Arizona (7-6, 0-2 Pac-12) vs. No. 18 Arizona State (13-1, 2-0 Pac-12)
Tucson, Ariz. | McKale Center
Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015 | 6:00 p.m. MST
Game Coverage: Live Stats | Radio: KTUC 1400 AM | Television: Pac-12 Networks
TUCSON, Ariz.--- The Wildcats will conclude their season-long four-game homestand, as they’ll host No. 18 Arizona State, Thursday at 6 pm MST inside McKale Center.
INSIDE THE SERIES...
Arizona vs. Arizona State
Overall Record....................... 32-55
Home Record........................ 18-14
Away Record........................ 12-40
Neutral Site Record.................. 2-1
Longest Win Streak........ 14 Games
Longest Losing Streak.... 17 Games
Current Streak..................... Won 1
Record in Last 10 Meetings...... 2-8
First Meeting
Feb. 2, 1973 in unknown (W, 50, 39)
Last Meeting
Feb. 9, 2014 in Tucson, Ariz (W, 68-49)
The Series Game-By-Game (Last 10)
2/20/10 L at ASU 57, UA 49
1/16/11 L at ASU 75, UA 43
2/13/11 W at UA 73, ASU 61
12/31/11 L at ASU 60, UA 45
3/3/12 L ASU 70, at UA 63
3/8/12 L ASU 68, UA 53
2/19/13 L ASU 81, at UA 77 (2OT)
2/24/13 L at ASU 59, UA 58
2/4/14 L at ASU 60, UA 36
2/9/14 W at UA 68, ASU 49
Series Notes: Thursday’s contest will mark the 88th meeting between the two programs, with Arizona State leading the all-time series 55-32...Cats won the last meeting vs. No. 11 Arizona State, 68-49 at McKale Center, also marking the Cats’ last victory over a ranked opponent. Keyahndra Cannon scored nine points, going 4-of-6 from the field in the contest...Arizona’s last six victories over the Sun Devils have come at home.
Analyzing Arizona State
Arizona State (13-1, 2-0 Pac-12) enters this one winners of nine straight games...the Sun Devils boast three double-digit scorers, starting with sophomore forward Sophie Brunner, who averages a team-best 12.6 points per game on just over 57.4 percent shooting, while also pulling down a team-best 7.4 boards per game. Junior guard Katie Hempen and senior guard Promise Amukamara average 12.1 and 11.5 points respectively. ASU averages 73.2 points per game, while they give up 56.7...the Sun Devils lead the Pac-12 in three-point percentage defense (.212) and rebounding defense (30.9)...Arizona State was picked to finish seventh in the league’s preseason coaches poll and sixth in the media poll.
Hometown Connections
Alli Gloyd and Lauren Evans represent the only players from Arizona on the roster. However, both are from Phoenix, Arizona.
Last Time Out For Arizona
The Wildcats used a furious 13-0 run to whittle what was a 22-point lead down to just six with 8:42 still left to play in the contest, but Arizona couldn’t quite finish off the rally, dropping a 79-69 decision to No. 23 Washington, last Monday night inside McKale Center.
Arizona vs. Ranked Opponents
Arizona aims to claim its first victory over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 11 Arizona State 68-49 last year at McKale Center (Feb. 9, 2014)
#RedOut
Arizona is encouraging fans to wear red to this Thursday’s game vs. Arizona State. Last time the Cats wore red at home, they defeated No. 11 Arizona State.
The Pac-12 Grind
Arizona is set to play its second straight game vs. a ranked opponent and its third game vs. a team at least receiving votes in the top 25. That streak has a very good chance to extend to seven straight games against ranked teams (or at least receiving votes), as the Cats take on ASU (18/20) again on Saturday before heading up to the Bay Area to play Stanford (15/14) and California (RV/RV). UA will then return home to play Oregon State (11/13).
J3 RV/NR WASHINGTON ST
J5 RV/23 WASHINGTON
J8 18/20 ARIZONA STATE
J10 @18/20 Arizona State
J16 @15/14 Stanford
J18 @RV/RV California .
J23 11/13 OREGON STATE
More on the Grind
Thursday will mark Arizona’s last home game before playing five of its next seven games on the road, including three straight road affairs at No. 18/20 Arizona State, No. 15/14 Stanford, and at California (RV/RV).
Cats Learning Etiquette
For the second straight season, Arizona took part in an etiquette dinner at a local Tucson steak house. At the dinner, players, coaches, and staff were instructed proper etiquette and social standard when dining at fine restaurants.
Ready to “Breakthrough”
Arizona may be 0-2 in conference play thus far, but records can be deceiving. The Cats were down by as many as 20 points to Washington State in the second half, while they trailed Washington by 22 points in the second half on Monday. Both times Arizona was able to rally to get within six.
Arizona vs. Washington State
WSU led UA 68-48 | 6:54 remaining
WSU led UA 68-62 | 3:15 remaining
UA goes on 14-0 run
Arizona vs. Washington
UW led UA 53-31 | 15:07 remaining
UW led UA 60-54 | 8:42 remaining
UA goes on 23-7 run
Here Come the Cats
Arizona has won seven of its last 11 contests after starting the year 0-2.
Holloway Heating Up
Freshman guard Charise Holloway went for a career-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting last Saturday vs. Washington State. She also knocked down a career-best four three pointers in the win. The performance is the highest individual point total off the bench so far this season, while it’s currently the second-highest individual tally of the season overall. Candice Warthen scored 21 points vs. Wake Forest earlier this season...Holloway leads the team in scoring during Pac-12 play thus far, averaging 15.5 points per game
First Half Defense
Over the last 11 games, Arizona has twice held an opponent to 14 points in the first half (UCSB and UAB). Overall during the current 7-4 streak, opponents are averaging just 25 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 (.242) is ranked second in the Pac-12 and 10th nationally. Arizona State leads the conference in three-point percent defense (21.2).
Watching Washington’s Impact
Sophomore guard Malena Washington has started eight consecutive games at the point guard position...Arizona is 5-3 on the season when she starts. Cats are 2-3 with all other lineups.
What’s Trending
Cats have recorded more offensive rebounds than the opponent in nine of 13 contests this season and in three straight...Candice Warthen has been the team’s leading scorer in eight of 13 games this year...Warthen has also led the team in assists in 10 of 13 games and in six of the last seven...UA has scored 60 points or more in nine of its last 11 games...Arizona has won the battle of the benches in eight of its last 11 games.
#Chillin4Charity Challenge Recognized 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 eight of its last 11 games...the Cats have boasted six double-digit scorers off the bench...the Arizona bench as accounted for 48 percent (67/139) of its total points over its last two games
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 13 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 9-4...Arizona has a +1.3 scoring margin overall on the season...just sayin’.
Fast Track to Victory
Arizona is 5-1 this season when scoring more fast break points than its opposition.
Home Sweet Home
Arizona is set to play the final game of a season-long four-game homestand...Cats are 5-3 at home this season.
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 8.7 points and a team-leading 6.5 rebounds per game. She has recorded a team-leading equaling two double-doubles this season, while she’s scored in double figures in five of her last nine games. She also leads the team in blocks (1.2 bpg), rebounds (6.5 rpg), offensive rebounds (2.3 rpg), and field goal percentage (.495).
Warthen Getting Up
Despite being listed at just 5-foot-5, Candice Warthen is second on the team lead in overall rebounding (6.2 rpg), while she leads the club in defensive rebounding (5.1 rpg).
Do as She Does
Candice Warthen has done it all for Arizona in the early going, as she leads the team in scoring (13.2 ppg), free throws made (3.1 fpg), field goals made (4.6 fpg), assists (3.5 apg), steals (1.3 spg), defensive rebounding (5.2 rpg) and minutes played (34.6 mpg). The senior has led the Cats in scoring in eight of 13 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 on Dec. 29 vs. UT Martin, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Arizona’s Dynamic Duo
Candice Warthen and LaBrittney Jones have combined to score 35 percent of UA’s total points this season (284/808).
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.
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.
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.
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.
