Tough Women’s Basketball Slate Highlights the Week Ahead

Five Pac-12 teams are still undefeated heading into the Thanksgiving week, but teams will be tested this holiday week. OREGON has a tough seven days in front of it beginning with a home game versus #24/19 Michigan State on Pac-12 Network to wrap up a four-game homestand. Then the Ducks hit the road for the Rainbow Wahine Showdown where they face #7/7 Mississippi State on Friday, with a third game wrapping up the week against tournament-host Hawai’i on Saturday. UO is led by Sabrina Ionescu, this week’s Pac-12 Freshman of the Week. She leads the team in scoring, rebounding and steals ... Featured matchups this week include #23/21 ARIZONA STATE taking on #6/5 Maryland on Friday with WASHINGTON STATE getting a turn against the Terps on Saturday... Both of those games will be in Las Vegas ... UCLA’s Jordin Canada was voted the Pac-12 Player of the Week after posting the 23rd triple-double in Conference history. She nearly had a second-straight triple-double in the next game, but fell just one assist short ... Five Pac-12 teams are ranked again this week in the Associated Press and USA Today/WBCA Coaches poll with the Bruins representing in the top 10, coming in at #9 and #10, respectively ... Bruins head coach Cori Close won her 100th-career game last week and UTAH head coach Lynne Roberts needs just one more to get to career #200 ... COLORADO looks to ride its momentum in three games this week after upsetting then-#15 Kentucky last Saturday. It was the Buffs’ first win over a ranked team since 2012.

RECORDS WATCH
WASHINGTON’s Kelsey Plum is already one of the most prolific scorer’s in Pac-12 history. The fastest in league history to 2,000-career points, she is only the third player in Conference history to scored at least 2,500 points. Having scored over 700 points in each of her three years, she needs just over 200 to break the all-time scoring mark. Her name in the top five all-time is among elite company, with two WNBA Rookies of the Year, two No. 1 WNBA picks, four WNBA first-round picks, two WNBA Most Valuable Players and a pair of WNBA Champions occupying the four other spots.

    1. Chiney Ogwumike, STAN (2011-14)    2737
    2. Candice Wiggins, STAN (2005-08)    2629
    3. Kelsey Plum, WASH (2014-present)    2530
    4. Nnemkadi Ogwumike, STAN (2009-12)    2491
    5. Lisa Leslie, USC (1991-94)    2414

    Plum’s total scoring is impressive, but it does not end there. Entering the season, Plum was averaging 23.3 points per game for her career, which would have been good enough for the Pac-12 record. She already owns the record for career free throws made and will shatter the mark previously held by former Oregon State standout Tanja Kostic (1993-96, 608). Plum is the only player in league history to make over 700 free throws in a career.

    Plum is not the only one looking to break records. Oregon State’s Sydney Wiese is among the top-five all-time in Conference history in three-point field goals made. She has netted at least 66 in each of her first thre seasons, knocking down 112 in her freshman campaign

    1. Candice Wiggins, STAN (2005-08)    295
    2. Ashley Corral, USC (2009-12)    291
    3. Lisa Griffith, ARIZ (1997-00)    285
    4. Sydney Wiese, OSU (2013-present)    276
    5. Davellyn Whyte, ARIZ (2010-13)    274

Canada Nearly posts back-to-back triple doubles
UCLA’s Jordin Canada recorded the 23rd triple-double in Pac-12 history and sixth triple-double in UCLA history when she had 11 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists in a home win over Southern on Nov. 18. She nearly had the first back-to-back triple-double in UCLA history and the first in the Pac-12 since 2002 but finished one assist shy with 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in a home win over Cal Poly on Nov. 20. She is one of four Bruins all-time to record a triple-double. In that game versus Southern, Canada also became the 32nd Bruin to reach 1,000-career points.