Arizona (7-4, 0-0 Pac-12) vs. Washington State (9-2, 0-0 Pac-12)
Tucson, Ariz. | McKale Center
Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015 | 12:00 p.m. MST
Game Coverage: Live Stats | Radio: KTUC AM 1400/ TuneIn Radio | Television: Pac-12 Networks
TUCSON, Ariz.--- The Wildcats aim to claim their sixth consecutive home victory, as they open up conference play against Washington State, Saturday at noon MST, inside McKale Center.
INSIDE THE SERIES...
Arizona vs. Washington State
Overall Record....................... 33-24
Home Record........................ 15-11
Away Record........................ 16-13
Neutral Site Record.................. 2-0
Longest Win Streak.......... 9 Games
Longest Losing Streak...... 6 Games
Current Streak...................... Lost 2
Record in Last 10 Meetings...... 7-3
First Meeting
Jan. 17, 1987 in Tucson, Ariz. (W, 83, 74)
Last Meeting
Jan. 5, 2014 in Pullman, Wash. (L, 61-59)
The Series Game-By-Game (Last 10)
1/7/10 W UA 67, at WSU 60
2/4/10 W at UA 73, WSU 66
3/11/10 W UA 62 vs. UW 60
1/22/11 W at UA 64, WSU 58
2/17/11 W UA 78, at WSU 61
1/28/12 L at WSU 78, UA 68
2/16/12 W at UA 90, WSU 51
1/4/13 W UA 71, at WSU 65
2/3/13 L WSU 60, at UA 50
1/5/14 L at WSU 61, UA 59
Series Notes: Saturday’s contest will mark the 58th meeting between the two programs, with Arizona leading the series 33-24, while also claiming victories in eight of the last 11 meetings...Cats have claimed wins in three of their last four home contests vs. the Cougars...in those three home victories, Arizona has won by an average of 17.3 points per contest...Arizona’s largest margin of victory vs. the Cougars came in a 107-57 win on Jan. 12, 2002 (50 points)...UA’s largest margin of defeat vs. WSU came in a 90-62 loss on March 3, 1988 (28 points)...the Cats’ last home victory over WSU came in a 90-51 win on Feb. 16, 2012.)
Watching Washington State
Washington State enters Pac-12 play as one of the hottest teams in the land, winners of five straight games, including a victory over No. 14/10 Maryland back on Nov. 29. The Cougars are receiving votes in the AP poll...the Cougars are led by junior guard Lia Galdeira, who averages a team-best 19.1 points per game, while pulling down. 5.5 rebounds per contest...senior guard Tia Presley makes up the other half of WSU’s dynamic backcourt, putting in 18.6 points per game on average on nearly 46 percent shooting from the field...senior center Shalie Dheensaw represents the Cougars’ leading rebounder, pulling down 7.1 rebounds per contest and scoring 8.5 points per game...WSU averages 74.5 points per game, while it surrenders 61.1 points per contest on average...WSU leads the Pac-12 with a 6.18 turnover margin...the Cougars were picked to finish eighth in the Pac-12 in both the preseason media and coaches poll.
Last Time Out For Arizona
For the third straight game, it was senior guard Candice Warthen who led the way for Arizona, recording a team-high 17 points and 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season, as the Wildcats took down UT Martin, 61-56, in their non-conference finale, Monday night inside McKale Center.
For Arizona (7-4), the victory extends its home win streak to five consecutive games, while it notches UA’s fifth victory over its last six contests overall.
Warthen has now led the Wildcats in scoring in three straight games and in seven of 11 contests overall, while she also picked up a game-high equaling three assists and team-high tying two steals. Her 17 points came on an efficient 7-of-15 shooting from the field.
Sophomore forward LaBrittney Jones nearly notched her third double-double of the season, as she scored nine points on 3-of-6 shooting, while pulling down eight rebounds and collecting a couple of steals in the win.
Here Come the Cats
Arizona has won seven of its last nine contests and five of its last six games after starting the season 0-2.
For Openers
Arizona is 13-15 all-time in Pac-12/10 openers since 1986-87. In that same time frame, the Cats have gone 6-6 in home conference openers and 7-9 in road league openers...Arizona is 1-2 all-time vs. WSU in league openers, earning its lone win on Jan. 4, 2013 at Washington State. This will be the second time in the last three seasons the Wildcats have opened up conference play with the Cougars.
Locking Em Down
Arizona ranks third in the Pac- 12 in scoring defense, allowing just 57.4 points per game. That mark ranks 56th nationally.
First Half Defense
Over the last nine games, Arizona has twice held an opponent to 14 points in the first half (UCSB and UAB). Overall during the current 7-2 streak, opponents are averaging just 22.3 points in the first half.
#Winning
Arizona finished non-conference play with a winning record for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
Stellar D From Three
Arizona’s three-point defense (.215) is tops in the conference and ranks second nationally. Mississippi State leads the nation at .182. (Div I).
Watching Washington’s Impact
Sophomore guard Malena Washington has started six consecutive games at the point guard position...Arizona is 5-1 on the season when she starts...Washington has scored in double figures in two of those six starts.
If It Isn’t Broken, Don’t Fix It
Arizona has used the same starting lineup of Washington, Warthen, Cannon, Jones, and Gloyd in six straight games...Arizona is 5-1 in those contests.
What’s Trending
Cats have recorded more offensive rebounds than the opponent in seven of 11 contests this season...Candice Warthen has been the team’s leading scorer in seven of 11 games this year...Warthen has also led the team in assists in eight of 11 games and in five of the last six...UA has scored 60 points or more in seven of its last nine games...Arizona has won the battle of the benches in six of its last nine games.
#Chillin4Charity Challenge Recoginzed By ESPNW
Arizona’s #Chillin4Charity Cold Water Challenge that took place last summer was ranked No. 3 on ESPNW’s “The Best of the Buzz 2014: 5 Heartwarming Moments” list. The challenge raised over $65,000 for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, while the movement reached over 92 million people on Twitter.
Bench Production
Arizona’s bench has outscored its opponents’ reserves in six of its last nine games...the Cats have boasted four double-digit scorers off the bench, while Arizona’s leading scorer has come off the bench in two of the last seven contests.
Closing the Door
Arizona is 7-1 this season when leading with five minutes remaining in a contest...the Cats are 6-1 this year when leading with 10 minutes left in a game.
A Fresh Start
Obviously last year didn’t quite go the way Arizona would have liked it to, but 2014-15 marks a new season and the Cats already have seven wins just 11 games in...Arizona had just three non-conference wins last year and five total for the season.
Not Sayin’...But Just Sayin’
Arizona has lost two games by a combined seven points this season. If those losses were wins, the Cats would be 9-2 heading into conference play...Arizona has a +3.5 scoring margin overall on the season...just sayin’.
Fast Track to Victory
Arizona is 5-0 this season when scoring more fast break points than its opposition.
Living Pretty in the 60s
The Cats are 4-1 when scoring in the 60s this season.
Home Sweet Home
Arizona is set to play the second of a season-long four-game homestand...Cats are 5-1 at home this season.
Protecting Their House
The Cats have won five straight contests at McKale Center. Arizona’s average margin of victory has been 12.4 points over its last five home contests, while they have trailed by no more than three points at any time during that span. Arizona hasn’t won six straight home games since the 2011-12 campaign.
A Nice First Impression
Arizona played four opponents for the first time in school history this season in FIU, Grambling State, Southern and Tennessee Martin. The Cats finished a perfect 4-0 against them.
A Consistent Option
Sophomore forward LaBrittney Jones is averaging 8.6 points and a team-leading 6.3 rebounds per game. She has recorded a team-leading equaling two double-doubles this season, while she’s scored in double figures in four of her last seven games. She also leads the team in blocks (1.0 bpg) and field goal percentage (.513).
Warthen Getting Up
Despite being listed at just 5-foot-5, Candice Warthen leads the team in defensive rebounding, pulling down 4.9 a game. She ranks second on the squad in overall rebounding, grabbing 6.0 rebounds per contest.
Do as She Does
Candice Warthen has done it all for Arizona in the early going, as she leads the team in scoring (13.0 ppg), free throws made (3.2 fpg), field goals made (4.5 fpg), assists (3.1 apg), steals (1.4 spg), defensive rebounding (4.9 rpg) and minutes played (34.8 mpg). The senior has led the Cats in scoring in seven of 11 games this season, including scoring a single-game high for any Wildcat this season, 21 points on Dec. 7 at Wake Forest...she clinched her third career double-double of the season last time out vs. UT Martin, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Arizona’s Dynamic Duo
Candice Warthen and LaBrittney Jones have combined to score 36 percent of UA’s total points this season (238/669).
RECYCLED NOTES
Historic Home Defense
The Wildcats held opponents to 45 points or less in back-to-back home games for the first time in program history on Dec. 11 vs. Southern (45 pts) and Dec. 14 vs. UAB (44 pts).
Working Overtime
Arizona’s 72-69 overtime victory on Dec. 7 at Wake Forest marked the Wildcats’ first overtime win since winning at Wichita State ,81-72 in overtime on Nov. 12, 2010....Cats had dropped six consecutive overtime contests before that win.
Cannon and Washington Honored
Keyahndra Cannon and Malena Washington were both named to the All-FIU Thanksgiving Tournament team thanks to their performances in Arizona’s two games vs. FIU (Nov. 28) and Toledo (Nov. 30) earlier in the year.
Historic Day at McKale Center
Arizona held UC Santa Barbara to just 11 field goals made on Nov. 25, equaling the school record for the least amount of field goals any Arizona opponent has ever converted on...Arizona’s 61-34 victory over UC Santa Barbara marked Arizona’s first win on the season...the Cats opened 0-2 last season and also earned their first win over the Gauchos...the 34 points allowed marked the least amount of points Arizona had surrendered since giving up just 32 points to Iona on Dec. 28, 2010...UA held UCSB to just 22.9 percent shooting from the field, marking the lowest opponent field goal percentage since Arizona held Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 21.2 percent on Dec. 18, 2011....it was also the lowest field goal percentage Arizona had held an opponent to at home since holding Iona to just 20 percent shooting on Dec. 28, 2010. ...the 27-point victory marked Arizona’s largest margin of victory over any opponent since defeating Oregon 100-68 on Jan. 13, 2013.
Thank You Fans!
Arizona set a new single-game attendance record on Nov. 25 vs. UC Santa Barbara, as McKale Center entertained a crowd of 6,268 . The mark broke the school’s previous single-game attendance record of 5,272 on March 4, 2000 vs. Oregon.
Breaking Down the 2014-15 Cats
Seventh-year head coach Niya Butts and the Wildcats return three starters and seven letterwinners overall from last year’s squad, including leading scorer Candice Warthen (11.1 ppg). Senior Alli Gloyd (9.4 pts, 6 rebs in 2012-13) and redshirt freshman Dejza James also return after tearing ACLs last year. Arizona also boasts the highest ranked recruiting class in program history coming into the new season.
More the Merrier
Nine players saw game action in Arizona’s season opener vs. Bakersfield, which was the most in 20 straight contests going back to last season’s Dec. 21 contest vs. UC Riverside.
Cats Tabbed 12th in Pac-12 Preseason Polls
Arizona was picked to finish 12th in the conference in both the preseason media and coaches’ polls. The Cats received 12 overall points in the media poll to finish just behind Colorado, who received 42 points. UA tallied 12 points in the coaches’ poll, while Utah claimed 28 votes, as it was placed 11th.
Stanford (116, 7 first place), California (111, 3 first place), and Oregon State (105, 2 first place) rounded out the coaches’ picks for the conference’s top three finishers, while the media picked California (194, 9 first place) to take home the league crown, followed by Stanford (190, 7 first place) and Oregon State (162, 1 first place).
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
The 2014-15 slate is once again littered with top-notch competition, as Arizona will play 17 contests against teams who qualified for postseason play a year ago, including seven matches with teams ranked in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches’ preseason polls in No. 6/6 Stanford, No. 15/14 California, No. 20/21 Oregon State, and No. 23/23 UCLA. Conference foes Oregon, USC, and Arizona State are also receiving votes in either one or both preseason polls. The Cats will clash with those schools a combined five times.
Lights, Camera, Action
Arizona games will be shown on a television a school-record 14 times this season, all on the Pac-12 Networks.
By The Numbers
Arizona returns 53 percent of its total points scored (913/1,736), 48 percent of its rebounds (494/1,020), 54 percent of its field goals made (357/661), 25 percent of its three-pointers made (27/109), 56 percent of its free throws converted (172/305), 41 percent of its assists (140/344), and 53 percent of its steals from a season ago (103/193).
“Gloyd” to Have You Back
Senior forward Alli Gloyd returns to action after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. Gloyd averaged 9.4 points and six rebounds per game during the 2012-13 campaign. If one were to plug in her 2012-13 numbers into last year’s overall statistics, she would have led the team in free throw percentage (.739) and overall rebounding (6.0), while her total steals (37) and points per game (9.4) would rank second among all returners. Gloyd scored in double figures 14 separate times during 2012-13.
Follow the Leader
Candice Warthen returns as the team’s leading scorer from a year ago (11.1 ppg). She also led the team in total points (334), field goals made (134), assists per game (3.1), and steals per contest (1.3). Warthen had a solid unofficial 2014-15 debut, going for 12 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the free throw line in Arizona’s exhibition contest against Concordia.
Healthy Cats
Arizona played the final 13 games of last season with seven healthy players or less. The Cats enter 2014-15 with practically double that amount with 13 healthy players.
New Kids on the Block
Arizona welcomes seven new faces to the program in freshmen guards JaLea Bennett, Cherice Harris, Charise Holloway, and Taryn Griffey, who was ranked as the 21st best guard and the 86th overall prospect in the nation according to ESPNW’s 2014 HoopGurlz Recruiting rankings. The class is considered one of the best in program history. Transfer guards Malena Washington (Tyler JC), Chy Cunningham (Paris JC) and Lauren Evans (Virginia Tech) also enter their first seasons with the program.
All Over the Map
Arizona boasts players from seven different states, as four players are from California, four are from Texas, two are from Arizona, while Georgia, Mississippi, Nevada, and Washington are each represented once on the roster.
Arizona Inks Three in Early 2015-16 Signing Period
The Wildcats signed forward A’Shanti Coleman, guard Michal Miller and forward Destiny Graham during the early signing period.
A’Shanti Coleman | Forward | 6-2 | Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep
Coleman comes to Arizona regarded as one of the top bigs in the nation as she’s been placed as the 108th ranked forward in the country according to “The Jump Off Plus”. She was named to the All-State First Team last year after nearly averaging a double-double, scoring 12 points, pulling down seven rebounds, and blocking four shots per game her junior season. She also helped guide Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep to back-to-back league titles, while leading the Irish to the state title game her sophomore year. Sacred Heart recorded an overall mark of 25-7 and a league mark of 11-1 that season. Coleman also was awarded team MVP honors after her sophomore campaign, where she averaged eight points, seven rebounds, and three blocked shots per contest. Coleman plans to major in psychology.
From Coach Butts…
“A’Shanti Coleman is an exceptional athlete and fits well in our system and the way we like to play. She’s a transition post player who gets up and down the floor, can finish around the rim and make the 16 to 18 foot jumper. She also has a tremendous presence inside in terms of blocking shots.”
Michal Miller | Guard | 5-7 | Michigan City High School (Michigan City, Ind.)
Miller comes to Arizona ranked as 35th best guard in the country according to Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. She also brings loads of basketball experience, as she will have started all four seasons for Michigan City High School by the time her senior year concludes. Miller enters her final season at Michigan City as one of the most dangerous all-around players in the state, as she averaged career highs in points (20.4 ppg), rebounds (6.5 rpg), and steals (4.8 spg) last year, while earning All-America, First-Team Underclass All-State and All-League honors. She was also named the team’s most valuable player. During her sophomore campaign, Miller averaged 11.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 3.7 steals per contest on her way to claiming First Team Underclass All-State and Second Team All-League honors, after guiding the Wolves to a 19-4 overall record.
Miller made an impact on the Michigan City program right away, as she started all 25 contests her freshman year, averaging 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 3.5 steals, and a block per game, helping the Wolves obtain an 18-7 overall record. Miller wants to study music or communications when she gets to Arizona.
From coach Butts…
“I feel like we were able to get one of the best perimeter players in this class in Michal Miller. She is an extremely versatile guard who can play all three spots on the perimeter. She can slash and get to the basket, has a solid mid-range jump shot and her game beyond the arc is also efficient. She has all the tools to be one of the great players in our league, so we’re really excited about that.”
Destiny Graham | Forward | 6-2 | Eastside College Prep (East Palo Alto, Calif.)
Graham comes to Arizona ranked as the No. 28 forward in the country according to Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. She enters her senior season at Eastside College Prep poised for a breakout year, as she set career bests in points scored (14.6 ppg), rebounds (8.6 rpg), and blocks (3.4 bpg), on her way to claiming league MVP honors and a spot on the All-League First Team. Graham averaged a career-best 5.1 steals per contest her sophomore year, while leading the Panthers to the league title and a berth in the state championship game, after going 22-9 overall. She was named the West Bay Foothill League’s most improved player and earned Second Team All-League honors.
Graham made an impact right away as a freshman, pulling down 8.3 boards per contest and nearly averaging two blocks a game on the way to being named an All-League Honorable Mention. She’s started all three seasons thus far at Eastside. Graham played under head coach Donovan Blythe both at Eastside College Prep and on Blythe’s Basketball AAU squad. She plans to major in criminology.
From Coach Butts…
“Destiny Graham is extremely athletic and agile. She brings a bit more size than we have now and her presence is certainly going to be needed. Destiny fits our style of play and has a huge upside. We are looking forward to her joining our family.”
Follow the Cats!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Arizona athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook.com/ArizonaAthletics), Twitter (@AZATHLETICS), Instagram (azathletics) and YouTube.com (Youtube.com/ArizonaAthletics). In addition, the women’s basketball team has established its own official Facebook (Facebook.com/ArizonaWomensBasketball), Twitter (@ArizonaWBBall), and Instagram (ArizonaWBBall) accounts.
