The University of Washington women's basketball team has a shot at making history this Sunday afternoon.
If the Huskies beat San Diego in the Women's Invitation Tournament quarterfinals at Hec Edmundson Pavillion, they will move on to their first Final Four of any postseason tournament in 22 appearances spanning 38 years. The game starts at noon.
The victor in the UW-San Diego duel will face the winner of the Oklahoma State (19-12) vs.Colorado (20-13) game on March 28 or 29 in the semifinals at a site to be determined.
The Huskies made the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament in 2001, beating Old Dominion, Florida and Oklahoma before losing to SW Missouri, 104-87. Giuliana Mendiola, Megan Franza, Loree Payne and Andrea Lalum starred on that June Daugherty-coached team.
The 2011-12 Huskies have beaten Cal Poly, Utah and Oregon State in the WNIT so far, helping salve the misfortune of four losing seasons prior to this campaign.
UW's present opponent, San Diego (25-8), is a poised, athletic team that likes to run and plays fundamentally sound basketball. They held off a physical Texas Tech team, 60-51, on Thursday in Lubbock, Texas, surviving one charge after another in the late going. San Diego is 11-4 on the road.
"They're quick, fast and are good in transition," said Huskies freshman 6-foot forward Aminah Williams after practice Friday. "We can't let them score off the back door."
The backdoor play can happen when an offensive player gets behind the defense unimpeded and gets a pass for an easy basket.
The Toreros' All-West Coast Conference first-team guards Morgan Woodrow (6-foot) and Dominique Conners (5-foot-8) are particularly adept at that play as well as being good penetrators, passers and shooters. Conners averages 16.8 points and 5.0 rebounds a game. She also has 71 steals. Woodrow (13.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg) scored a game-high 17 points and had nine rebounds against Texas Tech (21-14).
The Huskies earned the right to face San Diego in the quarterfinals by dispatching Pac-12 rival Oregon State 55-49 in Corvallis Tuesday. The Beavers (20-13) had beaten the Huskies twice during the regular season.
"It was a great feeling to win (on the road) after they beat us twice earlier," said Williams, a former Kennedy Catholic player and West Seattle resident. "It was a very up-tempo game, with a lot of energy coming from the crowd.
"We stayed together as a team. We had great fan support from behind our bench."
OSU looked like they were going to run away with the game early, jumping to an early 14-5 lead. Former Chief Sealth standout and team leader Regina Rogers was having trouble getting in rhythm, getting her inside game going.
"She (Rogers) kept going at it, continuing to be aggressive, and the baskets started falling," Williams said.
Rogers, a 6-foot-3 senior, got 12 of her game-high 23 points in the first half, enabling the Huskies to tie it 25-all at the intermission.
Rogers continued to assert herself in the paint in the second half. With the Beavers leading 36-35 with 11:49 to go, Rogers scored eight straight points -- three baskets from close range and two free throws -- to propel the Huskies to 43-35 advantage that was never headed.
Williams said she has learned a lot watching her senior teammates -- as well as seeing herself-- respond to postseason pressure.
"I've learned to be hungry," said Williams. "I've learned to be aggressive on every possession."
But the main thing she has learned, Williams said, is that "it doesn't matter how highly ranked a team is coming into the postseason, it's all about who wants to win more and advance."
Another local player, senior guard and former Chief Sealth player Charmaine Barlow saw action against OSU, scoring two points and collecting two rebounds.
Tickets for the UW-San Diego game are on sale at the Husky Ticket Office (206-543-2200) and online at gohuskies.com. Reserved seats (rows 1-20) are $13. General admission (rows 21 and up) are $6 for adults, $4 for youths/seniors/UW students with ID and $4 for groups $15 or more.
The game will be broadcast on KKNW 1150-AM, starting at 11:30 a.m. Sunday with the Husky Courtside Show. Steve Sandmeyer (play-by-play) and Elise Woodward (analysis) will call the game.
