Sunday, February 16
Tempe, AZ
11:00 AM
University of Washington
at
Arizona State
Photo by: Red Box Pictures
Washington Takes On No. 22 Arizona State to Close Out Road Trip
February 15, 2020 | Women's Basketball
Washington (11-13, 3-10 Pac-12) closes out its trip to the desert at No. 22 Arizona State (17-8, 7-6 Pac-12) on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. PT. The game is being broadcast on the Pac-12 Network with Ann Schatz and Mary Murphy 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…
Scouting the Sun Devils
Arizona State snapped a three-game losing streak with a 62-59 win over Washington State on Friday night. The Sun Devils had dropped their last three–all against ranked teams–including a pair of games by single digits. Overall, ASU has won just twice in its last six games including a three-overtime victory against USC on Jan. 31.
Arizona State is currently tied for fifth in the conference standings looking to try and get into the top four and earn a first-round bye in the conference tournament. It will be a tough task, though, as the Sun Devils trail Arizona by two with the Wildcats holding the tiebreaker.
ASU's Ja'Tavia Tapley–a transfer from USC–continues to lead the team with 11.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Robbi Ryan is adding 10.7 points per game. But it was Reili Richardson who led the way against Washington State, scoring 22 points to improve to 8.8 points per game this season.
All-Time Series vs Arizona State
Arizona State holds a slim 34-31 lead in the all-time series, though the Sun Devils have won 21 of the last 26 games between two. ASU leads the series 22-10 and won 61-41 the last time the teams me in Tempe two years ago. The Huskies' last win at ASU came in 2017 when Washington beat the Sun Devils 65-54.
Last Time Out
Amber Melgoza scored a game-high 22 points including 15 in the second half, but Washington could not find enough late to pull the upset, falling 64-53 at No. 12 Arizona. Melgoza connected on 7-of-14 from the field including going 2-of-3 from three-point range to lead Washington's offense. It was Melgoza's sixth 20+ point game of the season. She also added three assists, four rebounds and a steal and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Mai-Loni Henson and Darcy Rees each contributed 10 points, but the rest of the Huskies were only able to tally 11 combined points in the game.
Up Next
Washington closes out the home portion of its schedule next week, hosting USC on Friday and UCLA on Sunday. Friday's game is UW's annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game while Sunday's game will honor the Huskies' three seniors.
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 1,578 points to hold 13th place on UW's all-time 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 1,525 points from her sophomore year on, averaging 17.7 ppg over that stretch. (Melgoza didn't play much as a freshman, scoring just 53 total points in 25 games.)
Melgoza Catching Fire
Amber Melgoza has once again caught fire in Pac-12 play, leading the team in scoring in 12 of the Huskies' 13 conference games. Melgoza is averaging 17.8 points per game in Pac-12 contests–sixth-best in the conference–and is connecting on 41.8% from the field while adding a team-best 33 assists. 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.
Home Away From Home
The Huskies have had success away from home since the end of last year, winning nine of their last 14 outside of Seattle. This season, UW is 6-4 away from home (3-4 in true road games, 3-0 at neutral sites) with two of those four losses coming in overtime at UCLA and USC.
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 six Pac-12 road games dating back to last year after losing its previous 17.
Close Games
Despite a 3-10 Pac-12 record, the Huskies have been in nearly every game. Nine of the 13 games have been decided by fewer than 10 points with the Huskies holding a 3-6 mark in those games. In addition, three of those were decided in OT.
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.
Watch for Watkins
Sophomore T.T. Watkins' strong play of late was rewarded with her first start of the season on Sunday vs Colorado. She performed well in that game, scoring seven points and adding a career-best eight rebounds including four on the offensive end. Watkins is averaging 6.6 points per game over her last eight games, adding 24 rebounds, eight steals, three blocks while shooting 45% from the field over that stretch.
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 Cal–her highest against any Pac-12 team by five points per game (vs Ore., 21.3 ppg).
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 5.8 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 8.7 points per game. Van Dyke ranks second in the Pac-12 and 42nd in the NCAA in total steals (56) and is 59th nationally in steals per game (2.3).
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 71 more points this season than last (137) and has over twice as many steals than she did all of last year (23).
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.
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 20th in the country in steals per game at 10.8 and rank 17th in overall steals (258). In addition, Washington has forced 19.5 turnovers per game which leads the conference and ranks 36th overall in DI.
Looking at analytics from HerHoopStats.com, the Huskies rank 44th overall with an 81.9 defensive rating and have limited teams to just 83.7 points per 100 possessions: 46th-best overall. UW also has the 36th-best turnover rate (22.7%), turning over teams more than once every five possessions.
Washington has forced at least 20 turnovers in 11 games this year and has at least 15 turnovers forced in 21 of 25. The Huskies have recorded double-digit steals in 16 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.
Can I Assist You With That?
Washington has been moving the ball well on offense, recording 363 assists on 589 field goals this season, an assisted shot rate of 61.1%. According to HerHoopStats.com, that ranks as the 49th best rate in the NCAA and third-best in the Pac-12. Overall, UW ranks 56th in the NCAA with 15.1 assists per game and 53rd with 363 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. This past week, Washington recorded 17 assists at UCLA, then followed it up with 19 at USC–its two highest totals in Pac-12 play.
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 847-526, a .617 winning percentage.
Huskies in The National Rankings
Entering the weekend, Washington finds itself in the Top 60 in the NCAA in numerous categories through 23 games (updated through games 2/10/20):
• 15th - Steals (251)
• 17th - Steals Per Game (10.9)
• 35th - Turnovers Forced (19.7/game)
• 49th - Assists Per Game (15.4)
• 51st - Assists (355)
• 57th - Three-Point FG Defense (28.5%)
• 60th - Turnover margin (+3.09)
Block Party!
Thanks in large part to added height this season, the Huskies have already recorded 85 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 33 total blocks after recording 29 all of 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.
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.
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.
In the UCLA game, the Huskies shot 48.3% from the field–their 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.
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.
LEADING THE BREAK…
- Washington's defense continues to lead the Pac-12 and ranks 20th in the NCAA in steals per game (10.8) and also tops the conference and ranks 36th nationally in turnovers forced at 19.50 per game. The Huskies have a defensive rating of 81.8 according to HerHoopStats.com which ranks 43rd-best in the NCAA.
- Washington is 9-5 in its last 14 games away from home dating back to last season including a 6-4 record in such games this year (3-4 road, 3-0 neutral site). Two of those losses this year came in OT.
- 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 1,578 points and is 13th on UW's all-time scoring list, just 18 points shy of the 12th spot and 97 points away from moving into the Top 10.
- Melgoza ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in scoring (15.7 ppg) and sixth in scoring in Pac-12 games (17.8 ppg).
- Melgoza's 35 points vs California marked the sixth time she has scored 30+ points and second this year.
- Sophomore Haley Van Dyke ranks second in the Pac-12 and 42nd in the NCAA with 55 steals (2.4 spg). She also leads the Huskies with 5.8 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 8.7 points per game.
- Sophomore Darcy Rees ranks second in the Pac-12 in blocks with 33 and in blocks per game at 1.4.
- UW has the NCAA's 28th-toughest overall schedule with opponents holding a combined .614 winning pct.
- Washington has played four overtime games this season–the 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).
Scouting the Sun Devils
Arizona State snapped a three-game losing streak with a 62-59 win over Washington State on Friday night. The Sun Devils had dropped their last three–all against ranked teams–including a pair of games by single digits. Overall, ASU has won just twice in its last six games including a three-overtime victory against USC on Jan. 31.
Arizona State is currently tied for fifth in the conference standings looking to try and get into the top four and earn a first-round bye in the conference tournament. It will be a tough task, though, as the Sun Devils trail Arizona by two with the Wildcats holding the tiebreaker.
ASU's Ja'Tavia Tapley–a transfer from USC–continues to lead the team with 11.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Robbi Ryan is adding 10.7 points per game. But it was Reili Richardson who led the way against Washington State, scoring 22 points to improve to 8.8 points per game this season.
All-Time Series vs Arizona State
Arizona State holds a slim 34-31 lead in the all-time series, though the Sun Devils have won 21 of the last 26 games between two. ASU leads the series 22-10 and won 61-41 the last time the teams me in Tempe two years ago. The Huskies' last win at ASU came in 2017 when Washington beat the Sun Devils 65-54.
Last Time Out
Amber Melgoza scored a game-high 22 points including 15 in the second half, but Washington could not find enough late to pull the upset, falling 64-53 at No. 12 Arizona. Melgoza connected on 7-of-14 from the field including going 2-of-3 from three-point range to lead Washington's offense. It was Melgoza's sixth 20+ point game of the season. She also added three assists, four rebounds and a steal and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Mai-Loni Henson and Darcy Rees each contributed 10 points, but the rest of the Huskies were only able to tally 11 combined points in the game.
Up Next
Washington closes out the home portion of its schedule next week, hosting USC on Friday and UCLA on Sunday. Friday's game is UW's annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game while Sunday's game will honor the Huskies' three seniors.
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 1,578 points to hold 13th place on UW's all-time 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 1,525 points from her sophomore year on, averaging 17.7 ppg over that stretch. (Melgoza didn't play much as a freshman, scoring just 53 total points in 25 games.)
Melgoza Catching Fire
Amber Melgoza has once again caught fire in Pac-12 play, leading the team in scoring in 12 of the Huskies' 13 conference games. Melgoza is averaging 17.8 points per game in Pac-12 contests–sixth-best in the conference–and is connecting on 41.8% from the field while adding a team-best 33 assists. 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.
Home Away From Home
The Huskies have had success away from home since the end of last year, winning nine of their last 14 outside of Seattle. This season, UW is 6-4 away from home (3-4 in true road games, 3-0 at neutral sites) with two of those four losses coming in overtime at UCLA and USC.
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 six Pac-12 road games dating back to last year after losing its previous 17.
Close Games
Despite a 3-10 Pac-12 record, the Huskies have been in nearly every game. Nine of the 13 games have been decided by fewer than 10 points with the Huskies holding a 3-6 mark in those games. In addition, three of those were decided in OT.
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.
Watch for Watkins
Sophomore T.T. Watkins' strong play of late was rewarded with her first start of the season on Sunday vs Colorado. She performed well in that game, scoring seven points and adding a career-best eight rebounds including four on the offensive end. Watkins is averaging 6.6 points per game over her last eight games, adding 24 rebounds, eight steals, three blocks while shooting 45% from the field over that stretch.
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 Cal–her highest against any Pac-12 team by five points per game (vs Ore., 21.3 ppg).
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 5.8 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 8.7 points per game. Van Dyke ranks second in the Pac-12 and 42nd in the NCAA in total steals (56) and is 59th nationally in steals per game (2.3).
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 71 more points this season than last (137) and has over twice as many steals than she did all of last year (23).
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.
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 20th in the country in steals per game at 10.8 and rank 17th in overall steals (258). In addition, Washington has forced 19.5 turnovers per game which leads the conference and ranks 36th overall in DI.
Looking at analytics from HerHoopStats.com, the Huskies rank 44th overall with an 81.9 defensive rating and have limited teams to just 83.7 points per 100 possessions: 46th-best overall. UW also has the 36th-best turnover rate (22.7%), turning over teams more than once every five possessions.
Washington has forced at least 20 turnovers in 11 games this year and has at least 15 turnovers forced in 21 of 25. The Huskies have recorded double-digit steals in 16 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.
Can I Assist You With That?
Washington has been moving the ball well on offense, recording 363 assists on 589 field goals this season, an assisted shot rate of 61.1%. According to HerHoopStats.com, that ranks as the 49th best rate in the NCAA and third-best in the Pac-12. Overall, UW ranks 56th in the NCAA with 15.1 assists per game and 53rd with 363 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. This past week, Washington recorded 17 assists at UCLA, then followed it up with 19 at USC–its two highest totals in Pac-12 play.
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 847-526, a .617 winning percentage.
Huskies in The National Rankings
Entering the weekend, Washington finds itself in the Top 60 in the NCAA in numerous categories through 23 games (updated through games 2/10/20):
• 15th - Steals (251)
• 17th - Steals Per Game (10.9)
• 35th - Turnovers Forced (19.7/game)
• 49th - Assists Per Game (15.4)
• 51st - Assists (355)
• 57th - Three-Point FG Defense (28.5%)
• 60th - Turnover margin (+3.09)
Block Party!
Thanks in large part to added height this season, the Huskies have already recorded 85 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 33 total blocks after recording 29 all of 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.
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.
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.
In the UCLA game, the Huskies shot 48.3% from the field–their 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.
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.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballAliyah's Bell Celebration with Washington Women's Basketball
Thursday, July 17
Dalayah Daniels 2024-25 Season Highlights
Thursday, April 17
Washington Women's Basketball March Madness Press Conference: First Four
Thursday, March 20
Head Coach Tina Langley Weekly Press Conference: March 11
Tuesday, March 11
