Women's Hoops to Host UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday

Arizona (0-2) vs. UC Santa Barbara (0-4)
Tucson, Ariz. | McKale Center 
Tuesday, November 25, 2014 | 11:00 a.m. MST
Game Coverage: Live Stats | Radio: KTUC AM 1400/ TuneIn Radio | Live Stream: Pac-12.com

TUCSON, Ariz.--- The Wildcats return home in search of their first win, as they’ll clash with UC Santa Barbara, Tuesday at 11 a.m. MST inside McKale Center. 

INSIDE THE SERIES...

Arizona vs. UC Santa Barbara
Overall Record 9-6
Home Record 5-3
Away Record 4-3
Neutral Site Record 0-0
Longest Win Streak 4 games
Longest Losing Streak 2 games (2x)
Current Streak Won 2
Record in Last 10 Meetings 7-3
First Meeting
Jan. 3, 1980 at Tucson, Ariz. (L, 75-62)
Last Meeting
Nov. 16, 2013 at Santa Barbara (W, 51-49)

All-Time Series Game-By-Game
1/3/80 L UCSB 75, at UA 62
1/7/81 L at UCSB 68, UA 56
1/13/82 W UA 65, at UCSB 64
12/2/83 W at UA 70, UCSB 53
12/19/90 L UCSB 103, at UA 74
11/23/97 W at UA 107, UCSB 74
12/19/98 W UA 78, at UCSB 71
11/30/99 W at UA 86, UCSB 76
11/26/00 W UA 71, at UCSB 63
1/14/02 L UCSB 94, at UA 80
11/25/03 L at UCSB 75, UA 65
12/16/04 W at UA 96, UCSB 80
12/19/05 L at UCSB 86, UA 63
11/23/08 W at UA 54, UCSB 47
11/16/13 W UA 51, at UCSB 49

Series Notes: Last time these two teams met Candice Warthen went for a game-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting to lead Arizona to a 51-49 win last season at Santa Barbara...the Wildcats are 9-6 all-time vs. UCSB and 5-3 at home, while they’ve won two straight contests over the Gauchos...in each of the last two wins over UCSB, Arizona has held the Gauchos to an average of 48 points per game...UA has won two straight home games over UCSB...the most points Arizona has ever scored vs. UCSB was 107 in a 107-74 victory on Dec. 19, 1990...the game also represents Arizona’s largest margin of victory over UCSB (33 points)...the Wildcats' largest margin of defeat to the Gauchos was a 103-74 loss (29 points) on Dec. 19, 1990.

Grading the Gauchos
UC Santa Barbara (0-4) enters the contest aiming for its first win on the season. The Gauchos have struggled to score the basketball this season, as they average just 46 points per game, including averaging just 42 points per game over their last three contests...Kristine Brance leads the team in scoring averaging 7.2 points per game, while Clair Watkins represents the squad’s leading rebounder, pulling down 7.5 boards per contest...UCSB was picked to finish last in the Big West according to the conferences preseason coaches’ poll.

Last Time Out For Arizona
Freshman guard Charise Holloway recorded a game-high 14 points and pulled down six rebounds, but it wasn’t quite enough, as Arizona dropped a 57-54 heartbreaker to Texas Tech, last Friday night at United Supermarkets Arena.

For Holloway, the game marked her second straight double-digit scoring performance to begin her Wildcat career, while she also collected two steals for the second consecutive game.

Senior forward Alli Gloyd pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds and recorded a game-high and career-best two blocks, while junior guard Keyahndra Cannon scored nine points and grabbed a career-high equaling five rebounds on the night.

Senior guard Candice Warthen also chipped in with eight points and six rebounds.

Sophomore guard Ivonne CookTaylor led way for Texas Tech (3-0), as she scored a team-high 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, while senior forward Kelsi Baker notched a double-double, going for 10 points and 11 rebounds.

It didn’t look good early for Arizona (0-2), who fell behind 10-2 with 13:56 remaining in the first half, but the Cats quickly got things going, at one point scoring on three straight possessions to fuel a 15-2 run, helping to sport Arizona a 17-12 advantage with 9:24 remaining in the half.

The two squads eventually went into halftime tied at 24-24, as Arizona converted on 5-of-6 first half free throws and scored seven points off of 12 forced turnovers to keep it in the contest.

Arizona controlled the game for most the second half, as Holloway knocked down one of her two treys to give the Cats a 27-25 lead with 19:06 remaining. Arizona built the lead to as a high as eight points and didn’t trail again until the 1:36 mark of the game, after a Texas Tech’s Dayo Olabode put in a layup.

The Cats fell behind as many has five points with as little as 24 seconds left, but had a chance to tie the game, as they had the ball down 57-54 with nine seconds remaining, but were unable to get an attempt to go down.

It was anyone’s game right until the very end, as the contest featured six lead changes and seven ties, while no team ever led by more than eight points.

Arizona won second-chance point battle for the second game in a row, outscoring Texas Tech 14-6 in that area, while the Cats also posted another solid night from the charity stripe, knocking down 14-of-19 free throws for 73.7 percent. Arizona also outrebounded the Lady Raiders 47-41 and recorded four blocked shots compared to Texas Tech’s two.

Where We Rank
Through two games, here’s where the Wildcats rank within the Pac-12 Conference. Arizona leads the league in free throw percentage (.805), rebounding offense (48 rpg) and offensive rebounding (19.5 rpg), while it ranks second in defensive rebounding percentage (.760) and third in rebounding margin (+9.0).

What’s Trending
Arizona has won the second-chance point battle in two straight games...Cats have recorded more offensive rebounds than the opponent in consecutive contests...UA has shot 73 percent or better from the free throw line in both contests this season.

Oh So Close
Arizona may be 0-2, but it could easily be 2-0, as the Cats have lost two games this season by a combined seven points. Arizona led from the 19:06 mark of the second half all the way until the 1:36 mark of the game last time out at Texas Tech.

All Hail Holloway
Through two games freshman guard Charise Holloway leads Arizona in scoring (13.0 ppg), steals (2.0 spg), and three pointers made per contest. She’s the only Wildcat to score in double-figures in both games so far this season, while she’s unofficially scored in double-digits in three straight games, as she recorded 13 points in Arizona's exhibition win over Concordia back on Nov. 11.

Arizona’s Dynamic Duo
Charise Holloway and Candice Warthen have combined to score 38 percent of UA’s total points this season (52/126).

Locking Em Down
Arizona held Texas Tech to just 57 points on 39.6 percent shooting on Friday night...the 57 points are the least amount of points the Wildcats have allowed since surrendering just 52 to Utah on Feb. 21, 2013...the 57 points were the least UA has given up on the road since holding Washington to 55 points on Jan. 3, 2014 up in Seattle.

Something Has to Give
Both Arizona and UC Santa Barbara enter Tuesday’s matchup winless on the season...the Wildcats picked up their first victory of the season last year against UCSB.

Taking Back McKale Center
Arizona has lost three straight contests at McKale Center going back to last season, but have won two consecutive home meeting with UC Santa Barbara.

More Debuts
Ferrin Bell made her Arizona debut and scored her first points as Wildcat last Friday at Texas Tech. Breanna Workman also made her season debut.

RECYCLED NOTES

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.

Sophomore Sensation?
LaBrittney Jones’ growth as a freshman last season may be one of the most exciting pieces of optimism Arizona takes into the new year, as she led the team in overall rebounding (5.8 rpg), offensive rebounding (1.6 rpg), defensive rebounding (4.2 rpg), blocked shots (1.1 bpg), field goal percentage (.462) and free throws made per contest (1.8), while her 7.4 points per game average is second best among all returners. Her blocked shots per game last year ranked seventh in the Pac-12 and she is one of just two returners to start in all 30 contests last season (Warthen being the other).

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.