washington finds itself in the Top 60 in the NCAA in numerous categories through 16 games (updated through games 1/21/20):

Team:
                •             15th - Steals Per Game (11.4)
                •             22nd - Steals (194)
                •             26th - Turnovers Forced (20.7/game)
                •             32nd - Assists Per Game (16.4)
                •             44th - Assists (278)
                •             49th - Scoring Defense (58.2 oppg)
                •             51st - Turnover Margin (+3.9)

Huskies in the NCAA Top 100:
                •             26th - Haley Van Dyke Total Steals (45)
                •             30th - Haley Van Dyke Steals Per Game (2.7)
                •             74th - Darcy Rees Blocks Per Game (1.65)
                •             79th - Darcy Rees Total Blocks (28)

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 58.7 ppg game this year–the 49th-lowest scoring defense in the NCAA. Only five 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 year, Washington held teams under 60 nine times all season, going 8-1.

RPI Check
The Huskies' losses last week dropped them down to #103 in both the NCAA's RPI list and RealTimeRPI. UW already has a big win over Iowa (RPI #6) on its resume but faces eight teams in the RPI Top 50 the rest of the way. The Huskies had been ranked as low as #322 in the RealTimeRPI rankings early in the year, and rose as high as #70 after their Bay area trip. UCLA's RPI is #8 while USC is #80.

Van Dyke Opens Strong
Sophomore Haley Van Dyke has been impressive through her second season in purple and gold, leading the team with 2.7 steals and 6.2 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 9.2 points per game. Van Dyke ranks 26th in the NCAA in total steals (45) and 30th in steals per game (2.7)–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 already has scored 20 more points this season than last (137) and has nearly twice as many steals at this point than she did all of last season (23).

Block Party!
Thanks in large part to added height this season, the Huskies have already recorded 63 blocks this season: an average of 3.7 per game. That is especially impressive considering UW had just 64 in 32 games last year. Darcy Rees is second in the Pac-12 and ranks 74th in the NCAA with 1.7 blocks per game and also is third in the Pac-12 with 28 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.

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.

Huskies Nearing 850 Program Victories
Washington's win over Cal was the 846th win in program history. The Huskies are averaging just over 18 wins per year over 46 seasons. All-time Washington is 846-518, a .620 winning percentage.

Turnover Machine
Earlier this season, the Huskies forced 38 turnovers against Weber State, the most by a UW team since turning over Gonzaga 38 times in 1998. It is also the most by a Pac-12 team in nearly six years. Overall, UW has forced at least 20 turnovers in nine of 14 games this season and forced 30 or more twice.

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

Rita Pleskevich

Darcy Rees

Haley Van Dyke

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