No. 23 Huskies Aim to Extend Four Game Win Streak
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Feb. 13, 2001 Seattle -
Game 22
Game 23 This Week: The No. 23 Washington women¹s basketball team (15-6, 8-3), in the rankings for the first time since the 1997-98 season, seeks to extend its four-game win streak with a pair of road games in Oregon. The Huskies, who knocked off two ranked opponents last week, play at Oregon State (11-10, 3-8) in Corvallis at 7 p.m., Thurs., Feb. 15. Following that, they meet Oregon (12-9, 5-6) in a nationally televised game on Fox Sports Net at 1 p.m., Sat., Feb. 17 in Eugene. Both games can be heard on the radio at KKOL 1300 am. The Huskies are coming off a pair of home wins, over No. 22 Arizona (98-88) and No. 23 Arizona State (79-60) that moved them into a three-way tie for first place in the Pac-10 Conference, along with ASU and Stanford. It was a productive weekend, both offensively and defensively, for the Huskies. They opened with a 10-point victory over Arizona, snapping a three-game losing skid to the Wildcats by hitting 52 percent (33-64) from the field and sinking a Pac-10 record 16 three point baskets. Nine players got in the scoring column and seven of them hit at least one three pointer. The fireworks continued against ASU as Washington shot 42 percent (29-69) from the field and had four players in double figures for the second game in a row. The Huskies continued to light it up on the defensive end, as well. Once again, they outrebounded both opponents - Arizona by four and ASU by 17 - to maintain their lead as the top rebounding team in the conference at 43.9 per game. Freshman Giuliana Mendiola remains the Huskies¹ leader, pulling down six rebounds against Arizona to keep her average at a team-best 6.3 per game, while fellow freshman Andrea Lalum posted her third double-double of the year against ASU, with 14 points and 11 boards. This week will see Washington face a pair of teams each hoping to stop a losing skid. Oregon State has dropped its last five, with the last win coming against UCLA back on Jan. 25. The Beavers are led by junior Felicia Ragland, who is second in the Pac-10 in scoring at 19.5 points per game and hits 47 percent of her shots from three point range. Oregon opened Pac-10 play with four straight wins but has since lost four straight and six of its last seven. The Ducks have never lost five straight under head coach Jody Runge. They are led by Angelina Wolvert, who averages 12.6 points per game.
The Coaches
Series Notes
Huskies on Radio Huskies In the Rankings: Washington has moved into the Associated Press Top 25 rankings for the first time since the 1997-98 season. The Huskies, who knocked off ranked foes Arizona and Arizona State last weekend, stand at No. 23 in the Feb. 12 poll. Washington is one spot ahead of Arizona State, which dropped a notch to No. 24 after losing, 79-60, to the Huskies Saturday. Stanford is the first team listed as receiving votes in the poll. The Huskies, Sun Devils and Cardinal share the Pac-10 lead with identical 8-3 conference records. The top 25 ranking is the Huskies¹ first since the week of Feb. 28, 1998, when they were also at No. 23. The current six-player senior class was in its freshman season and helped lead Washington to its last NCAA Tournament appearance. The team was ranked as high as No. 7 that year, after starting the season on a 10-0 run. Washington¹s highest ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 was No. 3 in the final poll of the 1990 season.
Probable Washington Starters Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown Pts., Rbs. Franza Named Pac-10 Player of the Week: Washington¹s victories over Arizona and Arizona State were led by senior guard Megan Franza, who was named Pac-10 Women¹s Basketball Player of the Week for Feb. 5-11. Franza, from Leavenworth, Wash., averaged 23.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists to lead the Huskies to victories over No. 22 Arizona and No. 23 ASU and move UW into a three-way tie for first place in the Pac-10. On the week, Franza went 16-for-29 from the field (.551), was 7-of-15 from three-point range (.467) and connected on 8-of-10 free throws. Franza scored 26 points on 9-of-14 (.643) shooting from the field, with three assists in the win over Arizona. She played a key role in UW¹s Pac-10 record 16 treys, going 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. In the win over Arizona State, Franza scored a game-high 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting (.467) from the field, including a 3-of-7 mark from three-point range. Franza ranks fourth in Pac-10 scoring (15.5 ppg) and is averaging 16.9 points in Conference games. The Player of the Week honor is the second of Franza¹s career and the17th all-time selection for the Huskies. It is the first for UW this season.
Last Week Washington (15-6, 8-3) has won five of its last six games. The Sun Devils had won seven straight since falling to the Huskies 66-62 in Tempe. The Huskies led by 15 at 63-48 with 6:20 left in the game. The Sun Devils staged a comeback, pulling to 65-59 on Betsy Boardman's 10-footer at 3:15, but that was as close as they came as Washington went on a 14-1 run to finish the game. During the run, Lalum scored six and Franza added four. Arizona State (16-7, 8-3) has not won in Seattle since 1996. The Sun Devils were led by Melody Johnson, who scored 16 of her 19 points in the second half. Amanda Levens had 17. Washington's Andrea Lalum posted her third double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds. LeAnn Sheets scored 13, and Loree Payne added 11. The Huskies jumped out to an 8-0 lead over the first 4:15 of the game. The Sun Devils did not make their first field goal until Levens hit a 17-foot jumper at the 14:50 mark. Arizona State reduced the Husky lead to 23-20 on Levens' 3-pointer with 6:05 to play in the first half, but Washington responded with a 15-8 run and held a 38-28 halftime advantage. UW-ASU Game Notes o Washington entered the weekend 0-3 against ranked opponents, but swept No.19 Arizona and No.23 Arizona State to earn a share of the Pac-10 conference lead. ASU and Washington are tied at 8-3, with Washington having already beaten the Sun Devils twice this season. o After scoring over 20 points in a game just twice in the first 15 games of the season, Megan Franza has now done so in four of the last six games. Franza had 21 points on 7-15 shooting today. o Andrea Lalum's 14 points marked the fifth time in the last six games she has scored in double digits. Lalum added 11 rebounds to record her third career double-double. o Washington outrebounded Arizona State 49-32 (a +17 margin) equaling its second highest rebounding margin of the year. The Huskies outrebounded UCLA 50-30 on Jan. 4, 2001 and outrebounded USC 57-40 on Jan. 7, 2001. The Huskies lead the Pac-10 in rebounding with 42.9 rebounds per game. o UW snapped ASU's seven game win streak, dating back to the Huskies' 66-62 win in Tempe Jan. 11, 2001. o The Huskies put four players in double digits for the second consecutive game. Against Arizona State, Franza, Payne, Lalum, and Sheets accomplished the feat, while Franza, Payne, Mendiola, and O'Neill did so against the Wildcats. UW 98, No. 22 Arizona 88 - Megan Franza scored 26 points and hit four of Washington's Pac-10 record 16 3-pointers in a 98-88 win over No. 22 Arizona on Thursday night. Guiliana Mendiola scored 15, Loree Payne added 14 and Kellie O'Neill had 10 for the Huskies, who had a season high in points. Washington has won four of five games and its first over a ranked opponent this season. Elizabeth Pickney led Arizona with a career-high 29 points. LaKeisha Taylor added 18 points, Reshea Bristol had 17 and Aimee Grzyb 13. Mendiola's 3-pointer gave the Huskies a 50-30 lead with three minutes to play in the first half. Arizona came back and closed the Washington lead to 70-67 with 11:50 to play in the game, but couldn't get any closer.
UW - Arizona Game Notes The previous UW school record for three pointers in a game was 13 versus North Carolina State in 1997. o UW's 29 three-point attempts were its third-highest total in school history, three short of the school record of 32 set earlier this season at Arizona. o Washington's win over No. 22 Arizona was its first over a ranked team this season. The Huskies were 0-3 versus ranked teams entering the game. o Washington's 98 points were its most of the season and most in a conference game since a 98-75 win over UCLA Jan. 4, 1997. The Huskies have only scored more than 98 in a Pac-10 game three times, the last a 104-73 win over USC on Jan. 27, 1989. o Washington's 55 points were its most at the half this season. o Megan Franza's 22 points at the half equaled her career-high one-half output. Only three games ago, Franza also had 22 in the first half, at California, Jan. 27, 2001. She finished that game with 30 points. o Over the past three games Franza has averaged 23.7 points and has hit 13 of her last 23 (.565) 3-pointers. In the previous 17 games Franza was just 26-for-113 (.230) beyond the arc. Dawgbite: Seven Huskies connected on at least one three point against Arizona ... Megan Franza and Giuliana each hit four and Loree Payne sank three from long range. Kellie O¹Neill had two and starting center Andrea Lalum hit one, as did Jill Pimley and Cheryl Sorenson. Recent Results: Washington defeated No. 22 Arizona, 98-88, and No. 23 ASU, 79-60, in Seattle ... OSU lost at Cal, 72-60, and at Stanford, 87-76 ... Oregon lost at Stanford, 63-54, and at Cal, 68-57. Erickson Out for the Year: Senior forward Melissa Erickson (Littleton, Colo.) tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee at California, Jan. 27, and is out for the remainder of the year. She had an MRI Jan. 31 to determine the extent of the injury and proceeded with surgery, Feb. 5. Erickson, who had played in 18 games this season, concludes her collegiate career having played in 92 games over four years for the Huskies. She had a career scoring mark of 2.46 points per game.Erickson, who started nine games as a junior, had career-bests of 13 points, at Hawaii, and 10 rebounds at Arizona, both last season She will graduate in June, with a degree in sociology, and plans to pursue a career in coaching basketball. Some Pac-10 Notes: UW continues to lead the Pac-10 in rebounding, at 43.9 boards per game ... the Huskies are third in scoring offense (73.1 ppg) while OSU is fourth (68.0 ppg) ... Oregon is second in field goal percentage (.459) and OSU is second in three point field goal percentage (.351) ... the Ducks lead the league in field goal percent defense, holding opponents to .389 from the field ... OSU¹s Felicia Ragland is No. 2 in scoring (19.5 ppg) and Megan Franza is No. 4 (15.5 ppg) ... Oregon senior Jenny Mowe hits 57 percent of her shots from the field, third in the Pac-10 ... the three point barrage could be high this weekend as UO¹s Jamie Craighead leads the conference with 56 made this year (2.67 pg), followed by Ragland in second with 46 made (2.19) and Franza in fourth with 43 made (2.00 pg). UW Against Ranked Teams: Washington made a national statement last week as it knocked off both No. 22 Arizona and No. 23 Arizona State, the first ranked opponents UW had defeated this season. The Huskies had entered the week with a mark of 0-3 versus teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. The effort moved UW into the rankings for the first time since 1998. The losses to ranked opponents have been as follows: No. 1 Connecticut (100-54), No. 22 Arizona (88-72) and No. 18 Oregon (67-53). Looking Back: Washington has engineered a dramatic turnaround from last season, when the Huskies played their home games in downtown Seattle, were continually plagued by injuries and lacked a senior class. After 21 games last season, Washington had a record of 7-14 ... this year, the Huskies are 15-6 ... they were 3-8 after the first 11 Pac-10 games in 2000 ... this year they are 8-3 and in a three-way tie for first place in the Pac-10 as they continue the second round of play. Huskies Hit High Field Goal Mark: Washington hit a season-high in field goal percentage for the second game in a row when it connected on 52 percent (33-64) of its shots against No. 22 Arizona last week ... that mark included a sizzling 58 percent (21-36) in the first half, buoyed by 11-of-19 shots (58%) from three point range ... two weeks ago at Washington State, the Huskies hit 50 percent from the field (33-66) for its highest mark to that point in the year ... the previous high was 47 percent (28-59) in the second game of the season at Michigan ... UW¹s individual leader is freshman Andrea Lalum, who is hitting 47 percent (69-146) from the field. Balanced Attack Continues: Washington¹s 98 points versus Arizona was a season high, coming only one game after it had matched its previous mark of 91 at WSU ... the Huskies also scored 91 points in a triple overtime game versus USC, Jan. 4 ... nine Huskies in the game scored against the Wildcats, led by four Huskies in double figures and seven players hitting three point baskets ... at WSU 10 of the 12 Huskies in the game against the Cougars contributed in the scoring column ... Washington¹s Pac-10 record 16 three pointers also came after the Huskies connected on 12 at WSU .... The previous mark was 10 at Arizona, Jan. 13 ... the balance remained against ASU as four Huskies reached double figure scoring for the second game in a row and 10 of 12 players in the game scored points. Dawgbite: Washington¹s 98 points againts Arizona marked the 11th time a June Daugherty-coached Husky team has topped the 90-point barrier, including twice earlier this season when they scored 91 points at WSU and matched the effort in a triple overtime game against USC. The Huskies topped the barrier once last year, nearly reaching the century mark with 99 points against Idaho. Two years prior, in 1998-99, the high-scoring Huskies scored 90 or more points four times. The Washington school record for points in a game is 114 versus Weber State in 1985.
The Series with Oregon State
First Meeting This Season The Beavers had one final chance to win, but Leilani Estavan¹s desperation shot from 35 feet was far off the mark as time expired. Loree Payne scored 15 points and Andrea Lalum added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds for Washington (11-5, 4-2 Pac-10). Nicole Funn, Felicia Ragland and Hollye Holbrook each scored 12 points for Oregon State (10-5, 2-3). Ragland notched her third double-double in her last four games by grabbing 10 rebounds. Payne¹s driving layup tied the game at 67-67 with 46.3 seconds remaining. Oregon State called timeout, then worked the ball inside to Holbrook, whose offensive foul in the post turned the ball over with 20.4 seconds remaining. Washington quickly inbounded the ball and moved it downcourt to Franza, who pulled up at the free-throw line for the game-winner. After a timeout, Oregon State inbounded to Estavan, who dribbled downcourt and heaved a 35-footer under pressure that didn¹t come close. UW shot just 34.3 percent from the field but made 8-of-25 from 3-point range. Franza hit four 3-pointers, while OSU managed only two. The leading rebounding team in the conference, UW outrebounded the Beavers 36-34. OSU opened the second half with a 27-12 run to take its biggest lead of the game. Ericka Cook¹s 3-point play with 9:24 remaining in the game capped the run and gave the Beavers a 57-47 lead. Franza and Payne scored six points apiece as UW erased the deficit with a 16-6 run. Payne¹s 3-pointer with 2:54 remaining tied the game at 63-63. Two more ties and two lead changes followed before Franza hit her decisive pull-up jumper. The Huskies led 35-30 at halftime.
The Series with Oregon Statistical Comparison UW OSU UO Overall record 15-6 11-10 12-9 |













