Cats Conclude Bay Area Road Trip at California on Sunday
Arizona (7-9, 0-5 Pac-12) at California (11-5, 3-2 Pac-12)
Berkeley, Calif. | Haas Pavilion
Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015 | 2:00 p.m. MST
Game Coverage: Live Stats | Radio: KTUC 1400 AM | Television: Pac-12 Networks
TUCSON, Ariz.--- The Wildcats conclude their Bay Area trip, when they take on California, Sunday at 2 pm MST in Berkeley.
INSIDE THE SERIES...
Arizona vs. California
Overall Record....................... 29-29
Longest Win Streak........ 19 Games
Longest Losing Streak........ Lost 15
Current Streak.................... Lost 15
Record in Last 10 Meetings.... 0-10
First Meeting
Dec. 17, 1977 in Tucson, Ariz. (W, 67-62)
Last Meeting
Feb. 14, 2014 in Berkeley, Calif. (L, 65-49)
The Series Game-By-Game (Last 10)
1/2/08 L Cal 56, at UA 46
3/7/08 L at Cal 51, UA 48
1/28/10 L at Cal 73, UA 53
2/25/10 L Cal 58, at UA 52
1/8/11 L at Cal 80, UA 60
2/3/11 L Cal 73, at UA 63
2/2/12 L Cal 78, at UA 74 (OT)
2/10/13 L at Cal 91, UA 86
1/20/14 L Cal 79, at UA 64
2/14/14 L at Cal 65, UA 49
Series Notes: Sunday’s contest will mark the 79th meeting all-time between the two programs , as the all-time series is tied at 29-29...UA has lost 15 straight games to Cal and seven straight at Haas Pavilion...Arizona’s last win over Cal came on Jan. 22, 2006 at Haas Pavilion (W, 80-76)...Breanna Workman and Keyahndra Cannon each had 10 points last time these two teams met.
Scouting California
California (11-5, 3-2 Pac-12) enters this one trying to snap a two-game slide...the Bears boast four double-digit scorers. Senior forward Reshanda Grey leads the way as she puts up a team-leading 18.5 rebounds per game on nearly 60 percent shooting. Senior guard Brittany Boyd leads the team in rebounding, grabbing 8.2 boards per game, while also pouring in 13. 8 points per contest...The Bears average 75.2 points per game, while they give up 67. 2 points per contest...Cal was picked to finish second in the Pac-12 according to the league’s coaches poll, while it was picked to win the conference in the media poll.
Hometown Connections
It will be a homecoming of sorts for freshman Charise Holloway and sophomore Dejza James. James is from Elk Grove, Calif and went to Pleasant Grove High School, while Holloway is from Tracy, Calif. and went to St. Mary’s High School.
Last Time Out For Arizona
Sophomore forward Breanna Workman recorded her best performance of the season, as she scored a season and team-high 12 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting from the field, but it wasn’t enough as Arizona fell at No. 13 Stanford, 77-47, Friday night at Maples Pavilion.
Workman’s 12 points were just two shy of her career high, while her six successful field goals were a season best.
Freshman guard Charise Holloway notched her fifth double-digit scoring game of the season, as she put in 10 points, including knocking down two three balls in 25 minutes off the bench. Senior Alli Gloyd led the rebounding effort for the third straight contest, as she secured five boards, including four on the offensive end.
Arizona vs. Ranked Opponents
Arizona aims to claim its first victory over a ranked opponent (or at least receiving votes) since defeating No. 11 Arizona State 68-49 last year at McKale Center (Feb. 9, 2014)
The Pac-12 Grind
Arizona is set to play its fifth straight game vs. a ranked opponent and its sixth game vs. a team at least receiving votes in the top 25. That streak will eventually extend to seven straight games against ranked teams (or at least receiving votes), as the Cats finish up their Bay Area trip at California (RV/RV) before returning home to play Oregon State (9/9).
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
Arizona is in the midst of a stretch it’s playing five of seven games on the road, including three straight, with Sunday’s contest at Cal marking the finale of Arizona’s three-game road trip.
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 0-5 in conference play thus far, but records can be deceiving. The Cats were down by as many as 20 points in their conference opener to Washington State (01/03) in the second half, while they trailed Washington (01/05) by 22 points in the second half the following game. 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
Holloway Heating Up
Freshman guard Charise Holloway went for a career-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting in Arizona’s Pac-12 opener 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 ranks second on the team in scoring during Pac-12 play thus far, averaging 10.2 points per game
Making the Adjustment
The Cats didn’t have a pretty showing the first time around with Arizona State, as they fell 88-41. While the Cats didn’t get the win the second time around against ASU, they trailed just 31-28 at the half. The 28 first half points scored was double what Arizona scored in the first half during its first game against ASU.
Milestone Watch
Candice Warthen just needs 54 more points to reach the 1,000-point plateau in her Arizona career. She currently has 946 career points, which is just 25 points shy of tying Janelle Thompson (1991-94) for 20th on UA’s all-time scoring list.
More is Better
Arizona has boasted two or more double-digit scorers in 13 of its last 14 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 (.274) is ranked third in the Pac-12 and 20th nationally.
Consistent Starting Five
Arizona has used the same starting unit of Candice Warthen, Malena Washington, Keyahndra Cannon, Alli Gloyd, and LaBrittney Jones in 11 straight games. The Cats are 5-6 with that lineup this year.
What’s Trending
Cats have recorded more offensive rebounds than the opponent in 11 of 16 contests this season...Candice Warthen has been the team’s leading scorer in 10 of 16 games this year...Warthen has also led the team in assists in 10 of 16 games and in six of the last 10...UA has scored 60 points or more in nine of its last 14 games...Arizona has won the battle of the benches in eight of its last 14 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 14 games...the Cats have boasted eight double-digit scorers off the bench...the Arizona bench has accounted for 42 percent (119/281) of its total points over its last four 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 go the way Arizona would have liked it to, but 2014-15 marks a new season and the Cats already have seven wins just 16 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 9-7.
Fast Track to Victory
Arizona is 5-1 this season when scoring more fast break points than its opposition.
Home Sweet Home
Five of Arizona’s seven 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.
A Consistent Option
Sophomore forward LaBrittney Jones is averaging 8.0 points and a team-leading 6.1 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 12 games. She also leads the team in blocks (1.1 bpg) and offensive rebounds (2.3 rpg)
Warthen Getting Up
Despite being listed at just 5-foot-5, Candice Warthen is third on the team in overall rebounding (5.6 rpg), while she leads the club in defensive rebounding (4.7 rpg).
Do as She Does
Candice Warthen has done it all for Arizona in the early going, as she leads the team in scoring (12.6 ppg), free throws made (2.9 fpg), field goals made (4.4 fpg), assists (3.1 apg), steals (1.2 spg), defensive rebounding (4.7 rpg) and minutes played (33.2 mpg). The senior has led the Cats in scoring in 10 of 16 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 34.6 percent of UA’s total points this season (329/903).
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.
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.
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