Huskies Close Out Homestand vs Colorado on Sunday

Washington (10-12, 2-9 Pac-12) wraps up its four-game homestand on Sunday at 12:00 p.m., hosting Colorado (14-8, 3-8 Pac-12) in the lone meeting of the season between the two. The game is being broadcast on the Pac-12 Network with Elise Woodward and Eldridge Recasner 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 leads the Pac-12 and ranks 19th in the NCAA in steals per game (11.0) and also tops the conference and ranks 34th nationally in turnovers forced at 19.68 per game. The Huskies have a defensive rating of 81.9 according to HerHoopStats.com which ranks 45th-best in the NCAA.
Senior Amber Melgoza became the 14th Husky to score 1,500 career points with her 35-point performance against Cal on Sunday. She currently has 1,544 points and is 13th on UW's all-time scoring list, just 52 points shy of the 12th spot and 131 points away from moving into the Top 10.
Melgoza ranks eighth in the conference in scoring at 15.5 points per game and sits at sixth in scoring in Pac-12 games at 17.9 ppg.
Melgoza's 35 points vs California marked the sixth time she has scored 30+ points and second this year.
Freshman Quay Miller scored a career-high 13 points against Cal to cap a solid weekend which saw her score 23 points against the Bay area teams. Over her last five games, Miller has been Washington's second-leading scorer averaging 9.4 ppg including pouring in seven vs Utah.
Sophomore Haley Van Dyke ranks second in the Pac-12 and 32nd in the NCAA with 54 steals (2.5 spg). She also leads the Huskies with 5.6 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 9.0 points per game.
UW has the NCAA's 31st-toughest overall schedule with opponents holding a combined .622 winning pct.
Sunday's game vs Cal was UW's fourth overtime game of the season–the most in a single season in program history. The Huskies have played overtime in three of their last four games including back-to-back OT games in Los Angeles two weeks ago–just the second consecutive OT games in program history.

Scouting the Buffaloes
Colorado got off to a hot start to the year, winning its first 12 games to start the season. However, the Pac-12 slate has not been kind as the Buffs have won just two of their last 10 games and are 3-8 in conference overall. That includes a tough loss on Friday at Washington State as the Cougars overcame a 15-point, third-quarter deficit to beat Colorado 69-59.

The Buffaloes have three players scoring 10 points per game or better this season led by junior guard Mya Hollingshed, who is averaging 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. She led the way at Washington State on Friday with 18 points, hitting 6-of-12 from the field. Hollingshed is also averaging 13.4 ppg in conference play.

Sophomore guard Emma Clarke is contributing 10.8 ppg while freshman Jaylyn Sherrod is scoring 10.1 ppg and is adding 5.3 assists per contest for Colorado this season.

All-Time Series vs Colorado
Washington holds a 14-10 edge in the all-time series between the two including a 7-4 advantage at home. The Huskies have won two-straight in the series and 11 of the last 13 overall between the two. Last year, Washington swept the season series, gutting out a tough 68-58 win at home, then using a strong defensive showing to beat the Buffs in Colorado 60-46. The Huskies' 46 points allowed was a low for the season, but not the lowest in the series history. When the teams met in Seattle on Jan. 5, 2012, the Huskies won a defensive-battle 49-36 over the Buffs.

Last Time Out
Amber Melgoza scored 15 points and Haley Van Dyke but despite erasing a 15-point first-half deficit with a big third quarter, Washington could not complete the comeback, falling 74-65 to Utah. Van Dyke had 12 points for the UW on 5-of-7 shooting, adding four rebounds, two steals and a block. Missy Peterson added 10 points and three boards.

Up Next
The Huskies head back on the road to face the Arizona schools next week, playing at Arizona on Friday at 6:00 p.m. (PT), then taking on Arizona State on Sunday at 11:00 am (PT).

Melgoza Eclipses 1,500 Point Mark
Amber Melgoza's pull-up jumper in the lane midway through the first quarter against Cal pushed her into rare air at UW as she became the 14th player to score 1,500 career points. Melgoza would go on to score 35 points in the game. With 15 points against Utah on Friday, she now has 1,544 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 1,441 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.)

Melgoza Catching Fire
Amber Melgoza has once again caught fire in Pac-12 play, leading the team in scoring in nine of the Huskies' 10 conference games thus far. Melgoza is averaging 17.9 points per game in Pac-12 contests–sixth-best in the conference–and is connecting on 42.4% from the field while adding a team-best 52 rebounds and 30 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.

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. The Huskies have also seen overtime in three of their last four games including back-to-back OT contests in Los Angeles two weeks ago. That marked just the second time the Huskies played back-to-back overtime games.

Miller Catching Fire
Quay Miller continue her hot play as of late, scoring a career-best 13 points to go along with five rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 22 minutes against Cal on Sunday. The freshman has played well over her last five games, averaging 9.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game.

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).

Offensive Barrage in Los Angeles
Washington's offense was clicking last week in Los Angeles as the Huskies averaged 79.0 points over the two games. 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 connecting on 12-of-18 from the field in the fourth quarter and overtime periods.

Van Dyke's Defensive Prowess
Sophomore Haley Van Dyke has been impressive through her second season in purple and gold, leading the team with 2.5 steals and 5.6 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 9.1 points per game. Van Dyke ranks second in the Pac-12 and 32nd in the NCAA in total steals (54) and is 36th nationally in steals per game (2.5).

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 61 more points this season than last (137) and has twice as many steals at this point than she did all of last season (23).

Lucky #60!
The number 60 has been a key one for the Huskies this season, especially on defense. Washington is 8-1 when allowing 60 or fewer points to opponents this season and is 1-1 when doing so in Pac-12 games. The lone loss came against Stanford on Friday 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 10-5 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 19th in the country in steals per game at 11.0 and rank 17th in overall steals (241). In addition, Washington has forced 19.68 turnovers per game which leads the conference and ranks 34th overall in DI.

Looking at analytics from HerHoopStats.com, the Huskies rank 45th overall with an 81.9 defensive rating and have limited teams to just 83.5 points per 100 possessions: 49th-best overall. UW also has the 39th-best turnover rate (22.7%), turning over teams more than once every five possessions.

Washington has forced at least 20 turnovers in 10 games this year and has at least 15 turnovers forced in 19 of 22. The Huskies have recorded double-digit steals in 15 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 341 assists on 549 field goals this season, an assisted shot rate of 61.6%. According to HerHoopStats.com, that ranks as the 48th best rate in the NCAA and third-best in the Pac-12. Overall, UW ranks 51st in the NCAA with 15.5 assists per game and 51st with 341 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 in The National Rankings
Entering the weekend, Washington finds itself in the Top 50 in the NCAA in numerous categories through 21 games (updated through games 2/4/20):

               •             17th - Steals Per Game (11.0)
               •             18th - Steals (232)
               •             33rd - Turnovers Forced (19.8/game)
               •             40th - Assists Per Game (15.9)
               •             42nd - Three-Point FG Defense (27.8%)
               •             45th - Assists (333)

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).

Block Party!
Thanks in large part to added height this season, the Huskies have already recorded 81 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 third in the Pac-12 with 1.4 blocks per game and 31 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.

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.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Mai-Loni Henson

Amber Melgoza

Quay Miller

Missy Peterson

Darcy Rees

Haley Van Dyke

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