Arizona (8-14, 1-10 Pac-12) vs. No. 12/14 Stanford (17-6, 9-2 Pac-12)
Tucson, Ariz. | McKale Center
Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015 | 3:00 p.m. MST
Game Coverage: Live Stats | Radio: KTUC 1400 AM | Television: Pac-12 Networks
TUCSON, Ariz.--- The Wildcats will take on Stanford, Sunday at 3 pm MST in Arizona’s annual “Pink Game” inside McKale Center.
INSIDE THE SERIES...
Arizona vs. Stanford
Overall Record................... 12-61
Home Record........................ 8-23
Away Record........................ 3-30
Neutral Record....................... 1-8
Longest Win Streak..... 4 Games
Longest Losing Streak 24 Games
Current Streak................ Lost 24
Record in Last 10 Meetings 0-10
First Meeting
Jan. 3, 1979 in Palo Alto, Calif. (L, 93-51)
Last Meeting
Jan. 16, 2015 in Palo Alto, Calif. (L, 77-47)
The Series Game-By-Game (Last 10)
2/27/10 L Stan. 75, at UA 48
3/12/10 L Stan. 72, vs. UA 52
1/6/11 L at Stan. 87-54
2/5/11 L Stan. 91, at UA 61
3/11/11 L vs. Stan. 100, UA 71
2/4/12 L Stan 91, at UA 51
2/8/13 L at Stan 73, UA 43
1/17/14 L Stan 96, at UA 52
2/16/14 L at Stan 74, UA 48
1/16/15 L at Stan 77, UA 47
Series Notes: Sunday’s contest will mark the 74th meeting all-time between the two programs , as Stanford holds a 61-12 lead in the all-time series...UA has lost 24 straight games to Stanford and nine consecutive inside McKale Center...Breanna Workman led the Wildcats with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting last time these two teams met up in Palo Alto.
Scouting Stanford
Stanford (17-6, 9-2 Pac-12) enters this one winners of four of its last five contests, after falling to Arizona State on Friday, 53-52...The Cardinal’s .391 three-point percentage leads the conference...Stanford averages 71.7 points per game, while it surrenders just 60.2 points per contest...Lili Thompson leads the Cardinal in scoring, averaging 14.0 points per game, while Amber Orrange is a close second, putting in 13.2 points per contest...Kaylee Johnson is the team’s leading rebounder, pulling down 10.5 rebounds per game, while averaging 7.0 points...Stanford was picked to win the conference in the preseason coaches poll and was picked to finish second according to the league’s preseason media poll.
Last Time Out For Arizona
Senior guard Candice Warthen scored a team-high 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting, but it wasn’t enough, as Arizona fell to California, 65-46, Friday night inside McKale Center.
For Warthen, the scoring performance marked her team-leading 16th double-digit scoring game of the season, while she’s led the team in scoring in 13 of 22 games this season.
Sophomore forward LaBrittney Jones continued her great play as of late. She poured in 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded two blocks off the bench. She has now scored in double-figures in four of her last five games, while she’s collected 15 blocks over her last five contests.
Road Trippin’
Arizona will play its final home in a stretch that sees the Cats playing six road games over an eight-game span, including four straight on the road after Sunday’s affair.
UA to Hold “Still Standing” Reception
The Cats have invited all cancer survivors to a special reception on Sunday, Feb. 8th from 1-2 pm prior to Arizona’s home “Pink Game” against Stanford at 3 pm.
The day as been designated as Arizona’s “Still Standing” game, where the Cats would like to recognize fans, family members, and friends who have been impacted by cancer.
Head coach Niya Butts and the rest of the Arizona coaching staff will speak, while there will be a recap of the “#ChillinForCharity” movement that swept the nation last summer.
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 1-10 in conference play thus far, but records can be deceiving. The Cats have put themselves in position to win four separate times during conference play thus far, rallying from big-time deficits in the second half.
Arizona vs. Washington State (01/03/15)
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 (01/05/15)
UW led UA 53-31 | 15:07 remaining
UW led UA 60-54 | 8:42 remaining
UA goes on 23-7 run
Arizona at California (01/18/15)
Cal led UA 29-12 | 3:41 remaining 1st half
UA led Cal 48-46-54 | 5:47 remaining
UA goes on 36-17 run
Arizona at Colorado (02/01/15)
Colorado led UA 51-36 | 15:36 remaining
Colorado led UA 66-61 | 4:00 remaining
UA goes on 25-15 run
Block Party
LaBrittney Jones has accumulated 15 blocks over her last five games (3 bpg over span), including collecting a career-high six blocks last Sunday against Colorado. The six-block performance is tied for fifth on UA’s all-time single-game blocks list.
More is Better
Arizona has boasted two or more double-digit scorers in 18 of its last 20 games.
#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 (.286) is ranked second in the Pac-12 and ranked 66th nationally.
A New Trend
Arizona has used the starting lineup of Malena Washington, Candice Warthen, JaLea Bennett, Alli Gloyd, and Breanna Workman in six straight games. This streak comes after the Cats had used a starting five of Malena Washington, Candice Warthen, Keyahndra Cannon, Alli Gloyd, and LaBrittney Jones for 11 straight contests.
What’s Trending
Candice Warthen has been the team’s leading scorer in 13 of 22 games this year...Warthen has also led the team in assists in 14 of 22 games and in nine of the last 15...UA has scored 60 points or more in 11 of its last 20 games...JaLea Bennett has picked up a steal in five consecutive games...Arizona has won the battle of the benches in 13 of its last 20 games...Arizona has recorded more fastbreak points than the opposition in four of the last five contests.
#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.
UA 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)
Bench Production
Arizona’s bench has outscored its opponents’ reserves in 13 of its last 20 games...the Cats have boasted 14 double-digit scorers off the bench, including having at least one double-figure reserve in seven straight contests...the Arizona bench has accounted for 43 percent (275/637) of its total points over its last eight games.
Welcome to the (1000-Point) Club
Candice Warthen connected on a jumper in the lane to record points No. 1,000 and 1,001 of her career with 55 seconds remaining in the 1st half, on Jan. 30 at Utah. She became the 18th 1,000-point scorer in program history.
Closing the Door
Arizona is 8-1 this season when leading with five minutes left in a contest...the Cats are 6-1 this year when leading with 10 minutes left in a game.
Home Sweet Home
Six of Arizona’s eight wins have come 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.
Candice Climbing
Candice Warthen is currently sitting on 1,033 career points...she’s ranked No. 17 on UA’s all-time scoring list...she’s just 27 points shy of tying Kim Conway for 16th on the all-time list.
A Consistent Option
Sophomore forward LaBrittney Jones is averaging 9.4 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 nine of her last 17 games and four of her last five. She also leads the team in blocks (1.5 bpg), field goal percentage (.454), and offensive rebounds (2.5 rpg)
Warthen Getting Up
Despite being listed at just 5-foot-5, Candice Warthen ranks third on the team in overall rebounding (5.7 rpg), while she leads the club in defensive rebounding (4.6 rpg).
Do as She Does
Candice Warthen has done it all for Arizona so far, as she leads the team in scoring (13.1 ppg), free throws made (3.0 fpg), field goals made (4.7 fpg), assists (2.9 apg), steals (1.1 spg), defensive rebounding (4.6 rpg) and minutes played (33.5 mpg). The senior has led the Cats in scoring in 13 of 22 games this season.
RECYCLED NOTES
Career Night For Jones
LaBrittney Jones went for a career-high 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting in Arizona’s thrilling overtime win over Oregon on Jan. 25 at McKale Center, including accounting for seven of Arizona’s 12 overtime points. The 30 points scored were the most points any Arizona player had scored since Davellyn White went for 31 points on Feb. 19, 2013 vs. Arizona State.
More on the Oregon Win
The win marked Arizona’s fifth win over the Ducks over their last six meetings inside McKale Center...the 81 points scored were the most amount of points UA had scored at home since putting up 86 on Feb. 10, 2013 at California. It was also the most amount of points scored since scoring 86 on Dec. 20, 2012 vs. Longwood.
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.
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.
