March 12, 2001
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This Week in the NCAA Tournament
West Region
O'Connell Center at University of Florida
Gainesville, Fla.
First Round
Friday, March 16
No. 6 Washington vs. No. 11 Old Dominion
5 p.m. EST (2 p.m. PST)
followed by
No. 3 Florida vs. No. 14 Holy Cross
30 minutes after conclusion of first game
Second Round
Sunday, March 18
8:35 p.m. EST
Winner advances to West Regional in Spokane, Wash.
Game 29
Washington Huskies
(19-9 overall, 12-6 Pac-10)
vs.
Old Dominion Lady Monarchs (21-8)
The Coaches
Washington
June Daugherty (Ohio St. Ô78)
Record at UW: 78-65 (5th yr.)
Career record: 201-139 (12th yr.)
Old Dominion
Wendy Larry (Old Dominion Ô77)
Record at ODU: 309-100 (14th yr.)
Career: 358-131 (17th yr.)
Huskies on Radio
Washington's NCAA Tournament games can be heard live on KOMO Radio am 1000.
Steve Sandmeyer calls the action. Games can also be heard live on the
internet at: http:www.broadcast.com/sports/ncaa/washington
Florida will also carry an internet broadcast of both games at:
www.gatorzone.com
The Tournament:
The Washington women's basketball team (19-9, 12-6) earned
an at-large berth to the 2001 NCAA Tournament and as a No. 6 seed will face
11-seed Old Dominion (21-8) in first round action at 5 p.m. EST (2 p.m.
PST), Fri., March 16 in Gainesville, Fla. Third-seeded Florida (23-5) and
No. 14-seed Holy Cross (21-8) complete the field and meet in the second game
of the day, 30 minutes following the first. The Huskies are in the West
Region.
Washington will be making its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance and third
under Husky head coach June Daugherty. It marks the first time the Huskies
have been to the tournament since 1998.
Washington finished the regular season with a record of 19-9 overall
and 12-6 in the Pacific-10 Conference. The Huskies were crowned conference
co-champions along with Stanford and Arizona State, who also finished with
league marks of 12-6. Stanford earned the automatic bid to the tournament
through the conference tiebreaker. Washington is the highest seed among the
four Pac-10 teams participating in the tournament, as Stanford is at 10, ASU
11 and Oregon 13.
Old Dominion earned an automatic berth through the Colonial Conference.
The Lady Monarchs are making their 18th trip to the NCAA Tournament
appearance and 11th consecutive appearance. This will mark the first meeting
between Washington and ODU. Host Florida, making its eighth appearance,
earned an at-large berth as one of six Southeastern Conference teams to play
in postseason. Holy Cross was an automatic qualifier out of the Patriot
League and is making its ninth appearance.
First and second round games of the championship will be played at
sixteen campus sites March 16 and 18 or March 17 and 19. The winners advance
to four regional sites to be held on March 24 and 26. The regional sites
are: East - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Mellon Area), Mideast - Birmingham,
Alabama (Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Area), Midwest - Denver,
Colorado (Pepsi Center), and West - Spokane, Washington (Spokane, Wash.).
The four regional winners will meet at the NCAA Women's Final Four, March 30
and April 1, at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
NCAA Tournament History:
On the strength of a remarkable regular season
that has seen the Huskies engineer one of the greatest turnarounds in the
country, Washington is making its 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The most recent visit was in 1998 when the current Husky senior class were
freshmen. Washington has an overall mark of 11-12 in tournament games and
has advanced as far as the Elite Eight, in 1990.
The Huskies first appeared in 1985, the fourth year of the tournament,
and had a string of seven straight years in which they advanced to
postseason. After missing out in 1992, when they finished 17-11, the Huskies
returned every year from 1993-95.
Washington is 6-3 in first round games and 4-5 in second round games.
UW owns a record of 1-4 in NCAA tournament games played on a neutral court.
Been There, Done That:
Washington's six-player senior class was the last UW
group to appear in the NCAA Tournament, when they were freshmen in 1998. The
Huskies lost in the first round, 88-71, at Purdue.
Washington advanced to the second round of the WNIT in 1999.
Top Twenty:
Washington is one victory away from a 20-win season for the
first time since 1994-95 ... the Huskies finished 25-9 that year and
advanced to the Mideast Regional Semifinal before falling to Texas Tech
(67-52) ... UW has posted 11 twenty-win seasons since 1974-75 ... UW's
highest win total was in 1990, when that team finished 28-3 after advancing
to the Elite Eight (where it lost to Auburn, 76-50).
Top Dawgs:
When Washington earned a share of the Pac-10 women's basketball
title, it became the fourth conference crown for a Husky sports team this
year. The men's and women's soccer teams each won Pac-10 titles, as did the
Husky football team.
The men's soccer team advanced to the second round of the NCAA
Tournament while the women reached the Sweet 16. The Husky football team
earned a berth in the Rose Bowl where it defeated Purdue, 34-24.
Bottom to Top:
Washington's first place finish in the Pac-10 Conference
marked the single greatest turnaround by a team, from one year to the next,
since Pac-10 play began in 1986-87. The Huskies, who share the Pac-10
championship with Arizona State and Stanford, finished ninth last year. No
other team has ever made that great a leap in one season. Previously, the
most dramatic turnaround was an Oregon team that went from fourth place in
1997-98 to Pac-10 champions in 1998-99.
Pac-10 History:
Washington has claimed three Pac-10 titles since the
conference began women's play in 1986-87. The Huskies won the second title
awarded, in 1988, when they finished with an overall record of 25-5 and 16-2
in conference play. That team advanced to the NCAA West Region Semifinal,
where it lost to Long Beach State, 104-78, in Long Beach. The Huskies were
co-champions with Stanford in 1990 when they posted Washington's best record
ever, at 28-3 overall, with a 17-1 conference mark. The Huskies, who
finished the year ranked No. 3, advanced to the Elite Eight, where the
season ended with a 76-50 loss to Auburn at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa
City.
In the 14 previous years of Pac-10 play, the conference's automatic
qualifier hosted NCAA first round games. In 1990, when Washington and
Stanford were co-champions, both were No. 1 seed and hosted tournament
games. When UCLA and Oregon shared the title in 1999, the Bruins had the
automatic bid and hosted while the Ducks played at Iowa.
Senior Salute:
Six Huskies are entering the home stretch of their
collegiate careers. This weekend marks the second NCAA Tournament appearance
for Sarah Duncan, Melissa Erickson, Megan Franza, Carli Halpenny, Jill
Pimley and LeAnn Sheets. Together the class has combined to lead Washington
to a 78-65 record over the last four years, including the Huskies' most
recent NCAA Tournament visit, when they were freshmen in 1998. They helped
lead UW to a 10-0 start and a No. 7 national ranking in Ô97-98 and have
engineered the fourth-greatest turn-around in the country, from one season
to the next, this year. All six players will graduate in June.
Top Turnaround:
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. At the end of
last season, Washington had a record of 8-22, the first losing season in
school history, and a ninth place finish in the Pac-10 ... this year, the
Huskies finished the regular season at 19-9 and as Pac-10 co-champions.
With an overall record of 19-9, Washington more than doubled its win
total from last season when it finished 8-22.
In the Rankings:
Washington moved into the Associated Press Top 25 for the
second time this season, at No. 22 for the week of March 5. The Huskies
broke into the poll for the first time this season at No. 23 on Feb. 12.
They dropped out the following week after losing at Oregon but then won
three straight. Washington was the only newcomer in the poll that week.
When Washington moved into the rankings Feb. 12, it marked the first
time a Husky team had been in the top 25 since the 1997-98 season. They were
ranked the week of Feb. 28, 1998, at No. 23. The current six-player senior
class was in its freshman season then and helped lead Washington to its last
NCAA Tournament appearance. That team was ranked as high as No. 7, after
starting the season on a 10-0 run.
UW's highest ranking in the AP Top 25 was No. 3 in the final poll of
the 1990 season.
Hear the Roar:
Washington's home attendance has increased dramatically this
season, the first year of play in the newly remodeled Hec Edmundson
Pavilion. The Huskies are bringing an average of 4,185 fans per home game,
up from last year's mark of 2,338 from last season and 3,608 from the 1999
season. That's an increase of 1,847 from last year to this year and up 577
from two years ago.
Last Week
at UCLA 81, No. 22 Washington 56 - Kristee Porter scored 22 points and led a
second-half comeback as UCLA beat No. 22 Washington 81-56, cinching a
three-way tie for the Pac-10 title between Washington, Arizona State and
Stanford.
The Huskies were led by the 22 points of senior guard Megan Franza,
playing in her last regular-season game. Franza broke her own school record
for three-pointers in a game, hitting seven on 14 attempts, including five
in the first half as the Huskies built a 34-28 lead.
UCLA, which entered the game with just five wins all season, shot 20-for-26
from the line in the second half, and outscored Washington 53-22 after
halftime. UCLA scored 10 of the first 14 points in the second half and took
a 40-38 lead at the 14:00 mark on a basket by Whitney Jones. Jones finished
with a career-high 21 points.
Senior LeAnn Sheets just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine
rebounds, and freshman Giuliana Mendiola capped the regular season with 10
points.
at USC 88, No. 22 UW 76
- Tashara Carter scored a career-high 24 points and
Denise Woods added 20 as Southern California beat No. 22 Washington 88-75,
snapping the Huskies' three-game winning streak and dropping them into a
tie for first place in the Pac-10.
USC led by as many as 18 points in the first half before Washington went on
a 22-7 run and closed within to three, 40-37, at halftime.
Washington tied the game twice early in the second half, once at 42-42 after
a three-pointer by Giuliana Mendiola, but USC pulled away and led by nine
points with 2 minutes left when Washington began fouling. Jessica Cheeks
shot 7-for-10 from the line down the stretch to seal the win.
Andrea Lalum led Washington with 19 points.
Dawgbite:
Washington ranks sixth in the nation in three point field goals
made per game. The Huskies average 7.4 per contest. The national leader is
Iowa State at 9.2. Stanford, which tied UW's Pac-10 record 16 threes in a
game Feb. 24, is the only other Pac-10 school in the top 25, at No. 20 with
6.4 per game.
Three Point Barrage:
Washington is first in the Pac-10 in three point field
goals made with 208 in 28 games ... the team has far surpassed the previous
season high of 150 three pointers made in 1998. Entering postseason play,
the Pac-10 single season record of 213 treys is not entirely out of the
question. The Huskies already broke the single game mark when they sank 16
>from long range against Arizona Feb. 8. Stanford tied that mark when it hit
16 against Washington Feb. 24.
Some Pac-10 Notes:
UW continues to lead the Pac-10 in rebounding, at 42.9
boards per game ... the Huskies are third in scoring offense (73.5 ppg) ...
second in assists (16.54 apg) ... first in offensive rebounds and defensive
rebounds ... first in three point field goals made (7.43) and first in
assist to turnover margin (0.90).
Dawgbite:
Fifth-year Husky coach June Daugherty has engineered one of the
greatest turnarounds in the Pac-10 and the nation this season ... she enters
the postseason weekend with a 12-year career mark of 201-139. Daugherty is
78-65 in her five years at Washington. Her UW record is third-best among
Washington coaches. She collected career victory No. 200 Feb. 24 versus
Stanford.
Daugherty currently stands fifth among Pac-10 coaches in career
victories, behind Stanford's Tara VanDerveer, Arizona's Joan Bonvicini,
USC's Chris Gobrecht and Caren Horstmeyer at Cal.
UW Against Ranked Teams:
Washington made a national statement the week of
Feb. 8 when 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, at No. 23, 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).
Take Note:
Washington, a co-champion in the Pac-10, was picked to finish
sixth in a preseason vote of Pac-10 coaches. The Huskies were picked seventh
in the media poll.
Senior Strength:
Husky coach June Daugherty continually points to the
six-player senior class as a major reason for UW's success this year,
crediting the group with strong leadership in practice and during games.
Senior captains Megan Franza and Jill Pimley headline the group. Franza has
been a constant in the starting lineup since her freshman year and is a
leader on the court. Pimley is in her second season as a team captain and is
a vocal leader whether she is playing or on the bench. LeAnn Sheets, who has
struggled with injuries throughout her career, is healthy and gives the
Huskies a veteran presence in the post. Melissa Erickson, until she injured
her knee Jan. 27, brought experience off the bench, giving the Huskies added
height inside. Sarah Duncan was named Most Inspirational last season and
continues to fill that role this year. Carli Halpenny rounds out the group.
A redshirt junior, she has opted to graduate this year in order to spend the
spring quarter studying in Italy. The move puts her back in the class she
entered with in 1997 and strengths the leadership the six-player group
provides.
Washington had no seniors on its roster last season when it posted an
8-22 record.
Fabulous Freshmen:
While Washington's six player senior class has played a
large role in the Huskies' success this year, the freshmen class has been
just as vital to the winning season. Versatile guard Giuliana Mendiola and
center Andrea Lalum are mainstays in the starting lineup and average 30
minutes and 22 minutes a game, respectively. Mendiola has a team-leading
five double-doubles this year and Lalum has four.
Mendiola, who plays point guard and either wing position, led the
Huskies in rebounding all season and is currently second on the team with
6.3 boards per game. She is the second-leading scorer, with 10.8 points a
game and her assist to turnover ratio (1.70) is third in the Pac-10.
Mendiola, who was the Husky Classic MVP earlier this season, has started 26
of 28 games this season.
Lalum, who moved into the starting lineup a month ago, is among the
Huskies' leaders in field goal percentage at 44 percent from the field. She
has averaged a team-best 47 percent from the field in conference games.
Lalum, who grew an inch last year up to 6-foot-4, is a versatile player
who provides the Huskies with a physical inside presence but has also
connected on 21 three-point shots this year. She was 3-for-3 from behind the
arc as a part of her 19-point effort at Stanford. She also blocked four
shots against St. Mary's Dec. 17, the highest single game mark by a Husky
player since Amber Hall swatted four away at Texas, Dec. 2, 1996. Hall, then
a junior, went on to finish her career as Washington's career-leading
rebounder (1,003 rebounds, 1996-99).
Fellow freshman Gioconda Mendiola, the older sister of Giuliana, has
returned to action after missing three games because of surgery on her
thumb. Mendiola graduated from high school in June, 1999 and then remained
at home in California for a year before starting school. She and Giuliana
wanted to start college at the same time and play four years together.
Rounding out the freshman class is Sarah Keeler, who is redshirting
this season.
Healthy Huskies:
While crediting the senior class with leading the Huskies,
coach Daugherty also points to a healthy lineup as cause for celebration.
Washington's frontline was beset by injuries last season, causing Daugherty
to constantly shuffle her lineup. No less than five different players were
on the bench with injuries at one point or another last year. LeAnn Sheets
missed the first eight games of the season after foot surgery. Cheryl
Sorenson ended up redshirting after a torn ACL in preseason. Melissa
Erickson was hampered by a sore shoulder during the non-conference portion
of the schedule. Carli Halpenny was limited by a stress reaction in her hip
and was initially declared out for the season and Kellie O'Neill had a
premature end to her freshman year after suffering a severe ankle sprain
midway through the season.
The healthy lineup has given the Huskies increased depth this season, a
factor that was particularly evident in the triple overtime win against USC
Jan. 7. The Trojans had four key players foul out while the Huskies were
able to constantly rotate fresh players in the game.
Only recently have the Huskies been hit by the injury bug. Cheryl
Sorenson missed two weekends with a sore knee as did Carli Halpenny, with a
sore hip. Sorenson has returned to the lineup while Halpenny is
questionable.
Dawgbite:
Washington's 95 points against Stanford Feb. 24 marked the 12th
time a June Daugherty-coached Husky team has topped the 90-point barrier,
including four times this season. They scored 91 points at WSU, matched the
effort in a triple overtime game against USC and then scored 98 against
Arizona. 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.
Megan on the Move:
Senior guard Megan Franza is nearing the conclusion of a
stellar four year career at Washington, capped by a return to the NCAA
Tournament.
Franza on the UW Career Charts
- No. 1 on three point field goals made chart (204 made) ... passed all-time
leader Jamie Redd (192) March 3 vs. Washington State
- No. 1 on career three point field goal attempts chart (683) ...equalled
her career high attempts with 13 versus Nebraska this season (Dec. 6)
- No. 7 on UW career scoring chart with 1,556 points ... needs 41 points to
pass former Husky great Karen Deden (1,596 pts., 1988-91).
- No. 8 on career field goals made chart (579) ... No. 3 on field goal
attempts chart (1,478)
- A first team All-Pac-10 selection last year, Franza became the 16th Husky
to top the 1,000-point barrier and only the eighth player to pass the mark
as a junior.
Chart Topper:
Megan Franza's game-winning shot with 4.5 seconds on the clock
against Oregon State (Jan. 20), capped a 28-point performance for the senior
guard. That was followed by her 30-point performance two games later at
California.
On the Rebound:
Washington's rebounding efforts have improved tremendously
>from last season. After a cumulative -4.3 rebounding margin in 2000, the
Huskies have a margin of +3.8 over opponents this season. The Huskies had
averaged nearly a +4.7 margin through most of the regular season, the lead
the Pac-10. Washington has outrebounded all but 11 opponents this season.
The team is averaging 42.9 rpg, first in the Pac-10. Senior LeAnn Sheets
leads the team with 6.6 rpg with freshman Giuliana Mendiola right behind at
6.3 per game.
Injury Update:
Carli Halpenny has a sore left hip and will be further
evaluated this week. Her status is questionable.
Loree Payne missed the first six games with a stress fracture in her
left foot but returned Dec. 21. LeAnn Sheets suffered a left ankle sprain at
Boise State and missed the Nebraska and Oklahoma State games. Sarah Keeler
had a minor meniscus tear in December and is redshirting this season.
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.
Huskies in Overtime:
Washington's 64-60 overtime loss at Oregon Feb. 17 was
its third extra period game this year. The Huskies have a mark of 1-2 in
overtime games this season, with a 77-74 loss at the buzzer in one overtime
period at Indiana and a 91-79 triple overtime win at home against USC. The
triple overtime game against USC was the first in UW school history.
Washington's all-time record in overtime is 8-10 since 1976.
Only one other time has a Washington team played three overtime games
in one season, during the 1991-92 year. The Huskies were 2-1 in OT games
that year.
Huskies Honor UW Football Player:
The women's basketball team is wearing a
patch with the initials "CW" on its jerseys this season, to support senior
football player Curtis Williams, who suffered a spinal cord injury during
the Oct. 28 football game at Stanford. Williams, who attended the Rose Bowl,
is currently in a rehabilitation center in San Jose, Calif.
Huskies Among National Leaders in RPI Rankings
Washington's impressive stand in the RPI rankings continues. In the
March 11 Collegiate Basketball News Women's RPI Ratings, UW stands at No. 31
in the nation and its strength of schedule is listed at No. 39. The Huskies
are just behind Pac-10 counterpart Stanford while ASU is listed at No. 46
and Oregon is at No. 50.
Halpenny Selected to Study Abroad
Carli Halpenny is one of 25 University of Washington undergraduates selected
to participate in a prestigious international study program during the
spring quarter. She was chosen from a pool of 50 applicants to participate
in the UW's Comparative History of Ideas (CHID) program. Halpenny, a
redshirt junior, will spend the spring, 2000 academic quarter at school in
Rome, Italy in the program that involves the study of literature,
architecture and the culture and language of the country. She was one of 12
students chosen from outside the UW architecture school to join the
25-person travel party.
The program allows Halpenny, who maintains a 3.75 grade point average,
to complete her undergraduate degree in zoology and graduate in June, 2001.
She has elected to complete her basketball eligibility at the conclusion of
this season, a move that now gives the Huskies a six-player senior class.
Halpenny joins Sarah Duncan, Melissa Erickson, Megan Franza, Jill Pimley and
LeAnn Sheets in their final year of eligibility.
Halpenny, a 6-foot-3 center, enters this season healthy for the first
time since her arrival in 1997-98. She has played in all six games this year
and is averaging 10 minutes and 2.8 points per game. Halpenny suffered a
torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee upon her arrival in 1997 and
used a redshirt season for her rehabilitation. She saw limited action in her
first two seasons, playing in eight games as a redshirt freshman in 1999 and
nine games as a sophomore last year.
Home Sweet Home:
Over the last year and a half, Bank of America Arena at
Hec Edmundson Pavilion has undergone an extensive renovation. On Nov. 24 the
Huskies, who hosted defending national champion Connecticut, moved back into
their on-campus arena Ð a venue that provides the charm of its original
1920s style along with all the modern conveniences of today. Over $40
million dollars in improvements have been made and the new transformation
ensures that every person in the building has a great seat with no
obstructed views.
The Huskies have enjoyed remarkable success in Hec Edmundson Pavilion,
now called Bank of America Arena, building a long-standing tradition of
top-notch women's basketball on the west coast and across the country.
This season marks the 72nd year of service for the historical building
that has an entirely new look on the inside. The renovation gives Washington
a much-needed new competition and practice facility for several of its
teams. The seating capacity has been increased from 7,900 to 10,000 and gone
are the supports pillars that have obstructed views from the upper level
seats since the buildings inception. The renovation design of Hec Edmundson
Pavilion began in the summer of 1997. Construction began in March, 1999 with
completion in fall 2000.
Recapping 1999-2000:
Faced with a spate of injuries to its front line and a
young squad with no seniors, Washington suffered through its first losing
season in school history with a record of 8-22 overall and 4-14th for a
ninth place finish in the Pac-10. The season was not without its highlights
though, the biggest coming back on Jan. 27 when the Huskies upset No. 24
Stanford and captured the 500th win for the women's basketball program. It
was the second victory in a row over Stanford and career win No. 180 for
coach June Daugherty. Washington was led by the scoring duo of Loree Payne
(17.4 ppg) and Megan Franza (17.2 ppg), who combined to form the highest
scoring duo from the same school in Pac-10 history. Franza was named to the
All-Pac-10 First Team, continuing a tradition which has seen Washington have
a player on the first team every year but two since the league began play in
the 1986-87 season. Payne finished the year as one of the most prolific
freshman players in UW history. She broke eight freshman records,
highlighted by her scoring mark of 521 points.
Departures:
Although Washington did not lose anyone to graduation, two
players did not return to the team this season. Starting point guard Julia
Gray transferred to UNLV and reserve center Tiffiany Diggins left the
program. Washington returns four of its starters from a year ago.
Early Signees:
Three of the top girls basketball players in the state have
signed national letters of intent to attend the University of Washington
next fall:
Kirsten Brockman
6-0 o Forward o Snohomish, Wash. (Snohomish HS)
Kayla Burt
5-11 o Guard o Arlington, Wash. (Arlington HS)
Kristen O'Neill
Guard o 6-1 o Lynnwood, Wash. (Meadowdale HS)
